Italian Bread Bowls
These homemade italian bread bowls are hearty and dense and perfect for filling up with a delicious, comforting soup. They are my favorite bread bowl!
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!
If you are looking for the Artisan Bread Bowl recipe, click HERE. It used to be housed right here but I split it into its own post.
Italian Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast, use 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 ½ cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 7 cups all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from allrecipes.com
Hi Robin – usually a bread will flatten like that if it is underfloured. Bread bowls can take a bit of extra flour (even if you think you have enough) to make a sturdier dough.
I made the italian, but was only able to get 5 1/2 cups flour in. The bread rose fine in the bowl, but the “bowls” spread out instead of up as they rose. Started with nice ball. I can cut the sideways and make nice big sandwiches. Good bread, bad bowl. Any suggestions.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m excited to make them!
I tested the Italian Bread bowls last night, and they didn’t seem to be crusty enough to hold soup, so we just ate them. I made the Artisan ones this morning (and because they had such great reviews, I made three batches – we’re having a soup party tomorrow), but when I took them out of the refrigerator after about 8 hours, they fell! I rolled them back into balls, and I’m letting them rise again on the table… hopefully this will work!
Perfect perfect bread bowls!!! Thanks for the recipe!!
I tried the artisan one and failed horribly however I will be trying them again.
I made the Artisan Bread Bowls to hold Broccoli Cheddar Soup for dinner tonight and they turned out great! I refrigerated for the minimum 4 hours because I didn’t get the dough made until this morning, next time I might leave them in overnight to see what happens. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I loved the Italian bread bowls!! So easy and perfect with a little chowder. I posted about these, Mel, and gave you credit and linked back – plus I also encouraged people to check out your yeast tutorial. http://cookingmisadventures.com/2012/03/19/easy-italian-bread-bowls/ Happy Monday!!
I have never had good luck with bread so I was a bit apprehensive when I set out to make the Italian Bread Bowls. They rose beautifully! And they were delicious paired with your Chicken and Wild Rice Soup! Restaurant quality! Thank you!
That’s subbed, not dubbed! Darn auto-correct! LOL
My Italian bread bowls just came out of the oven, and they are GORGEOUS! I’m so excited! Thanks so much for the recipe. I dubbed rosemary EVOO and added a tablespoon or so of finely chopped fresh rosemary to the batter with the water and oil. I’ll let you know if they taste as good as they smell!
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!
YUM! Made this again. Loved it again. Doubled it and used half broccoli and half cauliflower. SOOO delicious. 🙂 Thanks Mel!
Oooooops that’s my review for your broccoli cheese soup which I made with these… Sorry :0
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.
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!
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 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!!
Oh yes, and I had always wondered how/when to make those cute little slits on top. Thanks for cluing me in.
So yummy! My company had rave reviews. Thanks.
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 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’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!
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.
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!
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!
Another hit! We love your blog! My 3 year old and 19 month old even ate these!
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!
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 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.”.
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!
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!
That helps a ton. I will report on how it went next time I make them! thanks Mel!
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.
Good luck, Sonya!
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!
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! 🙂
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.
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!
Oh I will have to try these with some Baked Potato Soup, carb heaven 🙂
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!
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!!
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!
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 – 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.
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.
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.
Oh, also – on which speed do you let the Bosch do the kneading?
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.
Danielle – ok, impressing the mother-in-law is NEVER a bad thing. Thanks for letting me know these have worked great for you!
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.