Easy Homemade Bread Bowl

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Three homemade bread bowls sit hollowed-out on white plates, their tops beside them. Nearby, a wooden bowl with more round bread loaves and a striped towel rest together on a wooden board.

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These Homemade Bread Bowls will completely change how you serve soup, stew, and chili in your kitchen. Breaking into that perfectly golden, crusty exterior to reveal the soft, pillowy interior makes the perfect foundation for your favorite comfort foods.

Prep Time1 45

Cook Time30

Total Time2 15

Servings: bread bowls

Calories: 461kcal

Author: Melissa Griffiths

Ingredients

3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon instant yeast (or 2 packages)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons kosher salt
7 to 8 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg white

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl add the water, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
Add the olive oil, salt, and 4 cups of flour to the bowl and stir to combine. Using your stand mixer or a wooden spoon, mix the dough for 5 minutes.
After you've mixed the dough for 5 minute, gradually add more flour, ⅓ cup at a time until the dough starts to come clean from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be just a little bit sticky at this point. Knead for another 3 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is just barely tacky, adding just a little flour at a time as needed.
Form the dough into a smooth ball and return it to the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel, a beeswax wrap, or a piece of plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 30-45 minutes.
Add a baking mat or parchment paper to two large baking sheets.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 8 even pieces.
Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place on the baking sheet, 4 ball doughs per sheet, so that they aren't touching each other and are spaced out evenly.
Cover the dough balls with a clean dishtowel and allow to rise an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a small bowl add the 1 tablespoon of milk and the egg white and use a fork to combine well.
Cut a small X in the top of each bread ball.
Brush each dough ball with the milk mixture, being sure to cover all of the dough (not just the top).
Bake the bread bowls on two separate racks for 30 minutes, rotating the pans from the upper rack to the lower rack half way through baking.
Allow the bread bowls to cool for 15 minutes before cutting open to serve.

Notes

Texture Enhancement: For an extra crispy crust, place a shallow pan of water on the bottom oven rack during the first 15 minutes of baking to create steam.

Leftover Bread: Don't waste the scooped-out bread interior - it makes excellent breadcrumbs, croutons, or stuffing base. Store it in the freezer until needed for other recipes.

Flour Testing: I tested this recipe with both bread flour and all-purpose flour, and they both worked great, so use what you like or have on hand.

Flour Amounts: If you are using bread flour, you'll probably use 7 to 7-½ cups of flour, and if you are using all-purpose flour, you'll probably use 7-½ to 8 cups of flour.

Nutrition