Halloween Pull-Apart Bread

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Let’s celebrate Halloween this year with the super fluffy and soft purple and yellow pull-apart Japanese bread with cute Halloween decorations!

Halloween pull apart bread just out of the oven still in a baking tin

Halloween in Japan?

Halloween has become very popular in Japan and people really love it! I am not sure though, if they know what Halloween really is for. Nowadays in Japan, towards October, Halloween supplies can be found everywhere and many confectionery companies sell Halloween themed sweets.

Halloween pull apart bread ingredients

Naturally purple and yellow

When I went back to Japan a few weeks ago, I was browsing the underground floor of a department store (called “Depachika”) in Tokyo and there I found purple sweet potato powder and kabocha pumpkin powder, which is what I’ve used to naturally colour this bread.

The first 4 steps of halloween pull apart bread in 4 photos

Purple Sweet Potato : Purple colour

Purple sweet potato has purple skin and purple flesh. It does not just have a striking colour but it also is high in Anthocyanin, which creates a nice purple colour for this bread.

the second 4 steps of halloween pull apart bread making process in 4 photos

Kabocha pumpkin : Yellow colour

Kabocha pumpkin is my favourite type of pumpkin. They are not the same as Kent pumpkins although many shops call Kent pumpkins “Japanese pumpkin” in Australia. Kabocha contains anti-aging agents such as vitamin C, E and β-carotene.

the third 4 steps of making halloween pull apart bread making process

Why in powder form?

I found both vegetables in powder form. It is good because

  1. It is hard to find fresh ones outside of Japan (well in Australia, I rarely see those vegetables)
  2. Powder form is great for baking sweets and bread.

Purple sweet potato paste made from powder

Where to buy those powders?

Online is probably the best option if you don’t live in Japan.
Purple Sweet Potato Fine Powder
Pumpkin Fine Powder

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purple sweet potato paste knead onto bread dough

Tips to use those powders in the pull apart bread

Add the colour to the divided pieces of knead dough. It is better to add some water to the powder to make a paste before adding it to the dough in order to avoid making lumps.

Alternatively, you can add the powder to the flour before making the dough; however, with this method you will have to individually measure all the ingredients for both the yellow and purple dough and make them both in separate bowls.

one Halloween pull apart bread pulled out

How to draw and decorate the bread?
I used a little gadget called a “Decopen” from Daiso. You could also use piping sheets filled with the decorative chocolate/icing. I used chocolate to decorate but icing can be used too.

drawing on halloween pull apart bread with a decopen

Here is my instructions for Halloween pull apart Japanese bread and if you liked it, please rate it and leave a comment or any questions below. And don’t forget to check out other Halloween recipes such as Halloween Pocky and Halloween Mont Blanc Cup Cake.

drawing on the bread with a toothpick

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Halloween pull apart bread in the baking form

Halloween pull apart bread in the baking form

Halloween Pull-Apart Bread ハロウィーンちぎりパン

5 from 6 votes
This Halloween Pull-Apart Bread is so much fun to decorate and pull apart to eat! It's perfect to serve at a Halloween party or to trick-or-treaters!
Prep Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 16

Ingredients

Yudane

  • 50 g Bread flour/Baker's flour
  • 40 ml boiling water above 90 degrees celsius

Bread

  • 150 ml milk lukewarm
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 g dry instant yeast
  • 200 g Bread/Baker's flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 10 g unsalted butter
  • 10 g purple sweet potato powder
  • 20 ml water
  • 10 g kabocha pumpkin powder
  • 15 ml water*

Melted white and milk chocolate for the decoration on top of the bread

Instructions

  • Make Yudane the night before. Place the bread flour in a bowl and add boiling water and mix well. Put cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. *1
  • Add all bread ingredients to the bread machine.
  • Knead them for 20 minutes.
  • While the bread is being kneaded, make the purple sweet potato and kabocha pumpkin paste.
  • Place each powder into two separate small bowls and add water and stir. Set aside.
  • When the surface of the dough becomes shiny, take the dough out of the machine and divide the dough into three (to make white, purple, and orange dough).
  • Knead the purple sweet potato paste into one dough and the kabocha pumpkin paste into another.
  • Spray some oil in three bowls and put each dough in the centre.
  • Cover each bowl with cling wrap and leave them somewhere warm (or leave them in an oven for 1 hour at 30 c).
  • Once the dough has been left for an hour (or doubled in size) take each out of the bowl and place onto a floured bench or chopping bread. Preheat the oven to 180 c.
  • Punch each ball of dough down and divide them into 6 even-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a nice round shape and place it in a baking tin lined up next to each other.
  • Cover the baking tin with cling wrap and leave it in warm place till the size of the dough doubles.
  • Bake it for about 20 minutes. Occasionally check the bread to see if it has become browned (you need to cover with aluminium foil to prevent further browning or burning).
  • Take the bread out of the oven once it has cooked, allow it to cool down a little, then have fun decorating it with a deco-pen filled with melted chocolate.
  • Serve the bread on a plate for everyone to pull apart.

Notes

Nutritional value is per one pulled bread
If you can not access to the powder, you can replace them with matcha, or cocoa powder to make it in different colour. If you use matcha, you could decorate it as frankenstein?  
This bread was inspired from several recipes on the Japanese blog site, レシピブログ.

Nutrition

Calories: 69kcal · Carbohydrates: 12g · Protein: 2g · Fat: 1g · Saturated Fat: 0g · Cholesterol: 2mg · Sodium: 149mg · Potassium: 28mg · Fiber: 0g · Sugar: 1g · Vitamin A: 30IU · Calcium: 12mg · Iron: 0.1mg
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Japanese
Did You Make This Recipe?I want to see it! Tag @chopstickchronicles on social media!
Shihoko Ura of Chopstick Chronicles
About The Author

Shihoko Ura

Shihoko Ura is a Japanese home cook and cookbook author with a passion for food and photography. She shares her authentic and beloved recipes with step-by-step guides and helpful tips so you too can make delicious Japanese food at home. Her recipes have featured in The Japan Times, Buzzfeed, and Country Living.

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Questions and Reviews

    1. Hi Jean, you need to knead manually if you don’t have a bread machine. I just don’t have much muscle so I set kneed and first rise 😀

      1. 5 stars
        I just finished this recipe for about the 5th time, I found it about a year ago and it has become my most favorite bun recipe ever.

  1. Would these be okay if I make them the night before?? Thinking of making them for work but I don’t know how long they last.

  2. 5 stars
    We are going to my grandson’s 5th Birthday party nest Wednesday………. this is perfect… and there is a Daiso shop here on the Gold Coast………… THANKS for sharing a wonderful idea

  3. This bread looks delightful, but for some reason I don’t see the ingredients, nor the rising and baking times. I tried visiting this page with Chrome and Safari on Mac. Please advise! Thanks!

    1. Hi Ann, Thank you for visiting my blog. This blog has been redesigned and old recipe display is not working atm, I am trying to fix it atm. Sorry It will b up asap.

  4. These are AWESOME! Super adorable! The bread looks soft and fluffy. I bet they are very tasty! I love that kids can draw and decorate the bread. I have no idea that Halloween is big in Japan! It would be fun to see what the atmosphere is like in person one day. 🙂

    1. Hi 😀 thank you! Yes, they were very yummy and fluffy! It was a lot of fun to decorate the bread even though I’m an adult haha, so I think it’s perfect for children. Yes Halloween has become really popular in Japan, I think it would be a lot of fun to go to one of the theme park Halloween events!

  5. Oh my gosh, I love this! Pinning to my Halloween board because I am seeking some Halloween inspiration, it’s coming up fast! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!