How to Make Bread Bowls from Scratch at Home | Bread Bowls for Soup
Hello Foodies,
An absolutely delicious way to enjoy homemade soups with homemade Bread Bowls! This recipe for bread bowls is super easy and will make perfectly doughy bread. These bread bowls are soft and pillowy on the inside and crusty on the outside. They are delicious to eat once the soup has soaked into the bread.
This bread bowl recipe would be great for soups or pav bhaji or a stew too! This homemade bread bowl with my family’s favorite soup turned it into the best meal I have made from scratch for my family! We also love bread bowls with Corn Chowder, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and Soothing Coriander-Lentils Soup.
Bread Bowls is my most favorite one bread and most of the time I've enjoyed this bread in my dinner with broccoli cheddar soup. It only takes about an hour to prepare the dough and twenty minutes to bake the bread bowls. Now, I never have to go to the store to get a bread bowl with delicious broccoli and cheese soup again now that I know how easy it is to make at home. The most important thing to making a perfect bread bowl is keeping the surface of the dough moist. So spray water to make sure that the surface stays moist long enough for the bowls to rise. Homemade bread bowls taste way better than anything you could buy at the store. But remember the bread bowls should be sturdy enough crumb to hold its own when the hot soup was added.
Some More Bread and Buns Recipes to Try:
- Pumpkin Buns
- Honey-Wheat Brown Bread
- Homemade Sandwich Bread Loaf
- No-Knead Bread Without Dutch Oven
- No-Knead Jalapeno Cheddar Bread Without Dutch Oven
- Flower Garlic Bread
- Soft and Fluffy Mangalore Banana Buns
- Vegan Masala Buns/Dinner Rolls
- Burger Buns
Ingredients that used to make Bread Bowl:
- Flour: I have used bread flour and it worked well. But you can use just whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour or half-half.
- Yeast: I have used active dry yeast. Active dry yeast rice slowly and develop a perfect flavor. Yeast helps to expand and become lighter and softer the bread.
- Flaxseeds: The addition of flaxseeds is an excellent way to obtain the healthy constituents found in flax and this makes your bread bowl more nutritious. Also, when ground flaxseed is used instead of other fats, baked goods tend to be denser and brown more rapidly. Ground flaxseeds are a good substitute for some of the oil in a ratio of 3 parts flaxseed to 1 part oil.
- Salt: salt gives flavor to the bread. Bread baked without salt will be tasteless. Also salt helps preserve the color and flavor of the flour.
- Water: Use lukewarm or warm water to bloom the yeast. If you use boiling hot water then it will kill your yeast.
What if you don't have a Stand Mixer?
No mixer, no problem. All you have to do is knead everything by hand. After mixing all the ingredients, transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead by hand until all the flour is incorporated and you end up with a dough that is soft to touch.
Recipe For Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups Bread Flour(You can use all-purpose flour too)
- 2 Tbsp Flax Meal/Ground Flax seeds(if you can’t find, you can totally skip it)
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 4 1/2 Tsp(2 packets) Active Dry Yeast
- 2 Tsp Sugar
- 2 Cups Warm Water(the temperature should be around 110 to 120 degrees)
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil
- Plant-based Milk for brushing(If not making vegan, then you can use milk or give egg wash)
Instructions:
To Activate the Yeast:
- In a bowl pour warm water and add sugar and yeast.
- Mix well, cover, and keep it aside for about 5 minutes or until frothy and foamy.
To Prepare the Dough:
- Mix bread flour, flax meal, and salt in another bowl.
- Now, in a stand mixer’s bowl add flour, and salt mixture.
- Now, slowly add foamy yeast water in the flour mixture.
- Attach the dough hook to the mixer and turn on the mixer to medium-low speed.
- Now, gradually add the remaining yeast mixture until the dough comes together.
- Continue kneading on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft, smooth, and slightly sticky dough forms(If it’s too sticky, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time).
- Now, pour 2 Tbsp olive oil and knead for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the mixer and take the dough out of the bowl and form a dough ball.
To Proof the Dough in the Instant Pot(1st Proofing):
- Meanwhile, grease the inner pot of the instant pot with oil.
- Transfer the prepared dough into the instant pot and grease with oil(apply oil to avoid drying of the dough).
- Cover it with a glass lid or plate( you can use the lid of the instant pot too) and let the dough rise on yogurt mode for 30 minutes.
- After half an hour open the lid and the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and take it out.
- Roll the dough and divide it into 6 equal parts.
To proof the dough without instant pot:
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 1-2 hours or until it doubled in size in a warm place.
2nd Proofing:
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
- Shape each portion into a round ball.
- Place the dough balls/loaves on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, uncover the dough and brush the buns with milk (For vegan, use any plant-based milk).
To Bake the Bread Bowl:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While preheating the oven, place a cast iron pan/oven-safe pan at the bottom rack of the oven for a water bath.
- Meanwhile, to give the steam to the bread, bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil(steam will help to give a crunchy crust to the bread bowl).
- Place the tray in the oven's center rack.
- Carefully pour hot water into the pan on the bottom rack and close the oven door.
- Bake bread bowls for 20 to 25 minutes or until it becomes golden brown on the outside.
- Allow bread to cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes before slicing into.
To cut the bread to make bread bowl for soup:
- Perfectly baked, crusty, and crunchy bread bowls are ready.
- Cut a ½ inch thick slice from the top of each loaf to create a bowl.
- Scoop out the insides to create a deeper well, leaving ¾ inch thick shells(you can use scraped bread to make bread crumbs).
- Fill the bread bowl with your favorite soup, or any dip.
- I have served a bread bowl with Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Enjoy!!!
To Make Ahead & How to Refrigerate?
- After the dough has risen the first time(1st proofing), punch it down in the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for up to 2-3 days.
- When ready to make, remove from the fridge and continue with dividing the dough and do 2nd proofing and bake them.
How to Freeze?
- To freeze the dough, punch it down after the first rise and store in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2-3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then continue with dividing the dough and do 2nd proofing and bake them.
How to Reheat Bread Bowl:
This bread will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. The crust will lose its crunchy texture as the bread sits, but popping leftover slices into the toaster for a few minutes will crisp it right back.
Tips to Make Bread Bowls:
- Use a rack to cool the bread, so air can circulate and prevent soggy bread.
- Let the baked bread cool completely before slicing.
- Make sure water used to mix the yeast is warm or lukewarm, but not the boiling hot. Hot water will kill the yeast.
- You may require less or more flour and water accordingly to get the soft dough.
- 2 cups of water for 6 cups of bread flour worked well for me.
- If you substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour, the result will not be the same as bread flour bowls. Bread flour contains a higher amount of protein which helps to create the bread bowl's structure.
- You can make dinner rolls, bread loaf or pizza too with this dough.
- The humidity, altitude, and temperature, can impact how much flour you need in your bread dough.
- You can skip the steaming step, but the bread bowls will have a softer exterior.
- The steaming allows a crispy crust to form on the bread bowls.
- Instead of soup, you can also fill bread bowls with your favorite dip too.
Dietary Comment:
- The calorie count is based on a 2000 calorie.
- Per serving contains 520 calories, along with 96.3 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g dietary fiber, 7.5 g fats, and 18 g protein.
- Portion size can always be increased or decreased depending on your health goals and activity level.
- If you make this recipe, share your food picture with hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook so that everyone can enjoy it too!
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Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy!!!
