I have had several requests for the bread bowl recipe I used for the soup I posted a while ago. I actually use two recipes and love them both – just depends on which one falls out of the recipe binder when I’m ready to make them! Both recipes create a dense, hearty bowl perfect for soup. If you twisted my arm and made me choose a favorite, I would say the Italian Bread Bowl recipe but either one is delicious!
Italian Bread Bowls
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Printable Version with Picture
*Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.
*Makes 6-8 bread bowls
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (use 1 tablespoon instant yeast)
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. (You can omit this step if using instant yeast.)
Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups). This bread bowl dough needs to be a bit firmer than a roll/bread dough so that the bread bowls rise up instead of out.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). 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. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). If desired, slash the top surface of the bread bowl several times with a sharp knife or razor. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and baked through.
Recipe Source: adapted from allrecipes.com
Artisan Bread Bowls
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*Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.
*Makes 5-6 bread bowls
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, enough to make a smooth, soft dough
Let yeast dissolve in warm water until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients—by hand, mixer or bread machine— and knead till you’ve created a smooth dough.
Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes; it should become puffy. Divide the dough into 5-6 pieces, depending on how large you want your bread bowl to be. Roll each piece into a ball. Place on a lightly greased or parchment covered baking sheet.
Cover the bread bowls with greased plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to 24 hours); this step will give the bread bowls extra flavor, and a delightfully crisp-chewy texture. Two or more hours before serving, remove the bread bowls from the refrigerator. Uncover, and let them sit for about one hour while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
Just before baking, slash the top surface of the bowls several times with a sharp razor/knife to allow them to expand. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the bowls are deep brown, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.
Recipe Source: adapted from King Arthur Flour
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I made the artisan bread bowls tonight. Wow they were great! There WAS more flavor by putting it in the fridge. Yum. It was nice to have them all ready (well, at least in the fridge) in the morning too, so I like that about the recipe. I only split the recipe into four bread bowls, as I knew hubby would want them bigger. Thanks so much!
Tasha – for the Artisan Bread Bowl recipe, yes, they should come to room temperature and rise a bit after you take them out of the refrigerator. If they were rock hard this time (and bless your husband for trying them anyway), I would extend the time you take them out of the refrigerator to make sure they warm up to room temp and rise a bit. The only other thing I can think that would make them overly tough and hard is too much flour. I’m glad you liked the soup and hopefully next time the bread bowls won’t be a hazard!
Oooh, I’ve never made my own bread bowls. They both sound fabulous!
Oh soup would be so good inside! I have never made my own bread bowls before. They look perfect!
Liz – my kids eat soup so much better in these bread bowls, too. I would love your recipe for broccoli cheese soup, if you don’t mind sending it to me. I’ve been looking for a good one.
Jenn – I agree that the egg wash makes a great crust on the bread bowls. Glad they turned out – I’ll have to try them as rolls sometime, too.
Oh, delicious!
I made the Italian bread bowls for guests tonight and they were a hit! Thanks!
in my most humble opinion, soup is made approximately 258 times better when it’s served in a bread bowl. THANK YOU for your recipes.
Delicious! I made the Italian Bread Bowls and I am not a baker but your directions make it easy. Mine were a little flat but they were still great. (Does the flatness mean I need to add more flour next tiem?) I am going to try the Artisan Bread Bowls sometime too.
Melanie, I am sorry I didn’t put a link on my blog for this particular recipe… I really try to do that, and I guess I just spaced it. I have added it now though, thanks for the reminder!! I really do love your blog and your recipes!!!
I have been meaning to let you know that these are fantastic bread bowls! I think I have made these 4 times since you gave me the recipe. Everyone in my family really likes them. My kids love to eat their broccoli cheese soup in them! Thanks Melanie!
Hi Jen – I’m glad you’ve liked these bread bowls. I’m sure you could bake them as a loaf – they have a different texture than normal bread loaves but would probably still be delicious. The bake time, of course, would be a bit longer if the dough was formed into loaves instead of individual bread bowls. Let me know if you try it that way!
So I just have to say that these bread bowls are wonderful with the chicken wild rice soup! It is becoming a family favorite! I have a question though. My bread bowls come out kind of flat.. they don’t hold much soup. Do you think I may be shaping them to flat and need to do it more of an actual ball.. what would you suggest?? – Joanna
Tammy – I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know.
Oh, yummy. Thanks for sharing. I’m gonna have to try both. Also, I’m looking for a good scone recipe (the american kind, not the english kind). Do you have one you use?
