Bread Bowls for Soup recipe

You may have seen them in shops, but all the better to make your own bread bowls at home! Lovely when served with a creamy vegetable or potato soup or with chilli con carne. They freeze well for up to 1 month, if desired.

544 people made this

IngredientsServes: 8

• 2 (7g) sachets dried active baking yeast
• 600ml warm water (45 degrees C)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 875g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon polenta (cornmeal)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

MethodPrep:30min ›Cook:30min ›Extra time:1hr15min rising › Ready in:2hr15min

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil and 1/2 of the flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 50g at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 10cm (4 in) round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking trays sprinkled with polenta. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draughts, until doubled in size, about 35 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas 6. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7. To make bowls: Cut a 1cm thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centres, leaving 2cm-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

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Reviews & ratingsAverage global rating:(593)

Reviews in English (483)

Excellent recipe. I have made it twice, the second time making six bowls instead of eight, so they were a bit larger and taller and easier to remove the bread. Be sure to bake the loaves long enough so they sound hollow when tapped. They get a nice golden color and great crust. This recipe is a winner!-21 Feb 2014

by Sola

The only reason why I am knocking off a star is that I think you should make the recipe int0 SIX bread bowls, not 8... the size you get making six seems perfect. I also did olive oil instead of veg., and I added 1 tbsp. of sugar. I used entirely bread flour, not all purpose. I took the advice of another reviewer and let it rise with a steaming pot in the oven-- worked great! We ate this with "Super Sloppy Joes" (search for it) in the middle with cheddar cheese on top. Deliciously filling. One thing to remember though-- making six bowls means they need a little extra time in the oven, maybe 5 minutes or they are a tad doughy.-24 Feb 2006

by BABSKITCHEN

These were very good but a bit time consuming. They baked up nice and crispy on the outside, just a tad doughy on the inside still. Next time, I will bake 2 or 3 mins. longer. I used bread flour instead of all-purpose, perhaps that had something to do with it. I cut back on the salt to 1-1/2 tsp., next time I will add the whole amount. As per others' recommendations, I used olive oil and added a Tbsp. I made 6 bowls, which were a good size, but very filling. (A secret I learned from Alton Brown from the Food Channel - place the dough in an oiled bowl or tall container. Cover with a cloth. Boil water and pour into a bowl. Place both in the oven. The steam creates the perfect temperature for rising the dough. Works great every time!)-16 Jan 2006