Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (2024)

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September 1, 2020

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This Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe is like comfort food to the max. Made with pantry ingredients and baked until golden brown. Serve immediately with your favorite soup or freeze for later.

I’m so excited to be sharing this Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe with you today! A simple and comforting recipe that makes soups and stews that much more delicious. Whether you’re making Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup or White Chicken Chili, it will be that much more special served in a bread bowl. What’s better than a bread bowl? A homemade, warm bread bowl.

Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (1)

Hello, Fall! Hello, Bread Bowls!

With the cooler temperatures slowly settling in for good, we know the soups, apple recipes and all things pumpkin are going to be here to stay! While I love soup as much as the next person, soup becomes that much more delicious when there is a bread bowl recipe involved! Yes, it takes a little time (as any bread recipe will) but the pay off is so worth it!

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Main Ingredients Needed

My Bread Bowl Recipe is based off of this super simple Basic White Bread Recipe. No surprises here.

  • Warm Water – you want this to be the 110- 115 degrees F. Think a little warmer than baby bath water. Always err on the side of colder than warmer so you don’t kill the yeast.
  • Active Dry Yeast- I big puffy heart love Le Saf active dry yeast. I get the 1 pound pack from Costco and store extras in a clean, dry glass jar in the fridge.
  • Sugar or Honey- the yeast needs something to eat in order to create all that carbon dioxide and sugar or honey is just the ticket.
  • All Purpose Flour– this is the most common flour, so the one I suggest using. If you have bread flour, definitely use that!
  • Salt – please please please don’t forget to add the salt! This is the only flavor you’re adding to this bread bowl recipe, so without it, you’ll have big bland messes.
  • Butter – Salted or unsalted butter is just fine. If you’re nervous about using yeast, use unsalted butter.
  • Egg or Milk –used to help the bread bowls brown in the oven. Its an optional step but one I recommend for the best result.

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How to Make Bread Bowls

This Bread Bowl recipe is not that hard to make at all, you just need a little time! For full recipe details, see the recipe card below.

  1. Proof the yeast. Stir warm water together with yeast and sugar. Dissolve and set aside to bloom.
  2. Stir 4 1/2 cups flour and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in melted butter and stir to cool (if hot from being melted.)
  3. With mixer on, slowly stream in yeast and water mixture. After flour is incorporated, dough will still be very sticky.
  4. Sprinkle in flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (When you touch the dough, it will be tacky but not tacky enough to leave residue on your hands.)
  5. Knead for 6 minutes on low.
  6. Grease bowl and dough well. Cover with clean kitchen towel and set aside to rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  7. Punch down dough and divide into eight equal portions. Form into balls and place on baking sheets. Cover and rise another 30 minutes.
  8. Brush tops with beaten egg or milk and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
  9. Cut a circle out the top to create a bowl. Scoop out the insides to create a deeper well. Fill with stew, soup, or chili.

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Make-Ahead

Make your bread bowls ahead of time by making the recipe as written in entirety. After they are have been baked and cooled, store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.

What to Serve in a Bread Bowl

    • 25-minute Baked Potato Soup
    • White Chicken Chili
    • Cream of Cauliflower Soup
    • Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • The Best Chili Recipe
    • Beef Stew (Crockpot Recipe)
    • Summer Vegetable Stew Recipe
    • Creamy Crock Pot Stew

I hope you love this recipe as much as we did! Be sure to print/pin/save/bookmark this recipe and use it all season long! Have a great day, friends!

Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (5)

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Homemade Bread Bowls

This Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe is like comfort food to the max. Made with pantry ingredients and baked until golden brown. Serve immediately with your favorite soup or freeze for later.

servings 8 bread bowls

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 17 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 2 envelopes active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 5-6 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup butter melted
  • 1 egg (or milk) optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Stir yeast and granulated sugar into the water. Set aside to proof.

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (6)

  • In a large bowl, measure out 4 1/2 cups of flour with the salt. Stir. Add in the melted butter and stir to cool {if the butter was still warm from being melted.}

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (7)

  • Pour in the yeasty water mixture and stir with the dough hook to combine. You may have to scrape as you go to incorporate all of the flour. Once the dough comes together, keep sprinkling in flour until dough cleans the sides of the bowl and it is sticky to the touch but won't stick to your hands. {I added in 5 3/4 cups total.}

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (8)

  • Knead 6 minutes. Grease ball of dough and bowl generously, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm spot to rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (9)

  • Punch down dough, divide into eight equal portions, form into balls, and place on the baking sheet to rise another 30 minutes to an hour.