Joanna – I’m glad you liked the combination of the wild rice soup in these bread bowls. It is one of my favorites.
As for the shaping question – when I make them I shape them into a round ball and don’t flatten them at all. That will probably help with them being able to hold more soup.
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond!
I made the Italian Bread Bowls tonight, but turned them into rolls. They were soft and dense, just what I want my bread to be like. I liked the egg wash on top too because that made a great crust.
OK,, i blew it, as i usually do with bread recipes.
I’ll try again tho,,
thanks for the recipe!
That looks absolutely gorgeous! Did you have to put a pan of water in the oven to get the crust to crisp up like that? I keep looking in your directions and don’t see it. I must try it if it skips that fussy step. Thanks!
These look so crispy and delicious! When I work up the courage I am definitely going to try them!
It had never occured to me that I could actually make my OWN bread bowls. I’m gonna try it for sure. Seems tricky, I hope I don’t mess it up. I’ll let you know.
Laura – hmmmm…I don’t have a good scone recipe – I haven’t ever made them, actually! If you find a good recipe, you’ll have to post it.
actually, I just looked at my post, and I did have a link to your blog.
Hi Jen – thanks for checking back in to let me know! I’ve been curious if the loaf pan idea worked out for you. So glad it did – and thanks for sharing your tips!
Hi Melanie. I ended up doing this recipe in a loaf pan twice now. The bake time is about 25 minutes and I used all white flour b/c my husband likes it that way best. They came out tasting so good. The tops are a little crusty and the middle is soft(just the way I like it). My husband keeps asking me to make more so I guess it is a hit!
I made these tonight…. my first time making bread bowls, but not my last!!!! I made steak and black bean chili in the crockpot, served it up in these bowls with some cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some chips, and the kids and adults loved it! thank you!!!!
Your bread bowls look so beautiful and perfect but mine didn’t turn out so well. The yeast fizzled and bubbled while it sat in warm water for the first 10 minutes, but after I added the rest of the ingredients and let it raise for 40 min, nothing more happened. No rising. No nothing. Any suggestions on what I did wrong?
OK,, my dogh is a-risin right now,,
i’ll let you know,,,
I tried the Italian Bread Bowls since they were dairy free and they turned out awesome! I was really suprised that we did not get one complaint from Scott all night- he just kept saying, “This is my favorite!” Thanks again! I owe you big time if you can get Scott to eat!
Desiree – I’m sorry the bread bowls didn’t turn out. Did you use the Italian Bread Bowl recipe? my only guess is perhaps too much flour was added – that can make a dough stiff and it won’t rise very well. The only other thing I can guess is if the temp of your house was cool, the dough may have needed to sit much longer in the bowl to rise. I hope you try them again and have better luck.
I made these bread bowls twice now. Once with all white flour and once with the whole wheat. Two slightly different tastes. We loved them both. I am wondering if I can bake these as a loaf. Thanks for posting all these recipes. I am using them a lot these days.
I just made the italian bread bowls last night. YUMMY! I just decided yesterday to make them so I didn’t have time to do the other ones and let the dough sit in the fridge. I’ll have to try that one another time when I can think early enough to put the dough in the fridge. I’ll be blogging about the italian one sometime this week. I also have now been given a few scone recipes. I’ll post it on my blog if there’s one that I like.
Joie de vivre – no, I don’t put a pan of water in the oven – although you are right, it would yield a nice, crispy crust. Both these recipes seem to do fine without it!
I tried making these the other day with the creamy chicken and wild rice soup (wich is DIVINE!) but I did something wrong. Are they supposed to rise after you take them out of the refrigerator because mine didn’t! My hubby being the good sport he is tried to eat them, but I think they would have been better suited to take out burglers! Any tips on what I may have done wrong?
I really need to try baking bread… it’s so much better when you can smell it baking in your own home!
AmISparky – oh, so glad you liked these bread bowls! I’m not a bread baking expert but I would say your own suggestion is probably right – if the bowls were a little flat, the dough might have been too soft and try adding more flour next time. I always like to make my bread bowl dough pretty stiff so it doesn’t get too soggy with the soup.
Laura – I love when people let me know how a recipe turned out. I’m glad the bread bowls worked for you. I’ll be waiting for your verdict on a scone recipe!
WOW! Those loaves look utterly PERFECT! Totally starred this as my go-to now! thanks!!
Anonymous – thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know that these bread bowls worked out for you! I’m glad they were a hit.
