Pesto Spider Bread with Tomato Soup

Create a tasty but spooky treat for the cold weather.

Spread pesto over the dough.

Roll the pesto-stuffed dough into a spiral.

Shape the dough into a spider.

Stuff with tomato sough and serve.

Ingredients

Bread

• 227g (1 cup) sourdough starter

• 150g water (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) water, lukewarm

• 300g (2 1/2 cups) bread flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 50-100g (1/4 - 1/2 cup) pesto, homemade or store-bought

Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 small onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 15oz crushed tomatoes

• 227ml (1 cup) water or vegetable broth

• A handful of fresh basil leaves

• 2oz spinach

• 2-3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

Bread

1. Combine the starter, water, bread flour, and salt in a large bowl. Knead until a cohesive dough forms. Let the dough rise for 3 hours.

2. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread pesto evenly on top. Roll into a log, then coil into a spiral. Gently reshape into a ball. Let this dough rise for an hour.

3. Split the dough in half. Form one half into a ball. This will be the body of the spider.

4. Cut a small ball out of the remaining half to make the head. Cut a small piece about the length of the head to use as the neck. Place the body, neck, and head together on a baking sheet.

5. Split the remaining dough into 8 long pieces. Carefully twist each piece, being mindful of the pesto filling. Attach 4 pieces to the neck on each side. Arrange the legs so that 2 curve up towards the body and 2 curve down towards the head on each side.

6. Let the spider rise for another hour. Toward the end of the rising period, preheat the oven to 450 F.

7. Bake for 10 minutes. Add foil to cover the legs if they're browning too fast then cook for 15 more minutes.

Soup

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then cook for a few minutes.

3. Add in the vegetable broth or water, spinach, and basil leaves. Cook until the leaves are wilted, then transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth, then return to the pot.

4. Adjust the seasonings to taste and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the heat, then stir in the yogurt.

Assembly

1. Cut out a large cavity in the body of the spider. Pour in soup and serve.