Homemade Bread Bowls
My goal with this recipe is to instill confidence in even the most amateur bread makers out there. Homemade bread is soo EASY and anyone can do it! I love that I usually always have the pantry ingredients I need to make it, and it tastes way better than anything you could buy at the store. Follow these simple steps and you'll feel like a professional baker!
I adapted this recipe from the Food Nanny, as I knew I wanted a great base for an Italian bread that was crusty on the outside and soft inside, but had a sturdy enough crumb to hold its own when hot soup was added. The end result is absolutely perfect and will take your soup-for-dinner experience to a new level!
6 Pantry Ingredients:
- Active dry Yeast
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
8 Simple Steps for Homemade Bread Bowls:
- Proof the yeast – Combine the water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Stir just until the yeast is dissolved. Cover with a towel and let stand until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Mix the dough ingredients – In a large bowl, add the salt, remaining sugar, butter, yeast mixture, and 3 ½ cups of the flour, and mix.
- Knead the dough – Slowly keep adding more flour (about 1 cup at a time) until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead/mix the dough for about 5 minutes. Stop and touch the dough with a clean, dry finger. The dough shouldn't be “sticky”, but may barely stick to your finger. Add a little more flour, as needed, until you reach that consistency. Knead for 2-3 more minutes.
- Allow dough to Rise – Lightly spray another large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer the dough to that bowl. (Flip the dough over once so both sides are coated with spray). Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
- Divide the dough. Punch down the risen rough, and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Pat them down well to remove any air bubbles and fold them into a tight ball. Make a very small “X” slit on the top of the dough rounds with a serrated knife.
- Brush with egg wash. Beat an egg with 1 tablespoon of milk to make an egg wash. Lightly Brush the tops of each dough ball with a very thin layer of egg wash.
- 2nd Rise – Cover the rolls really lightly with a piece of plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 30-40 more minutes.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Do I need any Special Equipment?
NO! The bread bowls bake on a regular baking sheet and can be mixed by hand or in a stand mixer. Anyone can make this easy recipe!
The BEST soups to serve in a bread bowl:
I think bread bowls are especially delicious served with cream based or thicker soups. These soups have a slightly thicker consistency that won't cause the bread to get soggy as quickly.
- Clam Chowder
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Classic Homemade Chili
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
Eat the Bread Bowl!
This bread bowl is more than just edible, it's absolutely delicious! So don't just scoop your soup out of it with a spoon; tear it, dip it and enjoy it!
Storing and Freezing Bread Bowls:
To freeze the dough, punch it down after the first rise and store in an airtight, freezer safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then continue with step 5, dividing the dough.
To freeze the baked bread bowls, store them in an airtight, freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw on the counter and then warm them in the oven before serving.
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Recipe
Homemade Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (2 packets)
- 2 Tablespoons +½ teaspoon granulated sugar , divided
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter , melted
- 7 to 9 cups all-purpose flour , divided
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Combine the water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Stir just until the yeast is dissolved. Cover with a towel and let stand until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the salt, remaining sugar, butter, yeast mixture, and 3 ½ cups of the flour, and mix. Slowly keep adding more flour (about 1 cup at a time) until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead the dough (with your stand mixer, or using your hands) for about 5 minutes. Stop and touch the dough with a clean, dry finger. The dough shouldn't be "sticky", but may barely stick to your finger. Add a little more flour, as needed, until you reach that consistency. Knead for 2-3 more minutes.
- Lightly spray another large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer the dough to that bowl. (Flip the dough over once so both sides are coated with spray). Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 6 or 8 equal pieces (for large or small bowls). I like to use a scale to make sure they're all the same size. Pick up one section of the dough and pat it down with your hands to remove any air. Use your hands to gently fold the dough into a tight ball. Place the dough ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make a very small "X" slit on the top of the dough rounds with a serrated knife.
- Beat an egg with 1 tablespoon of milk to make an egg wash. Lightly Brush the tops of each dough ball with a very thin layer of egg wash.
- Cover the rolls really lightly with a piece of plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 30-40 more minutes.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting for bread bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe December 2013, Updated August 2019.
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These came out better than any I’ve ever bought
How many does this recipe make?
This recipe is great! I use it to make 2 round loaves. the only differences I make is to use 2 Tbsp. honey instead of the sugar and browned butter (start with 5-6 Tbsp. to allow for reduced moisture) instead of the melted butter.
I also found it best to add the butter and the salt after mixing the yeast/water mix first. This helps the gluten to form. It helps to let the dough rest for 15 minutes before kneading.
To get the dough to rise I use a seedling heating mat with thermostat placed in a cooler propping the lid open enough to prevent pinching the wires. Set the thermostat to the desired temperature for rising (80-85 degrees). After all is mixed and kneaded the first time place your covered bowl or container in the cooler and cover the lid with a towel. Wait 45 minutes to 1 hour for the dough to rise and double. You can knead a second time and place back into cooler to rise the second time (I found this second kneading and rising not really necessary). Divide your dough into the number of pieces per the recipe and follow the directions to bake.
I tried making these today. The only changes were swapping some water/flour out with some discard for flavor and subbing part of the flour with whole wheat. I watched the video several times so I could understand what I was looking for in shaping. I think next time, I’ll score just before putting them in the oven to keep the tension I got from shaping before the second rise… Following the instructions as written, they spread more than rose, and the egg wash kind of just soaked in.
Horrible!!! Stood kneading the dough for 45 mins. Used 2 bags of flour and ended up throwing it away.
Why would you even waste the time on doing that let alone the flour
This was the worst experience I have ever incountered. I use almost or over 10 cups of flour. Damn I could have bought the bowls for that amount and they are trying to rise now. I did by hand. Probably will have to throw away. Do t make by hand nit a good experience
I just made the recipe! They look amazingly good! Can’t wait to have them tomorrow!!
Your bread bowls turned out AMAZING! Thank you for sharing!
I made these for lunch today, to go along with broccoli cheese soup. I cut the recipe in half and used my bread machine’s dough cycle to mix then form and then rise again and baked them. My husband kept raving about how good they were especially how soft they were in the middle. I linked back to this recipe for friends and family.
Could I add cheddar cheese and jalapenos to this recipe to make the bowls have some spice?
Yes! You can absolutely add shredded cheddar and chopped jalapeños to the dough—just fold them in after the first mix, before kneading.