Today I’ll be showing you how to make my homemade bread bowl recipe completely from scratch. This sturdy recipe is perfect for serving with your favorite soup or dip! I’ll walk you through all of the steps in my how-to video!
Because why eat soup out of a regular bowl when you can eat it out of a bowl made of bread?
On Monday, when I shared my broccoli cheddar soup recipe, I promised that I’d soon be sharing a bread bowl recipe for you to put it in. Well here it is!
This recipe is perfect for the beginner bread baker. It’s simple with only a handful of ingredients, can easily be cut in half if you’re not trying to serve 6, can be made with or without a stand mixer, and yields a sturdy bowl-shaped loaf of bread that’s great for filling with your favorite soup or dip. Let’s get to it.
Ingredients
There are only a few very basic ingredients you need for this bread bowl recipe:
- Water. This needs to be warmed to 105-110F. Too cool and your yeast won’t activate. Too hot and you’ll kill your yeast. And what did that yeast ever do to you to deserve that?
- Yeast. Active dry.
- Sugar. Helps our yeast grow but also adds flavor to the bread bowls.
- Butter. I went back and forth between using butter and olive oil for this recipe. Butter yielded a fluffier texture and better flavor.
- Flour. I’ve tested this recipe using all-purpose and bread flour. Bread flour yields a higher/taller, rounder (more bowl-shaped) bread bowl with a chewier center and is what I recommend.
- Salt. You will need 1 Tablespoon. That’s not a typo! Salt adds some much-needed flavor. Our bread bowls need to taste good and not just look good!
- Cornmeal. Sprinkling a bit of cornmeal over your baking sheet or parchment paper helps to keep the bread bowls from sticking to the pan.
A Few Notes on the Method
The recipe itself is as straightforward as the ingredient list. I use my stand mixer to make the dough, but if you don’t have one you can do it by hand. You will have to use a little muscle to work the dough together until the proper consistency is reached and then knead by hand until the consistency indicated in the recipe is achieved.
Scoring the dough (cutting an “X” into the top of each loaf) is done to encourage the rolls to expand upwards in the oven. Use a sharp knife.
We brush the dough twice with egg wash, once before baking and then again halfway through. This encourages a deep golden brown crust, deeper than it would be if you were to only brush your bread bowls once.
Tips
- Brush your bread bowl dough with egg wash and score it before letting them rise. I did not do this in my video, and if you watch it you’ll see one of my bread bowls deflated pretty badly. As did my ego.
- Let your bread bowl cool before slicing.
- Use a serrated knife and a sawing motion to slice the top off of your bowl without squishing it.
- Bread bowls are best served warm and fresh (isn’t all bread) but will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
What to Serve In Your Bread Bowl
Time to fill it up! Basically any soup will work well in this bread bowl recipe, but here are a few of my favorites:
- Lasagna Soup
- Potato Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Chicken noodle soup
- Chili (OK, not a soup, but still great)
When it comes to soups, thicker soups (like my butternut squash soup) are ideal, while thinner ones (like French onion soup) don’t work quite as well. Dips are also great, reserve the bread you’ve torn out for dipping purposes! I love serving dill dip in a bread bowl.
Enjoy!
More Bread Recipes You Might Like:
Are you more of a visual learner? Check out my YouTube channel where I show you how I make this recipe step-by-step in my own kitchen.
Bread Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup warm water heated to 105-110F (40-45C)
- 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 7 cups (870 g) bread flour plus additional as needed
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- Cornmeal for sprinkling baking pan
EGG WASH
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook¹. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy.2 ½ cup warm water, 5 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Add melted butter and stir until combined,4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl, stir together remaining 4 Tablespoons sugar, flour, and salt.4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 7 cups (870 g) bread flour plus additional as needed, 1 Tablespoon salt
- Turn mixer to low speed and gradually add flour mixture until combined. Dough should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch. If needed, add additional flour one Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Continue to knead dough with dough hook (or transfer to a clean surface and knead by hand) until dough is elastic and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl. Roll the surface of the dough through the oil, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
- Gently deflate the dough and divide into 6 even pieces and roll each into a ball.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle liberally with cornmeal.Cornmeal
- Transfer dough balls to baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Use a sharp knife to make an “X” on the top center of each dough ball. Prepare your egg wash by whisking together egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush bread bowls generously with egg wash (don't discard this, you'll need it again a bit later on).1 large egg, 1 teaspoon water
- Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise while you preheat your oven to 425F (220C).
- Once oven is preheated, bread bowls should have almost doubled in size.
- Transfer risen bread bowls to 425F (220C) oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush once more with egg wash. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown and bread bowls sound hollow when tapped.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, use a serrated knife to slice off the top of each bread bowl. Use a knife or just your fingers to hollow out the center of each bread bowl, then use as desired!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Matthew bryant
Fantastic!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for your review, Matthew! 🙂
Ray
Super fail proof! I forgot butter and 1/2 cup of water until I was almost done kneading and they still came out amazing! However, I don’t recommend hand-kneading it. It is a LOT of work! Definitely worth it, though! Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Sam
It’s definitely a workout to make them by hand, but I’m glad they turned out well. 🙂
Nikki
My first time ever making bread and it was a total success. Thank for your help!
