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Bread Bowl Recipe: 5 Foods to Serve in a Bread Bowl

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Oct 11, 2022 • 3 min read

Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, these easy bread bowls are the perfect vessel for your favorite creamy soup.

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What Is a Bread Bowl?

Bread bowls are fresh homemade rolls made from a yeasted bread dough that you can scoop out and fill with soup, dip, pot pie filling, and more. Their crispy outer structure is sturdy enough to hold up when stuffed with hot soup or other fillings, but soft enough to tear and enjoy as you eat.

5 Foods to Serve in a Bread Bowl

You can fill bread bowls with almost anything. Here are some comforting and easy ideas for home cooks of all levels.

  1. 1. Chili: A bread bowl is a perfect vehicle for a serving of classic beef chili or hearty vegan chili. Serve the chili bowls alongside shredded cheese and sliced green onions.
  2. 2. Creamy soups: Creamy soups work best for bread bowls, since brothy soups can soak through the bread and cause the sides to collapse. Broccoli cheddar soup, New England clam chowder, loaded baked potato soup, and cream of mushroom soup are some bread-bowl classics.
  3. 3. Dips: Bread bowls aren’t just for hot soup. Try filling them with your favorite warm dips, like artichoke dip or clam dip. Handheld mini bread bowls work especially well for dips, since you can pass them around as individual-serving party canapés.
  4. 4. Pot pie: Skip the traditional pie crust and fill a bread bowl with your favorite pot pie filling for a soft and easy take on a comfort food classic.
  5. 5. Stews: For a dairy-free filling, beef stew and curry have the perfect texture for a bread bowl: They’re thick and not too brothy, without the use of cream.

3 Tips for Making Bread Bowls

Here’s how to make crusty, soft homemade bread bowls.

  1. 1. Use a mixture of wheat and bread flours. Whole-wheat flour adds fiber and structure to the dough, while bread flour’s high protein content makes for a chewy texture, similar to sourdough bread.
  2. 2. Let the bread cool before scooping. Resist the temptation to cut into your freshly baked bread as soon as it comes out of the oven. If sliced or scooped while hot, bread can become gummy. Wait at least thirty minutes before carving your bread bowl.
  3. 3. Slice, then scoop the bread. Cut a circle at an angle out of the top of the bread, then carefully pull it away from the bowl and scoop out the center before filling. Doing this will make nice, even bread bowls. Keep the tops and serve them as a cover, or turn them into homemade croutons.

Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe

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3 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

6 bread bowls

prep time

10 min

total time

40 min

cook time

30 min

Ingredients

Note: The total time does not include 2 hours of inactive time.

  1. 1

    In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast, warm water, and honey, and let it sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.

  2. 2

    Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and salt into the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.

  3. 3

    Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until it is soft and springy and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl, about 7–8 minutes.

  4. 4

    Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

  5. 5

    Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  6. 6

    Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a clean surface and shape it into a large ball, then portion it into 6 equal pieces (or more if making smaller bowls).

  7. 7

    Form each piece into a smooth ball by stretching and pulling the outer edges into the center, leaving a small seam in the center of each bowl.

  8. 8

    Place the shaped dough balls seam-side-down onto prepared baking sheets, 3 balls per sheet, with space in between them, and cover lightly with a clean cloth.

  9. 9

    Leave the dough to proof for 20 minutes.

  10. 10

    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

  11. 11

    Brush the dough evenly with the remaining olive oil and score the tops with an X using a sharp knife or dough slicer.

  12. 12

    Bake the bread rolls until they are golden brown, about 30 minutes.

  13. 13

    Remove the bread rolls from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

  14. 14

    Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and scooping. Cut a circle at an angle out of the top of the bread, then carefully pull it out and scoop the bread.

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