Crab Dip In A Bread Bowl

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 3 lbs cream cheese, softened (some of cheese can be fat free or low-fat)
• 2 lbs backfin crab meat
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle heinz chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons horseradish (not horseradish sauce)
• 3 tablespoons oscar meyer bacon bits
• 1 cup toasted almond
• 2 packages bread mix
• 2 cups water

Recipe

• 1 if you purchase bakery round bread, omit the next few steps.
• 2 bread bowl:mix both bread mixes together according to manufacturer's instructions.
• 3 let rise until double in bulk.
• 4 with non-stick cooking spray, spray the inside of a 9" or 1" springform pan.
• 5 knead dough and place in pan, pressing down as evenly flat as possible.
• 6 let rise 1 to 2 hours until dough reaches the top of the pan.
• 7 bake about 50-65 minutes at 350 degrees, until completely cooked.
• 8 run knife around edge of loaf, and let cool completely.
• 9 remove outer pan rim.
• 10 cut a thin top layer from the bread and remove most of the bread inside, leaving a"shell" of bread to form your bowl.
• 11 place bread on serving tray (large enough to hold crackers or bread cubes around it).
• 12 dip:in mixer, mix cream cheese with all other ingredients except chili sauce and crab.
• 13 when well blended, add chili sauce and mix until blended.
• 14 gently stir in crab meat.
• 15 spoon into shallow baking dish and bake until warm in the center.
• 16 cool until not hot to the touch.
• 17 spoon crab dip into bread bowl on serving tray; sprinkle bacon and almonds on top, and surround with assorted crackers and a few sprigs of greenery for garnish.