Bread bowls are a GREAT match with soup on a cold Sunday afternoon or a creative accompaniment for dips when watching the game. It’s great that you can make these in advance since the bread usually doesn’t have to be served warm.
The whole baking process is actually very simple, after all, you’re just making a basic bread recipe. However, there are a few tips that will help you make flawless homemade bread bowls that can actually hold a decent amount of soup/dip.
DON’T fall victim to this!
Keep ’em round
This is the most important step, because no one wants to eat soup off of a flat piece of bread! Usually, when we bake a homemade bread we’re not too worried about keeping a round shape, so we do the normal kneading + folding process and let it rest. When making homemade bread bowls, you basically want to make the dough into a ball shape. Then, when you put it down to bake, it will conform to the flat surface, leaving a nice flat bottom and a rounded top.
Start with a HOT oven
And moreover, preheat your baking pan or dutch oven for about 30 minutes as well. The hot surface will help kick-start the dough on the bottom so that it bakes more evenly. If you were to place the dough into a preheated oven on a COOL surface (non-preheated pan or dutch oven), the tops will likely finish well before the bottoms. And this is a sticky situation for bread bowls, because the soup can make a soggy mess of the bottoms and eventually leak. My favorite method is preheating a dutch oven at 450F.
Slice the top off
This may seem obvious, however I read quite a few recipes on other sites that show people to slice downward into the bread to carve out the middle. This is much more difficult!
Simply slice a layer off the entire top, and then pick out the inside of the bread until there’s about 3/4″ of bread remaining on all sides. Better yet, this allows you to put that top layer of bread back onto the bread bowl filled with soup before serving.
Flatten the insides
Using your (clean) hands, gently press the remaining 3/4″ of fluffy bread on the inside to compact the walls. Afterwards, the walls of the bread bowl should be about 1/4″ thick or so.
Pressing the insides flat helps keep the soup in the bread bowl longer because it takes longer to get soggy.
Reserve the insides
After all, we don’t want to waste all of the great homemade bread you just made! After picking out the insides of the bread bowls, place them in a container with a paper towel over the top and let them sit on the counter. After a couple days, you have the perfect accompaniment for homemade french onion soup.
Or you can always make homemade breadcrumbs by simply baking them at 350F for 15 minutes to dry them out.
AuthorBakerologyThis basic white bread bowl recipe can transform any soup-eating experience! This bread bowl holds its shape flawlessly even after going back for a second bowl of soup and - more importantly - tastes great!
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, and flour. Beat on low/medium speed. Dough should be slightly sticky - if it's too sticky, add more flour 1 tbsp at a time. If it's too dry, add warm water 1 tbsp at a time.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead. Place in greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
Place a dutch oven or pan in the oven and preheat to 450F. Divide dough into 3 equal sizes and form into balls. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly rub a small amount of oil on the dough. Place dough in the preheated dutch oven or pan (careful, it's hot!) about 3-5 inches apart. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Once cooled, slice a small layer off the top. Scoop out the insides (reserve for breadcrumbs if desired) until there is 3/4" left on all sides. If adding soup, gently press to flatten the inside of the bread bowl; the dense bread will help maintain its shape and reduce the chance of a soggy bowl breaking.
Add soup/dip; if desired, place the top layer back on as a lid!
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, and flour. Beat on low/medium speed. Dough should be slightly sticky - if it's too sticky, add more flour 1 tbsp at a time. If it's too dry, add warm water 1 tbsp at a time.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead. Place in greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
Place a dutch oven or pan in the oven and preheat to 450F. Divide dough into 3 equal sizes and form into balls. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly rub a small amount of oil on the dough. Place dough in the preheated dutch oven or pan (careful, it's hot!) about 3-5 inches apart. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Once cooled, slice a small layer off the top. Scoop out the insides (reserve for breadcrumbs if desired) until there is 3/4" left on all sides. If adding soup, gently press to flatten the inside of the bread bowl; the dense bread will help maintain its shape and reduce the chance of a soggy bowl breaking.
Add soup/dip; if desired, place the top layer back on as a lid!