Jonelle – glad they were a hit! My kids aren’t big fans of soup but they’ll eat anything if I serve it in a bread bowl!
I made the Italian bread bowls last night for our family fall feast dinner. They were amazing! My husband was shocked that I made them. I only used 5 1/2 cups of flour and the bread seemed perfect-it’s pretty dry in my house with the heater on. I was scared that the dough would maybe be weird, but it was perfect bread bowl consistency, and mine rose beautifully. Thank you sooo much! I would have never have thought to make them otherwise.
Hi! I’ve never ever made bread, and I just starting venturing into baking, which recipe is the easiest in your opinion?
Thanks!
Anonymous – if you are just starting to learn your way with yeast breads, I would try the Italian Bread Bowls. They are bit less fussy than the other recipe. Good luck!
Shante – a family fall feast?? How fun is that? I love the idea. I’m glad these bread bowls were part of it and that they worked out for you. Thanks for letting me know!
How do I print out the whole recipe. I can only get part of it to print. Thank you
Anonymous – I’m not sure why you may be having problems with the recipe. I haven’t created a “Printable” link on this recipe yet but usually I just select the text I want to print and copy it to a notepad or word document and print from there.
Emily – I LOVE hearing when picky little eaters love the food their moms make! I’m glad these bread bowls and soup did the trick. Thanks for letting me know!
I have been carrying around this recipie forever and just finally tried it with the broccoli cheese soup and I love it. So easy. I used fat free milk and one of the large bag of steamable broccoli and it made it a snap. Thanks
Hey Jennifer – glad you liked these bread bowls and the soup! Thanks for your tips.
I have made these bread bowls twice in the last week. That is saying something since I am a bit “bread-challenged.” Thanks for the great and easy recipe. I even impressed my mother-in-law…no small feat.
Danielle – ok, impressing the mother-in-law is NEVER a bad thing. Thanks for letting me know these have worked great for you!
OK. I’m making the Italian bowls tonight or tomorrow. In the instructions, you say to knead about 6 minutes by hand or let it knead in the mixer. I have a Bosch too; how long do I knead it for in the mixer? Heaven knows I can’t handle kneading by hand if I don’t have too…
Also, what kind of yeast do you use for this? I just re-read your yeast tutorial from a week or two ago and you said you converted to Instant. Would that work? Would the Active Dry work? Yeast scares me.
Thank you in advance for your help and advice. I wish I could come and eat dinner at your house every day.
Oh, also – on which speed do you let the Bosch do the kneading?
Julianne – hey Miss Bosch, when did you get one? I didn’t think you had one and then I read this and realized you do. How fun! Ok, I use speed 1 on my Bosch to get things started and if it is a really heavy dough, sometimes I’ll increase the speed to 2, but 1 usually works pretty well. Personally, I never use 3…a bit too fast for my cautious nature. Also, I have used both kinds of yeast (active and instant) with the Italian bread bowl recipe. My recommendation would be if you are using instant yeast to cut the yeast down to 1 tablespoon and then just add all the ingredients together. If using active dry yeast, follow the recipe as is. Either yeast will work JUST fine, I promise. Call me if you need help during the process. Seriously. My number is on the cousin’s directory Mike puts together.
I have tried to make the Artisan Bread Bowls twice now and both times they have turned out flat. This time I really watched the temp in my kitchen and they just never got a good rise after being taken out of the fridge. They just puffed up a bit and then got wider…next time I will try the other bread bowl. I REALLY want a bread bowl dang it
The first time they were like a hockey puck and so heavy, at least this time they look softer. I’m giving them 30 more minutes then I will bake them and see how they taste.
Sonya – I’m sorry you haven’t had much luck with the artisan bread bowls. Did they turn out better this time? Definitely try the other recipe if these don’t work out – they are a little more foolproof.
Melanie They turned out a little better this time than last. This time they were actually 2 inches tall. The girls thought they tasted wonderful and ate them anyway. I also took two of the dough balls (I use that term very loosly), flattened them and fried them in hot oil then sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar. Those were a HUGE hit.
Sonya – hmmm, I’m glad they turned out a little better but I wish those darn things would just rise for you! Glad your revamping them into scones went over well!
I made the Italian bread bowls tonight and they turned out great! I filled them with your chili recipe and the whole house smells wonderful. My husband has been working in the yard all day and he can’t wait to come in and eat.
If I can help with any other advice for Sonya…make sure your yeast is not out of date & make sure the water is not too hot (I usually make sure mine is between 100-110).
