One of my all time favorite winter meals is hot bowl of creamy soup. I love how comforting it feels and how it has the ability to warm me up on a cold day. There are so many types of soup that are delicious, but the best way to eat it is inside a huge bowl made of bread. I love bread bowls! Tearing off chunks of bread and dipping it into a delicious soup is so satisfying. Also, not a drop of soup is wasted.
The only debate on eating soup in a bread bowl is whether you eat the soup first and save the yummy bread for the end or if you eat the bread as you go. Either way, you can’t go wrong! This recipe will enhance any soup you choose to make.
Making The Bread Bowls
To start, mix together the warm water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl attached to a stand mixer. You can also make this by hand using a large mixing bowl and a dough whisk. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to allow it to proof, or bubble.
Add hot water, salt and oil to the yeast mixture. Slowly add the flour while kneading, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky. The dough should still feel tacky. Continue kneading the dough for about 5-8 minutes.
Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.
Quickly knead the dough, cover and let it sit for 10 more minutes. Repeat this process 5 times.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 4-8 equal sections. This will create either 4 large bowls, 6 medium bowls, or 8 small bowls depending on your preference.
Create each section into a ball form and place 4 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Score, or cut, an “x” on the top of each ball and bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until the center of the dough reaches 190 degrees F.
If you prefer a more crispy crust, fill a clean spray bottle with water and squirt each dough ball with water before placing in the oven.
Allow the bread bowls to cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Cut a 3-4 inch circle in the center of the bowl with a serrated knife and remove, make sure not to cut all the way to the bottom. Use a spoon or your fingers to remove more bread from the center to provide room to fill the bread bowls with soup.
Fill with your favorite soup and enjoy!
Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp yeast
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 1/2 cups hot water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- 7-8 cups flour
Instructions
- To start, mix together the warm water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl attached to a stand mixer. You can also make this by hand using a large mixing bowl and a dough whisk. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to allow it to proof, or bubble.
- Add hot water, salt and oil to the yeast mixture. Slowly add the flour while kneading, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky. The dough should still feel tacky. Continue kneading the dough for about 5-8 minutes.
- Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.
- Quickly knead the dough, cover and let it sit for 10 more minutes. Repeat this process 5 times.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 4-8 equal sections. This will create either 4 large bowls, 6 medium bowls, or 8 small bowls depending on your preference.
- Create each section into a ball form and place 4 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
- Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
- Score, or cut, an "x" on the top of each ball and bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until the center of the dough reaches 190 degrees F.
- If you prefer a more crispy crust, fill a clean spray bottle with water and squirt each dough ball with water before placing in the oven.
- Allow the bread bowls to cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Cut a 3-4 inch circle in the center of the bowl with a serrated knife and remove, make sure not to cut all the way to the bottom. Use a spoon or your fingers to remove more bread from the center to provide room to fill the bread bowls with soup.
- Fill with your favorite soup and enjoy!
