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
Flour Amount: 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.
Whole Wheat Flour: I often use half to 3/4 finely ground white whole wheat flour with good results – and sometimes I get crazy and use 100% whole wheat flour (always finely ground white wheat) but the bread is a bit more dense with 100% whole wheat flour. If using part or all whole wheat flour, add a few minutes to the kneading time to help develop the gluten.
Serving: 1 Bowl, Calories: 581kcal, Carbohydrates: 113g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 784mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g
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Recipe Source: adapted from allrecipes.com
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hey Jennifer – glad you liked these bread bowls and the soup! Thanks for your tips.
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
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!
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.
How do I print out the whole recipe. I can only get part of it to print. Thank you
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!
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!
Hi! I’ve never ever made bread, and I just starting venturing into baking, which recipe is the easiest in your opinion?
Thanks!
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.
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!
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.
WOW! Those loaves look utterly PERFECT! Totally starred this as my go-to now! thanks!!
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!
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.
I really need to try baking bread… it’s so much better when you can smell it baking in your own home!
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?
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 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.
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.
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 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!
OK,, my dogh is a-risin right now,,
i’ll let you know,,,
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?
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!!!!
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!
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!
actually, I just looked at my post, and I did have a link to your blog.
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.
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.
These look so crispy and delicious! When I work up the courage I am definitely going to try them!
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!
OK,, i blew it, as i usually do with bread recipes.
I’ll try again tho,,
thanks for the recipe!
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.
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!
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?
Tammy – I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know.
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
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!
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!
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!!!
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.
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. 🙂
I made the Italian bread bowls for guests tonight and they were a hit! Thanks!
Oh, delicious!
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.
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.
Oh soup would be so good inside! I have never made my own bread bowls before. They look perfect!
Oooh, I’ve never made my own bread bowls. They both sound fabulous!
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!
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!