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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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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.
These came out better than any I’ve ever bought
How many does this recipe make?
I made 6 bowls and 2 large rolls today, with this recipe.
Time needs to be adjusted. All told these took three hours, not two. I’d also say these really make six bowls not 8, if you plan to actually put soup into them. I also did not use plastic wrap for second rise, but stayed with the towel.
But its a good recipe otherwise!
Somewhat at the last minute (when I faced the world at 5:30am) I decided bread bowls hoping they won’t leak would be perfect for my anticipated super cream of Chicken soup I was concocting for our Fresno UU Men’s Fellowship intellectual(?) discussion session.
2 batches of this dandy recipe made 16 of absolutely perfect bread bowls. Not bad for this 87yr old geezer’s first attempt at such an adventure. Thanks so much for the articulate accurate directions and encouragement.
Yea!!!
Easy to make! This was fun!
I followed the recipe, adding only rosemary and garlic.
My family loved these bowls!
I served them with brocoli cheddar chowder topped with bacon! I’ll be making these again!
Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this exactly following your recipe and the bread bowls came out perfect! This was my first time making bread bowls- I have made breads before and pizza dough. Thanks for the excellent recipe and the video! The video was helpful!
Wow! I usually don’t rate recipes, but we really loved this one tonight! I used unsalted butter (I think more salt would have been too much) and bread flour. Great flavor and texture! This one’s a keeper!
Just made these today. I followed the metric version, as I find weighted recipes much more accurate. The only thing I changed was I did not use the milk egg wash. The bowls were perfection! This recipe is def a keeper
These bread bowls were easy, gorgeous and perfect for a spicier soup. I took one star off because I considered the taste to be somewhat blah. I always make a recipe as written the first time so I will alter this one now to add some flavor.
Ridiculous! I’m a skilled baker and should have known better than to cover the rolls for the second rise “loosely” with plastic wrap. The rolls rose beautifully, then collapsed into puddles when I tried to ease the plastic off! A waste of time and ingredients.
I’ve never had that problem but you can lightly spray the plastic wrap to help!
Love love love!!! Great recipe.
I wish I would have read through comments before the second rise. The plastic wrap made mine not release the air and it just spread out instead of rising up, except for the edges that were not completely covered. I also should have known better. I’m going to attempt a shortened third rise and pray, since I don’t have time to start over to have bread with our soup for dinner.
I also had that problem, the plastic stuck and they deflated like a popped balloon. Never had this happen before. Bread bowls are plates, so disappointing
These look perfect! Has anyone used bread flour rather than all purpose?
Yes, I used bread flour! They worked perfectly! Although, I covered with a damp towel for the second rise instead of plastic.