Jump to Recipe

Bread bowls are a fun and delicious way to serve your favorite soups and dips. Learn how to make them at home with this simple recipe! These bread bowls are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. 

Homemade bread bowl filled with spinach dip and surrounded by baby carrots and celery

OVERVIEW

Homemade bread bowls are an easy and creative way to serve individual portions of soup or your favorite dip for game day. Bread bowls are best filled with creamy, hot soups (like broccoli cheddar or potato) and warm or cold dips like spinach dip.

Why Homemade Bread Bowls are the best way to serve

  • Everyone gets their own little loaf of bread when soup is served in these bowls!
  • As an edible bowl, you use the scooped out insides for dipping and can also tear off the sides of the bowl.
  • Serve your favorite dip in these cute bowls for your game day or Super Bowl party.
  • The dough for bread bowls can be prepared in advance and baked off fresh the day of your big meal or party!
  • Bread bowls are made with 4 simple ingredients! Flour, water, yeast, and salt. That’s it!
Bread bowls with the tops cut off and insides scooped out ready to be filled.

How to make homemade bread bowls

The dough for this recipe is my No-Knead Lean Dough Master Recipe. This dough uses basic ingredients that can be used for bread bowls, large boules, pizza crust, and focaccia (with the addition of olive oil). The difference in these breads is the process of shaping and baking the dough. 

Make the Bread Dough

Bread dough being mixed in a bowl with a spatula
Bread dough being mixed by hand in a bowl

The first step to homemade bread bowls is to make the dough. Gather all of the ingredients and mix together in a large bowl. After mixing together as best you can with a spatula, use your hands to pinch and squeeze the dough until all of the flour is mixed in.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel (a shower cap also works really well!) and set it in a warm place. Let it bulk ferment at room temperature for about 3 hours. When it is at least double in size and bubbly on top, it’s ready to be used.

Shape the Bread Dough

After bulk fermenting, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (you can simply eye-ball it). If you’d like to ensure accuracy, weigh the dough. To do this, place a new bowl on top of a scale and press the “tare” button. Gently pour the dough into the new bowl and note its weight. Divide this weight by 4 and there you have the weight of each individual bread bowl.

Bread dough being divided with a bench knife
Dough being shaped into a ball

Gently transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface or countertop. Using a bench knife, divide the dough into quarters and weigh each piece. Add a small piece or remove a small piece of dough until you have the targeted weight.

To form individual bread bowls, take each piece of dough and pull up on the sides and pinch together. Flip the dough ball over so that the seam side is down. Place the palm of your hand over the top of the ball and roll in a circular motion, keeping the seam side down to seal.

Place the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and lightly place over the top of the dough balls to keep the dust out. However, you can also leave them uncovered. Let proof on your countertop for about 45 minutes until doubled in size.

Bake the Bread Bowls

Homemade bread bowls on a sheet pan after baking and before the tops are cut off and filled.

After the dough balls are done proofing, use a sharp knife or bread lame to score an “x” shape into the top of each ball. While the bowls are baking, the dough will rise very quickly and burst out of the bowl. By scoring the top of the dough, we are directing it to burst out through the top instead of the sides.

As an optional step, I like to brush each dough ball with an egg wash so that the exterior gets a shiny surface. This step is not essential and doesn’t impact the bake or taste of the bread bowl.

Bake for 28-32 minutes until the bowls are golden brown and crusty. Let cool completely before cutting the tops of the bowls and scooping out the insides. Scoop out as much of the soft interior as you wish and then fill with your favorite hot soup or dip. Save the scooped out bread to use to dip into the bowls!

FAQ

What can I serve out of a bread bowl?

My favorite dishes to serve out of bread bowls are thick, hearty soups like this chicken & potato chowder, broccoli cheddar soup, tomato soup, and chili. Thick and creamy soups, as opposed to thin broth-based soups, are more ideal for bread bowls as they won’t leak out or absorb too much into the bread. 

Dips served in bread bowls are a beautiful and creative addition to any party table. Spinach dip, like this one from What’s Gaby Cooking, is a classic. Other great ideas are warm queso, baked brie, French onion dip, and hummus.

Homemade bread bowl filled with spinach dip and surrounded by baby carrots and celery

Can I make small bowls? 

Yes! For smaller bread bowls, divide the dough into 6 balls instead of 4. This makes the perfect size bread bowl for kids and smaller portions of dips.

Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions

How to Store Bread Bowls: After baking, let the bowls cool to room temperature. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not cut the tops off the bowls until ready to fill. To refresh, bake at 300°F/150°C for about 10 minutes.

How to Make-Ahead Bread Bowls: After bulk fermenting the dough, gently press it down with your hands to deflate, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and then continue with the step of shaping the dough. You may need to proof the dough balls for longer as the dough might still be cold.

MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!

If you loved this recipe, you might like to try these other delicious yeast bread recipes!

Homemade bread bowl filled with spinach dip and surrounded by baby carrots and celery
Yield: 4 large bread bowls

Homemade Bread Bowls

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Proofing Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes

Bread bowls are a fun and delicious way to serve your favorite soups and dips. Learn how to make them at home with this simple recipe!

Ingredients

  • 720 grams (6 cups) all-purpose flour or bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 530 grams (2 ⅓ cups, 560 milliliters) water, warmed to 120-130°F (49-54°C)
  • 1 large egg, optional for egg wash
  • 1 tablespoon water, optional for egg wash

Instructions

To Make the Dough

  1. In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients including the flour (720 grams/ 6 cups), salt (1 tablespoon), yeast (1 teaspoon if using instant or 1 ¼ teaspoons if using active-dry), and warm water (530 grams/ 2 ⅓ cups).
  2. Stir to combine using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and then use your hands to squeeze and pinch the dough all over until all of the flour is fully hydrated.  
  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel (or a shower cap works really well) and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for about 3 hours. The dough is ready to be used when it is at least double in size and bubbly on top. 

To Shape the Dough

  1. Optional Step: After bulk fermenting, weigh the dough by transferring it to a clean bowl on top of a scale. Take the total weight of the dough and divide it by 4. This amount will be the weight of each bread bowl.
  2. Gently transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface or countertop. Use a bench knife to divide the dough into quarters. Weigh each piece and add a small piece or remove a small piece of dough until you have the targeted weight. Alternatively, you can skip weighing the dough and divide it into 4 equal portions (simply eyeball it).
  3. Working one quarter of dough at a time, pull up on the sides and pinch together. Flip the dough ball over so that the seam side is down. Place the palm of your hand over the top of the ball and roll in a circular motion, keeping the seam side down to seal.
  4. Transfer the rolls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise for another 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

To Bake the bread bowls

  1. Preheat oven to 425ºF/ 220°C.
  2. After the rolls are done proofing, use a sharp knife or bread lame to score an "x" shape into the top of each roll.
  3. As an optional step, whisk together the egg (one large) and water (1 tablespoon) and gently brush the egg wash over the rolls. This will give the bread bowls a shiny exterior.
  4. Bake for 28-32 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
  5. Cool on a wire rack before cutting tops off.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

© Bettie
Category: All Recipes