Homemade Bread Bowls

4.91 from 21 votes

Take your comforting soup recipes up a notch by serving them in Homemade Bread Bowls! This easy bread bowl recipe is made completely from scratch with a handful of ingredients you'll already have on hand. For extra ease, the dough can be made ahead of time and then risen and baked right before serving. Perfect for soups and dips!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Additional Time1 45

Total Time2 30

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: bread bowls

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

2 ½ cups warm water, around 110 to 115°F
1 ½ Tablespoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6-7 cups bread flour + more for shaping
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
Add the salt, oil, and 2 cups of the flour, mixing well with the paddle attachment to combine. Continue to add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, switching to the dough hook partway through, until a nice soft dough forms. You may not need all of the flour.
Knead for 5-6 minutes on medium speed until the dough is smooth and cleans the sides of the bowl. It shouldn't be too sticky.
Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for about 45 minutes until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough to remove air bubbles and turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving space for the dough to rise.
Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for another 30-45 minutes until doubled in size again.
Preheat oven to 400°F while the bread bowls are rising. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Brush it onto the risen bread bowls just before putting them in the oven.
Bake for 22-26 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool for 15 minutes, then use a sharp serrated knife to cut lids off the top of each "bowl". Remove some of the bread inside the bread bowl to make space for soup.

Notes

Make Ahead Freezer Instructions: You can let the dough rise, then punch down and shape into individual balls, then freeze the dough. Let thaw and rise before baking as directed.
You can also freeze baked bread bowls.

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