Thanks for the great dinner ideas!!
Melissa – I’ve never put chili in the bread bowls but it sounds delicious and I’ll definitely have to try it! I’m glad you liked both recipes…thanks for letting me know!
Oh I will have to try these with some Baked Potato Soup, carb heaven
Since it was snowing yesterday (and yes it was May 24th!) I decided to make the Artisan Bread Bowls to go with the Chicken Wild Rice soup. They were so, so easy to make and tasted great. Thanks again for some very yummy recipes!
Lani – snow? Really? Sorry about that. But at least you got one more warm winter meal in. I’m glad that these two recipes worked out well for you!
Mel,
This calls for 7 cups of flour to make 6-8 bread bowls. There is only 2 of us in my house hold, can i cut this recipe in half? If so, does the yeast measurments stay the same?
Lauren – yes, you could easily cut the recipe in half. If so, cut the yeast in half, too. Just a thought, if you wanted to make the full recipe, the bread bowls, once baked and cooled, freeze perfectly to be used at a later time.
These will be PERFECT with the cheesy potato soup I make… mmm! Can’t wait to try it now that it is cooling down a little!!! Just debating which to try first!
Hey there. I am reporting to you on my bread bowl making. They rose nicely–except they didn’t rise upward…only outward! So weird, I know. I’m not sure what I did there, but because they were these lovely wide/flat discs instead of bowl-shaped I didn’t think they were ideal for using as an actual soup container, so I just sliced them and served them alongside baked potato soup. The flavor and texture were wonderful. I will for sure make them again and hopefully get a taller bowl that will actually hold some soup. Even if I never get an actual bowl out of these, I will continue to make it for slicing! Any thoughts or suggestions you have on getting my bowls to look like bowls would be welcome!
Reyna – I made bread bowls the other day and had this exact same thing happen! When I looked over and realized the bread bowls had flattened, I took each bread bowl off the baking sheet and rerolled it on the counter adding about 1-2 teaspoons flour while I rolled, rolling and kneading until the flour was incorporated and the bread bowl was in a nice round shape again. I repeated this process with each bread bowl and voila! They rose into beautiful bowls instead of flat disks. I had noticed when I had initially rolled them that my dough was particularly soft and I worried that they might flatten due to not enough flour but I have a chronic problem of underflouring my dough so I proceeded anyway. I’ve learned now, though, that bread bowls should be a sturdy dough – not overfloured, but definitely heartier and stiffer than say, a roll dough. My bread bowls rose perfectly once I added a bit more flour to each ball of dough. Hope that helps!
I am no quitter !!
I’m trying these again today. I have had lots of success with yeast in the past year and I’m going to master bread bowls! I did find some disposible chicken pot pie pans that I’m using as a form though. I will report back on the success (I’m thinking positive thoughts) tomorrow.
That helps a ton. I will report on how it went next time I make them! thanks Mel!
Good luck, Sonya!
Thanks for your Italian bread bowl recipe. I made them last night with the Broccoli Cheese Soup from your website and they were both a hit!
Thanks, Liz!
I am going to attempt the Italian Breadbowls next sunday! How long can I freeze the leftovers for? Also, do you think I could use a combination of AP Flour and Wheat Flour in the Italian bowls? Thanks for the great post.
Brianne – yes, I use a combo of white and wheat flour all the time (usually half and half or 3/4 wheat, 1/4 white flour). I usually always freeze the baked bread bowls and have done so with good results for up to 2 months. Hope that helps!
I love reading your site. I haven’t tried the bread bowls yet, but I’m anxious to try them. I’m on vacation right now and had lunch at “The Fishhopper” in Monterey, CA recently. I ordered their award winning clam chowder served in a bread bowl. I have to say that this is the best clam chowder I’ve ever eaten. I wanted to comment that they brushed their bread with garlic butter. That was a nice taste surprise when eating the bowl. I plan to try your chowder recipe and bread bowl when I get home…and try to figure out the recipe from “The Fishhopper.”.
Hey Mel,
I was wondering how these would do in the freezer? I’d love to have them on hand for a quick meal that looks like it took a while!
Thanks!
Hi Johanna – I freeze these all the time and they fare great. I bake them, let them cool and then store them in a freezer safe ziploc bag. I take them out the morning I want to use them or just defrost them in the microwave for a few minutes.
