Homemade Bread Bowls
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.
OVERVIEW
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Components Used: No-Knead Lean Dough Master Recipe, Egg Wash
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!
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
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.
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
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.
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 Bowls
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
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- Preheat oven to 425ºF/ 220°C.
- After the rolls are done proofing, use a sharp knife or bread lame to score an "x" shape into the top of each roll.
- 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.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- 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.
77 Comments on “Homemade Bread Bowls”
Beautiful. I need to do this!
Though a year+ old and no one will ever see this, heck yes. What a great idea! I’ve has countless soups, chowders and stews in Bread Bowls before and I love the idea. Although I am an experienced yeast baker, I’ve never been able to make the ’round,’ intended for soup etc., stand up high enough. If it is too wet or perhaps over-proofed, I’d guess proofing. Still, my rounds are not quite tall enough to meet the standard; they tend to slump and spread. Any thoughts or ideas are most welcome. A fun blog…
-CG
I saw it Cedarglen! Question on your rounding technique? Are you creating a “skin” on the outside of the dough by pulling the sides down and then rounding it between your hands and the bench? This creates a skin on the outside so that the dough will hold it’s round shape. This seems to be a common question so I am going to address it next week with a video tutorial! Watch out for it!
I was thinking as I was reading this: being a words person, I think the word you’re actually looking for is exude- he was exuding bordism. 😉
These bread bowls look terrific. I love soup season, and I think it’s half because of the bread that goes with the soup! Can’t wait to try this. I have sourdough starter in the freezer, I just haven’t gotten around to making it yet. This recipe inspires me though! Mmmm sourdough breadbowl…
aww!!! lol it’s ok, I’m really good with words but I do not understand science. So we’re even 😉
You and Chris are so cute! And these bread bowls look OMG amazingggg. Love. More carbs=better 😛
Look real good will have to try these thank you for sharing
Pingback: Creamy Tomato and Herb Tomato Soup - Baker Bettie
How do I make one of these appear immediately in front of my for dinner? Fabulous!
Pingback: Granny’s Homemade Bread | Cheri Speak
Pingback: Homemade Bread Bowls | le Jus d'Orange | by Betty
Was wanting a bread bowl recipe…thanks! And, I'm the same way…a word inventor….my husband, thankfully, feels the same way about it as yours does. 🙂 We're blessed.
This looks like something good to make to put soup in. Looks yummy.
Gotta cooold day com'ng up and I need to try these bread bowls for my soup!
Hallo E. Müller, ich darf aufgrund des Rezsdhtienstleistungsgesetces leider keine Rechtsfragen im Einzelfall beantworten, aulso auch diese nicht. Hier sollten Sie aber die Antwort auf Ihre Frage finden: Gruß Simone Janson
Ooo, perfect for our snow day vegetable barley soup…
Hey Kansas girl! I’m Googling bread bowl recipes and yours was the first to came up. You’re a Kansas girl, I’m a Kansas girl, I think this recipe was meant to be used. By me.
I’m going to put Fettucini Alfredo in it, aw yeah. Thanks for sharing!
Okay recipe…but bread is pretty bland
Those bread bowls are so small in comparison with the size of the spoons pictured beside them; they look like they’d only be good for a few spoonfuls before you’d have to refill. Looks like it’d be cumbersome to serve to guests if everyone needs to constantly refill their bread bowls after a few spoons of soup.
The bowl pictured holds about 6 oz of soup, which is a fairly normal size portion. If you read the recipe it states that you can make 4 or 5 bowls. I made 5, so if you made 4 the bowls would be bigger and would hold more soup. The spoons pictured are very large and are more a prop. You can definitely use a smaller spoon or make bigger bowls or not make the bowls at all! You have so many choices!
I made these last night and they were amazing! Thank you for a new favorite recipe.
I’m so glad you liked them Ashley! That makes me so happy!
You had me at "watching KU basketball"… 🙂 will definitly try these!!!
Making these right now, I was sold on the photos. The last home bread I made I didn’t brush with egg white, so I think this will be the trick to an awesome crust… Thanks!!!
I made these last night with French onion soup for the birthday dinner for the Mrs. So, so yummy! And so beautiful! I was very impressed with myself, but I have the recipe to thank! 🙂
So I made these tonight and they were wonderful! SOO good and not too hard to make either. We will definitely be making them again. I did have a question, do you know how you would you make sourdough ones?
I’m getting ready to bake and was excited but now nervous. When I brushed with egg white they deflated. I know they can raise again… I’m worried I am not going to get the bowl effect…. Sigh
Update… Didn’t get the bowl affect. 🙁 more like ciabatta…. I will try again another day.
Pingback: Superbowl Sunday | Not Carrot Cake
I made these yesterday and they came out awesome and were super easy to make
Yummy-ness! They were the perfect size. I made 4 of them,and filled them with homemade clam chowder. The bread was so tasty! We each filled our bowls once,ate the soup and the lids and we were stuffed! As much as we wanted to eat the bowls,they just wouldn't fit in our bellies. Believe me these bread bowls allow for PLENTY of soup inside!
I'm so glad you loved them Ashley!
