Homemade Bread Bowls for Soup | Herby bread bowls for creamy soups. These fresh-baked bread bowls take about 2 hours from start to finish, including the rise times. Serve your favorite thick and creamy soup in these made from scratch bowls.
I hope you're enjoying September Soup Month so far and I hope you'll leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite soup is, whether I've posted it here or not. The month isn't over though and I still have a few posts planned, including a post on how to make homemade soup with what you have on hand and a Huge Soup Round-Up from some fantastic bloggers.
Today's post is all about homemade bread bowls. Specifically, these herby Bread Bowls that make a fantastic accompaniment to your favorite thick and creamy soups. Whatever you do, don't ladle a thin and brothy soup into these or they'll soak right through and you'll have a mess on your hands. My Curried Sweet Potato + Carrot soup is perfect for these bowls and it's the soup that I used in these photographs.
I've said before that soup and a sandwich is one of my favorite ideas for dinner, but this bread bowl and soup thing might top that. By the time you cut a hole into the bread bowl and dig out a bit of extra bread, you'll have the perfect little pieces for dipping – my fave.
And don't be scared of breadmaking! If you've made my Quick + Light Brioche Buns then these will be no problem. If you haven't made those, then just follow the instructions below and read the whole post. Please feel free to ask me any questions about this or any other recipe, either in the comments section below or by visiting my Contact page.
How to Make Homemade Bread Bowls for Soup
To make these herby Bread Bowls, you'll start off as you would with most bread recipes, with a bowl and some warm water and yeast. I make these buns by hand, without the stand mixer, so I start off with a big mixing bowl. You can use a stand mixer if you like, just follow the same instructions but in the mixer.
So in the bowl, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Mix and let stand 10 minutes, or until frothy.
How to make bread dough by hand
Once it's thick and frothy on top, add the flour on top as well as the spices and salt. Mix those in on the top of the flour and then keep mixing through until everything is combined. (You could also mix this in a separate bowl, but I don't bother.) I mix this step with a fork.
Fold the dough over itself, then push it away from you against the counter, and then repeat for 5 minutes or so.
Knead the dough until it's a really cohesive ball. I don't really bother with kneading the heck out of this dough – I just let it come together and knead for a few minutes.
how to make bread dough in a stand mixer
If you're using a stand mixer, use the dough hook and mix on medium for 4-5 minutes or so.
You should have a nice well-mixed ball of dough in the end.
How to rise bread bowl dough
Now place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a bit of oil and then a piece of plastic wrap and then a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place, for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and cut it into four.
Then cover a dough ball with your hand in a kind of cup shape and roll the ball around in circles until it's smooth.
Pinch together the bottom and sort of smooth it out a bit.
Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with the same sheet of plastic and the same towel and then let rise again, in a warm place, for about 30 minutes.
How to bake bread bowls
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Whisk the egg together with a tablespoon of water and then brush the mixture over the dough balls.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and done.
To use for soup, use a serrated knife and cut downward, into the top of each bread bowl at a little bit of an angle. Pull the piece out. Pull out any other extra bread, leaving a thick wall to hold the soup. Ladle in a thick soup and eat immediately, dipping in the extra bread from the lid of the bowl.
Questions About Making Bread Bowls
Do I need a stand mixer? So many bread recipes require one.
No, you don't need one. It makes kneading dough easier, but I regularly make bread dough by hand and it turns out just fine. Stand mixers haven't always existed. You'll be fine making this by hand.
Will my bread dough get soggy?
Honestly, ya a little bit. But you can't really fit all that much soup in these bread bowls, maybe about a cup or so, and by the time you've finished the soup and eat the bread bowl, it's just like you've dipped it in the soup. Pair it with a side salad and it's a filling meal in my opinion.
Recipe
Homemade Bread Bowls for Soup
Ingredients
- 250 ml warm water 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 500 grams all-purpose flour about 4 cups *see notes on measuring flour
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), mix together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit 10 minutes, or until activated and foamy.
- Add the flour, salt, herbs, and spices. Mix together with a fork.
- Use your hands (or a dough hook on a stand mixer) to knead together into a ball.
- Remove dough to a lightly floured counter and knead by hand, about 7-8 minutes, or until you have a semi-smooth cohesive dough. You can also mix with a stand mixer if you prefer.
- Cover dough in a small amount of oil and place back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and set somewhere warm to rise, for about an hour.
- Cut dough into four.
- Roll each quarter into a ball and place on a lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic and a towel and let rise somewhere warm for about 30 minutes or so.
- Mix together the egg and a tablespoon of water and brush over each dough ball.
- Bake at 400 °F for 25-30 minutes, or until done.
Notes
- Measuring flour: I prefer to measure with a scale as it's more accurate when sharing recipes, especially for bread dough. If you don't have a scale or don't want to use one, then take care when measuring your flour. Fluff up your flour by stirring it a bit and then use a large spoon to drop the flour into a measuring cup, not packing it down at all. I use the formula 120grams=1 cup flour.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
More Homemade Bread
Sara says
Hi! This bread has great flavor! However, I have attempted this recipe twice but my bowls do not rise much after dividing into quarters. The first time, I used bread flour with just a bit of added water and the dough did well in rising the first time in one large ball, then didn’t rise much at all once separated. So I attempted again and used all purpose flour with much of the same effect. What am I doing wrong? I’m letting my yeast mixture get plenty frothy, I’m allowing plenty of rise time on a warm stove top as my oven gets up to temp to 400 degrees for baking. Any suggestions?
Jacqueline Piper says
Hi Sara,
If your dough is rising well the first time but not the second, then I wouldn't think the normal possibilities like old yeast or over measuring flour would apply. The only other possibility I can think of would be more rising time in a warm area - how much time are you allowing for the second rise? I know you said you allowed plenty of time, but some kitchen might even need double the rise time stated on the recipe card (30 minutes). Perhaps a longer rise time and covering the dough balls with plastic wrap and a towel will help create a nice rising environment. Let me know how it goes, I'm happy to further trouble shoot with you. Thanks for commenting!
Jacqueline