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (10)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bread bowls with beaten egg {optional step} and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes.

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (11)

  • Cut a circle out the top to create a bowl. Scoop out the insides to create a deeper well. Fill with stew, soup, or chili! Serve.

    Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (12)

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 3.7mg

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread bowl, bread bowl recipe, how to make a bread bowl

Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What type of bread is a bread bowl made of? ›

When is comes to making bread bowls, we prefer a round crusty loaf of artisanal or sourdough bread. This shape is sometimes referred to as a boule, which comes from the French word for ball. We use boules to create bread bowls for French Onion Soup.

How do bread bowls not get soggy? ›

Why Toasting Is The Best Bread Bowl Technique. Part of the appeal of bread bowls is the gradual disintegration of the bread into the soup; the key word here is "gradual." If the bread is too soft from the start, it will become soggy the moment you introduce your filling of choice into it.

What is the best bowl to make bread in? ›

Wooden bowls have always been the preferred choice for bread-making because the heat generated by the yeast is retained in the wood, giving the dough an even rise—and because the bowl's high sides protect the dough from drafts.

What is the point of a bread bowl? ›

Bread bowls can be used to serve chili, New England–style clam chowder, and other thick stews (often, but not always, with a cheese or cream base). Soups with thinner bases are not generally served in bread bowls, as the broth would make the bread get too soggy too quickly.

What type of bread bowl does Panera use? ›

Crafted from the same artisan Sourdough bread used in the classic Bread Bowl, the Double Bread Bowl features a crunchy crust and chewy center that pairs perfectly with all Panera soups, from sweet Creamy Tomato to the cheesy goodness of Broccoli Cheddar.

What is the best material for a dough bowl? ›

Wooden bowls were preferred as the wood held the heat generated by the fermentation of the yeast.

What can I put in my dough bowl? ›

Old books make great filler, especially for a really large dough bowl. Over on THIS post, you can find over 27 more decorating ideas for old, thrifted books. For spring, it can be fun to combine some vintage books with bunnies. This is a great one to just play around with.

How do you gut a bread bowl? ›

With a serrated knife, cut a circle at the top of the boule angling the knife towards the center. Pull off the top and set aside. Using your hands, remove the interior of bread bowls. You want to leave about an inch to inch and a half of the bread.

Why do bakers not like bread bowls? ›

The video is actually satire, and bakers don't hate bread bowls, but they may find it wasteful as turning a loaf into a bowl involves carving out a significant portion of the dough.

What do you do with the inside of a bread bowl? ›

Simply cut out the center of your bread bowl, fill with a delicious creamy soup, and enjoy. Tear off pieces of the bread bowl as you finish your soup, and finish by enjoying the whole bowl itself.

What is the correct way to eat a bread bowl? ›

There's no wrong way to eat a bread bowl, but you might be wondering how to approach it. Treat the bread bowl like a regular bowl of soup and use a spoon to eat the actual soup, chili, or chowder. Then, have fun cutting or tearing apart the bread bowl itself.

What should I grease a bowl for bread? ›

The most common options are butter, shortening, and cooking oil, and olive oil is one of the best options. Oil in a refillable mister or a store-bought spray oil makes quick work of greasing the bowl.

Why are my bread bowls flat? ›

Baking bread from scratch is a pleasurable task but it can become rather frustrating when the product comes out flat. 99% of the time this happens, the problem lies with the yeast used. The quality might be compromised, or you might have applied it incorrectly, or under poor cooking conditions.

What kind of bread is panini bread? ›

A panini (/pəˈniːniː/; nowadays less commonly called panino, Italian: [pa'niːno]) is a sandwich made with Italian bread (such as ciabatta and michetta), usually served warm after grilling or toasting.

What type of bread is sandwich bread? ›

Sandwich bread (also referred to as pan bread, loaf bread, or sandwich loaf) is bread that is prepared specifically to be used for the preparation of sandwiches. Sandwich breads are produced in many varieties, such as white, whole wheat, sourdough, rye, multigrain and others.

What bread is known as pocket bread? ›

The pita, of course! Traditional pita bread is a round bread with a pocket in the middle. Pita bread must be cooked in ovens that can get extremely hot (at least 700° F). The pocket in a pita is made by steam, which puffs up the dough during the baking process.

What are dough bowls made of? ›

A dough bowl may be carved from almost any fine textured, straight grained wood that is free from knots, shakes, and other defects, and which has no toxic characteristics. I have made bowls from cottonwood, soft maple, cherry, butternut, river birch and buckeye.

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