Allie
Great bread bowl recipe. I was so happy with the way they came out! Thank you for sharing! It gets cold up in Maine in the fall so I had made your bread bowls and loaded potato soup! So yummy!
Sam
I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Allie! Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how they turned out for you, potato soup in a bread bowl is the PERFECT recipe for a chilly fall day! <3
Brenda
I absolutely love bread bowls at restaurants. This was a lot of work but worth it! I made it once on Wednesday and again today. Today’s turned out MUCH better because the last time I accidently left the melted butter in the microwave…. This time, I remembered it! I had to knead some of it by hand (both times) because my stand mixer went out on me Wednesday and my hand-held mixer with bread kneader things wasn’t working very well either. My family has been spoiled and expect great things from me now… I made your potato soup to go with it as well (BOTH TIMES) although I’m going to make the broccoli cheddar soup next week. My mother-in-law and husband said that was the best potato soup they ever had!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Brenda! I should definitely make the potato soup in the bread bowl. That sounds incredible! 🙂
Courtney
I have not tried this (yet!), but I’m wondering if you would be able to make a recipe for pumpernickel bread bowls (like you get at the grocery store!). My family always uses those ones at christmas for spinach dip, and I would love to be able to make one of those from scratch! Just thought I’d ask. 🙂 I’ll try this one for soup soon though!
Sam
I will add it to my list!! Thank you for the suggestion, Courtney! 🙂
JoMarie
Great recipe with clear instructions! I’ve never made bread from scratch and these came out perfect. Thanks so much!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Christine
Can I use Instant Yeast? Also, what would be the difference between using Bread Flour and All-Purpose flour.
Sam
Hi Christine! Yes you can, I talk a bit about the difference in the flours in the post, but one difference is your bowls will be rounder with bread flour.
Duane
Hi Jesse! I was looking for something to make for my grandsons(7 & 5), and this recipe sure got my attention! Do you any suggestions for dips or soups that might appeal to a child’s tastes? I’m thinking pizza, prime meats, or even fruits(specifically strawberries). I’m just not quite sure how to incorporate them. Thanks in advance!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Duane! I am happy that the homemade bread recipe grabbed your attention. I have a ton of recipes to choose from! As for ideas to bake for/with your grandsons here are my suggestions:
– Homemade Pizza (or Pizza Dip)
– Homemade Soft Pretzels
– Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies
– Lasagna Soup (or Baked Ziti)
– Strawberry Pie
– Baked Mac and Cheese
– Rice Krispie Treats
I hope that helps! Keep me posted on what yo end up trying. 🙂
Faith
Very good bread bowls. I made these with your potato soup and all nine of us are full with leftovers! The store was out of regular flour so I made these with 2 cups oat flour, 5 cups while wheat. They were a little dense but pretty good. I think they would have turned out better if I had used bread or all purpose flour. Thanks for the recipie!
Sam
Thank you so much for your feedback, Faith! I’m so glad you enjoyed both the soup and the bread bowls. The potato soup is the perfect pair for these bread bowls. 🙂
Pam Kelley
I’m out of eggs. Can I make the bread bowls without the egg wash?
Thanking you in advance,
PK
Sam
Absolutely, the crust just won’t be as golden brown. You can brush the bowls with milk to encourage browning if you have it, but they will be fine without anything, too.
Liz
Perfect day for making these, rainy and cool and they turned out delicious. I cut the recipe in half since it’s just me and my husband and they were perfect. I didn’t actually use them for bread bowls, had soup on the side and just sliced them up and had fresh bread to go with our soup. With that in mind, could I make just one big bowl shaped loaf or would I mess it up? Thanks, great recipe and so easy!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Liz! You can either use these as a bread bowl or as sliced bread on the side. I have yet to try baking it as a loaf, however, it should work just fine. Please note that the bake time will be different than what is listed. If you try, I’d love to know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Kathy Taylor
I give it 5 stars. They are delicious and my house smells so good! Making my second batch now!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for the 5-star review, Kathy! I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Amber
Omgosh can’t wait to get started i love homemade breads. Thank you so much for sharing. The video was excellent. Also I love your recipes.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much! I am glad that you’re excited to try the recipe, Amber! Keep me posted on how it turns out for you. 🙂
Jesse
OMG, this looks so DELISH! I can’t wait to make it. I did have a couple of questions: 1. Can I use ‘Self-Rising Flour’ and 2. Can this be made into a log shape (E.g. Italian Bread) like? Thanks for sharing this one! : )
Sam
Hi Jesse! Self-rising flour would not work but it can be made into a log shape. Enjoy! 🙂