I have been making the Italian Bread Bowls for a few months now, and we love them! Tonight I decided to do half whole wheat flour, and they turned out SO. STINKIN. GOOD! My husband even said that he likes them better with the whole wheat. They were so soft and dense and just yummy! It definitely helped that we had your Boston Clam Chowder to go in them! What a hearty and delicious dinner!
Another hit! We love your blog! My 3 year old and 19 month old even ate these!
Mel, Have you ever made the Italian bread bowls with 1/2 whole white wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour? I put them on my blog and someone asked. Thought I’d ask you!
Thanks!
Lindsay – yes, I use white wheat flour all the time in these, sometimes adding as much as 3/4 white wheat flour and only 1/4 white flour. I hope that helps!
Hi,
I just made the Italian Bread Bowl and was wondering what the water and the egg white is for. I couldn’t find anything about it in the recipe (maybe I didn’t read it very well, but I thought I had). Somebody said something about an egg wash in the comments so I assume it something to do with that, but am not sure if you would put it on for the full time you cook it or for less time. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Kim – the water and egg white is a little typo. I’ve never used that part of the recipe and have forgotten to take it out. Thanks for the heads up. If you do want a glossy shine to your bread bowls, you can whisk the egg white and water together and brush it on the bowls before baking. You shouldn’t need to adjust baking time.
I’m wondering if I only wish to bake 2-3 bowls after making the dough, at wich point should I freeze the dough? And what steps do I take to bake the frozen dough? Thank you so much. I LOVE your blog and recommend it to all of my friends!
Chelsea, after the bread bowls are shaped and placed on the baking pan, you could freeze them and then defrost and let them rise before baking. You would probably need to pull them out about 8-10 hours before baking, but that’s just a guesstimate. Then when they have thawed and risen, you can bake them like normal. I always bake a bunch of these and then throw them in freezer bags and put them in the freezer. That way, they are ready to go!
So I made these today and I was so excited to have them with my grandmas ham chowder,… but I failed miserably! they turned out flat and tasted some what like playdough, I dont know what I did wrong can you help so I can make them correct thank you
Shae’le – While it is impossible for me to know exactly what went wrong, my guess is that they needed more flour. If the bread bowls flattened like that, it probably means they didn’t have enough flour to give substance to the dough to help it keep it’s shape. Bread bowls can stand to be overfloured just slightly, especially because they’ll usually be filled with something moist like soup. The doughy taste could also have been because they needed more flour. I hope you have better luck next time!
I made these 2 nights ago, they were not perfect but still good. My ? is how do I get them to golden brown. The bottom of the bread got brown but the top was white. Any ideas. I am loving your site and so glad that Jolyn introduced it to me.
Hi Lorrie – a few things, make sure your oven is adequately preheated before you put in the bread bowls. Also, make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven and that there isn’t a rack above it (if you have an extra rack move it to below the pan of bread bowls or take out of the oven altogether). If those two things don’t help, you might try increasing the oven temp by 25 degrees. Ovens can vary in temperature and it is possible that your oven is on the cool side. Hope that helps!
So yummy! My company had rave reviews. Thanks.
Oh yes, and I had always wondered how/when to make those cute little slits on top. Thanks for cluing me in.
I made your Italian bowls for the 2nd time last night, but ran out of white flour midway. I had to use a few cups of wheat flour. It was the first time I’ve used wheat flour & we loved it! The bowls were perfect!! The soup was perfect, too – we had your broccoli cheese soup – yummy!!
Mel, I love the little changes to this recipe and the tip to make the dough a little more stiff. Now I have perfect bread bowls every time!
I made the Italian bread bowls tonight and they were perfect with the potato soup I made! I loooove your bread recipes…another keeper. Thank you Mel!
Mmmmm….doubled it and shredded 3 potatoes into it to make it more filling and thick (then pureed with hand blender before adding cheese) it is so gooood! Way better than anything store bought.
Oooooops that’s my review for your broccoli cheese soup which I made with these… Sorry :0
YUM! Made this again. Loved it again. Doubled it and used half broccoli and half cauliflower. SOOO delicious.
Thanks Mel!
I made the Italian Bread Bowls last night and while they were good (when is fresh bread really bad?
) they weren’t quite what I was looking for. The crumb was a little too light and tender than I would have liked for a bread bowl. It really is a nice, fluffy Italian bread! Like I said, definitely good, but not quite my preference for this type of application. The great thing though is the recipe is SO easy to throw together and I will definitely make it again if I find myself short on time. However, next time I want a bread bowl I think I’m going to plan ahead and try out the Artisan Bread Bowl recipe. Thanks for sharing both recipes!
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