4 Ingredient Easy Bread Bowls
With only 4 ingredients, this easy bread bowl recipe could not be simpler to put together! Water, flour, yeast, salt are the only 4 ingredients you need to create perfectly crusty bread bowls for your favorite soup or dip!
Overview
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Techniques Used: Lean Dough Master Recipe
Easy bread bowls can be made with 4 simple ingredients! They are the perfect vehicle for single servings of warm soup or your favorite dip. Devour some soup and then tear off pieces of the bowl for dipping.
How to Make Easy Bread Bowls
Step 1: Mix All Ingredients
In a large bowl, mix together all of your ingredients until fully combined and you can no longer see any streaks of flour.
Step 2: Knead your Dough
After the ingredients for the bread dough are combined the dough is kneaded. Dough can be kneaded in a stand mixer using a dough hook for about 6-8 minutes on medium speed, or by hand for about 8-10 minutes. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
Step 3: Bulk Ferment
After kneading, place your dough into a greased mixing bowl and let sit out at room temperature for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step 4: Divide & Shape Dough
Gently deflate the dough by pressing in the center. Place the dough on a clean work surface and cut it into 4 equal pieces using a bench knife or sharp knife.
Shape the dough into bowls by pulling down on the edges then rolling the dough under your hand to seal the seam on the bottom.
Step 5: Proofing your Dough
Place the shaped bowls on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover with a towel to rise for 1 hour.
While the dough is proofing, preheat the oven to 425°F/ 220°C.
Step 6: Bake
After proofing, lightly dust the bowls with flour and use a sharp knife or bread lame to slash the top of the bowls with an X pattern. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.
Step 7: Cut Bowls and Fill
Let the bread cool slightly. Use a pairing knife to cut a circle out of the top of the bowls. Use a fork to scoop out some of the extra bread so that you have enough room in the bowl to fill. Reserve the extra bread pieces for dipping.
Fill up the bowls with your favorite soup or dip.
4 Ingredient Easy Bread Bowls
With only 4 ingredients, this easy bread bowl recipe could not be simpler to put together! Water, flour, yeast, and salt are the only ingredients you need to create perfectly crusty bread bowls for your favorite soup or dip!
Ingredients
- 540 grams (4 ½ cups) all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 11 grams (2 ¼ teaspoon) kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon instant yeast or 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 398 grams (1 ¾ cup, 420 ml) water, at about 120-130°F/ 49-54°C
- Canola or vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour (540 grams, 4 ½ cups), salt (11 grams, 2 ¼ teaspoon), yeast (¾ teaspoon instant yeast or 1 teaspoon active dry yeast), and warm water (398 grams, 1 ¾ cup) until combined. Keep mixing until all of the flour is mixed throughout.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour, and knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, you can do this in a stand mixer fit with the dough hook attachment at medium speed for about 6-8 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Grease a clean large bowl with oil, and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Gently deflate the dough by pressing in the center. Place the dough on a clean work surface and cut it into 4 equal pieces using a bench knife or sharp knife.
- Shape the dough into balls by holding them in your hand and pulling down on the edges to create a seam at the bottom and pinch the seam closed. Then roll the ball under your hand to seal the seam on the bottom. Place the shaped balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover with a towel to rise for 1 hour.
- While the dough is proofing, preheat the oven to 425°F/ 220°C.
- Lightly dust the balls with flour and use a sharp knife or bread lame to slash the top of the balls with an X pattern. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.
- Let the bread cool slightly. Use a pairing knife to cut a circle out of the top of the bowls. Use a fork to scoop out some of the extra bread so that you have enough room in the bowl to fill. Reserve the extra bread pieces for dipping.
- Fill up the bowls with your favorite soup or dip.
- Unused bowls can be cooled completely, wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer. Rewarm in a 325°F/ 165° C oven until heated through.
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11 Comments on “4 Ingredient Easy Bread Bowls”
I have been wanting to make my own bread bowls but could;t find a simple recipe. This one is perfect. Thank you
I LOVE how crusty they are and the fact that they’re so simple! Pinning!
Too small for my taste. BUT I am Still having them for dinner tonight. Next time I will make more dough.
Delicious and easy to make! About to spoon in vegan smokey corn chowder, and snacking on the bowl innards as I write. Delectable!
I made these with my 7 year old daughter today and they were so delicious and easy. We actually just put all the ingredients in the bread machine to make the dough. I loved the crusty outside and soft inside. It was just what I have been looking for in a bread bowl recipe. Thanks!
Can I make this with bread flour?
I just made these last night and they were a hit! I ended up using active dry yeast instead of instant (as it was what I had on hand), but I simply activated the yeast in some water/sugar and then subtracted that amount of water from the other quantity – worked great! Thirty minutes seemed to be a touch too long for my bowls, but that could’ve been my oven; I do recommend starting a bit more conservatively and checking. Loved the recipe, thank you!
I was looking for a bread recipe to eat on Orthodox fasting days and this one is perfect! It was very humid on the day I decided to make them so I had to add a bit more flour (1/2 cup) not including the flour needed to knead the dough. This will be my “go to” bread for my fasting days . Thank you ☺
You’re very welcome!
Thank you. What would you do differently to make one big bread bowl for dipping? Dutch oven? Time?
Yes, you can bake it in a dutch oven on the same temperature. It may need a bit longer but start here: Bake with the lid on for 40 minutes. Take the lid off and if you would like a bit more color on the crust, bake it for 5-15 more minutes with the lid off.