Disney Princess Birthday or Tea Party: "The Royal Coach" Dip Boule

When I was little I could have cared less about Prince Charming - it was all about the coach and the horses for me. I dreamed of the day when I would arrive somewhere in a coach pulled by sleek, black horses and emerge to admiration and...

Well the fantasy always stopped there.

Decorating for a theme party requires imagination and a lot of it. Maybe because I am such a perfectionist I go overboard but to me everything in a theme party should go with the theme from the colors to the serving dishes. A princess party just would not be complete without a coach - and what better way to create a coach than with a boule and a dip?

This is easy and it really was a huge hit. So cute.

What you'll need -

Your favorite dip recipe - make sure that it is a thick dip so it doesn't soak through the bread. There are several on Restless Chipotle that will work - I will link to them below.
1 Sourdough round bread boule - unsliced
6 slices of white bread
4 toothpicks
Yarn or string
Plastic horses

How to do it -

The night before you will serve the dip slice a thin layer off of the top of the boule.
Pull out the bread, leaving a 1 inch thick wall.
Save the bread for breadcrumbs or whatever.
Allow the boule to stand uncovered overnight - this helps the soft bread inside to get a little crusty and it won't soak up so much dip when you fill it.
Shortly before serving toast 4 pieces of bread.
Carefully cut a large circle out of each for the wheels.
Toast the other 2 pieces of bread and cut out 2 small circles from each for the hubs.
Place the hollow boule on a platter.
Place a small circle on a large circle of toast and push a toothpick through the circles and attach them to the boule for wheels.
Place the horses at the "front" of the carriage.
Tie string around the horses and attach the ends to each side of the coach with toothpicks.
Add the dip to the hollowed out center.
Add parsley, chives, edible flowers or whatever you like as garnish.