Thank you so much for the feedback Erica! I love that you made them and I totally understand about not being able to eat the whole bowl!
Awesome Lisa! That makes me so happy!
You definitely should Julie! Let me know if you do!
Too many snow days, not enough soup!
hello there!,I really like your posting a lot! portion we all be in contact extra pertaining to your posting about AOL? I would like an exrneieecpd with this household to settle my issue. Probably that is definitely everyone! Looking forward to see you.
Rock Chalk!
It definitely is Debra! Let me know if you try them!
Just made these! Super easy, fun , and delicious!
Trying these now!!! It’s the hubby’s birthday and he’s requested beef stew bread bowls. Well I’m terrified of making bread because I mess it up every time!!! So far so good though!! They’re on the second rise and smell yummy 🙂 I’ll update you on how they turn out and tasted!
Great reliable recipe. Easy enough for the kids to help, quick enough to make and rise between lunch and dinner. Also easy to throw in any herbs, cheese, whatever you want to customize. I’ve made this a few times, this time I am trying out smaller rolls for the kids to dip in soup. A++ recipe!
I only stopped by the bread bowl recipe but I stayed for the whit. 🙂 Your admissions made me laugh out loud a few times… Thank you —
p.s. And please tell me you knew that whit was mispelled. (And please follow that up w/ affirmation that you knew mispelled was misspelled.) 😉
LOL! I love what you put as your name. I may have to adopt it. You comment made my chuckle. Thanks for adding to the “whit”
I have uploaded many youtube videos and I also have downloaded many youtube videos. When I upload a video to youtube, it’s quality gets compressed. Even if you press the HQ button and view the video, it is not as much quality as my original file. So the same happens for all the uploaded video right? So, is there any way in which I can download other videos in original high quankty?Thalis in advance.
What if I were to use RapidRise Yeast? Have you tried it by chance?
You can use rapid rise yeast. I haven’t used it in this particular recipe, but for any recipe you just eliminate the proofing time. So for this particular recipe you can skip the step where you let it rise for 1 hour covered in a bowl. Just let the dough rest for about 10 mintues after kneading it then skip down to step 7 and go ahead and shape it and proceed as directed from there. The rise might not be quite as high as with active dry yeast, but it will still work.
Hi Baker Bettie! Quick question from a novice: from instruction number 8 – I cannot wrap my brain around what this would look like, never having done bread before (except in a bread maker). Could you explain in more detail, pleaseandthankyou …? 🙂
“Take each piece and pull down the sides toward the bottom to create a smooth top. Place the dough, seam side down, on a clean work surface. Place the palm of your hand over top and roll in a circular motion, keeping the seam side down to seal.”
Hi there! Yes, this process is difficult to describe. I searched for a video of the technique and this one is the best one I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRk96GA_GF0. Her initial shapping techique (the stretch and fold) is a bit different from mine, but it is the same principle and end result. The second way she shows how to round the dough is the way I do it. However, either of these techniques will work well for these bread bowls. Whatever you are most comfortable doing!
Can you make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight?
If I wanted to make a big bowl for a dip would you recommend I use the entire recipe for one bowl?
I haven’t tried it, but I would think 2 large bowls would work better than one. I think one might just spread really wide instead of rising up.
Rock chalk! Found your recipe by chance but must try a fellow KU fans recipe. 🙂
Rock Chalk right back at you!
Hi, it says to use ‘bread flour’ – I am very new to baking – is that plain flour or self raising flour or something completely different? (I know this sounds silly) Thank you!
Not a silly question at all! Bread flour is not the same as plain flour or self rising. Bread flour is a high protein flour used in bread making because it gives better structure. It is labeled as such in the super market. You can substitute plain flour or all-purpose flour (not self rising flour) for bread flour in this recipe but it won’t have quite the same consistency and chew. You can read this post to learn more about different kinds of flour: https://bakerbettie.com/varieties-flour/
Thank you so much!
Pingback: Broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl | Pure and Simple
Pingback: 23 Best Homemade Bread Recipes
Just pulled these out of the oven! They look great, can’t wait to fill them with broccoli soup later! I scored mine and cooked then on corn meal (I love that texture!). However, mine only took 16 minutes til I got the hollow thump when I hit the bottom.
Pingback: Mariscos or Fruit De Mer or Seafood ! | Gastronome !
Pingback: 4 Ingredient Easy Bread Bowl Recipe | Baker Bettie
Great recipe! We made these tonight for dinner filled with Philly Cheesesteak Stew. They looked beautiful and the whole family loved them!
The 8th step kind of confuses me… I am having a hard time figuring out how to do what it says. It SOUNDS like you’d just flatten the roll out but that doesn’t seem right because it’s supposed to be a round roll, so I’m not sure what to do with it after making the seam. I don’t suppose you’d be able to make a video for that part or something? Or maybe explain it more.
I have made these at least 3 times. This is my favorite bread bowl recipe and I’ve tried several. The bread bowls taste delicious and the dough holds it shape better than any other recipe that I have tried. Thank you! Also, I’ve used white wheat flour for 1/2 of the flour with good results. Great job, Baker Betty!