Italian Bread Bowls
ShareEasy homemade Italian bread bowls are perfect for soup, chili, chowder and more! Ditch the store bought bread bowls and make your own at home!
Another weekend, another blizzard. We’re well over 70 some odd inches now and that’s only from the last three weeks! I’m actually glad when the weather people are wrong now, but only when it’s in our favor, like this past storm. They had predicted well over a foot of snow for a while, then Sunday morning we woke up and the storm was basically over and had only dropped another 10-inches or so. I know that sounds like a lot, but in comparison to what we already have and what they’ve predicted for some storms, it’s not much. I’m still tired of it. I’ll be happy when it’s finally Spring and there isn’t a chance of snow for another 9 months or so.
We’ve basically been snowed in the last few weeks, what with extreme cold temps or blizzards. So, that gave me the chance to fully binge watch Parenthood. I’m done! Yup. Done. Loved it. Don’t worry…no spoilers, in case you haven’t watched it, or are currently watching. And if you haven’t or aren’t, then you should! Add it to your list right now! They did a great job of wrapping up the show. My problem now is what to watch next?
I made these bread bowls over the weekend and couldn’t wait to share them with you. So incredibly delicious and easy to make! Ditch the store bought bread bowls and make your own at home!
I’m a HUGE fan of soup, chili and chowder in the winter… if you hadn’t already noticed. So, it time I share the perfect item to go with all of those comforting Winter dishes… these bread bowls! The bowls are quite possibly the star of this dish, and that’s saying a lot considering they’re housing one of my favorite soup recipes!
These homemade Italian bread bowls are flavorful on their own, but incredible for thick soups, stews, chili and chowder… and even dips! A must make this Winter!
Check below for a list of perfect recipes to pair with these bread bowls, including my slow cooker loaded potato soup, as seen here!
Italian Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 C water
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 C bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large egg white
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Heat water to 115°F. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, allow to proof for 5-10 minutes.
- Add flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer, with dough hook attachment. With mixer running on low, add in yeast mixture. Increase speed to medium. Slowly drizzle in olive oil. Continue mixing until dough comes together. Add additional flour or olive oil as needed. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each section into a smooth ball, place on prepared baking sheet. Loosely cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise for 30 additional minutes in a warm location.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Combine egg white and water. Carefully create 1-2 slices in the top of each roll, roughly 1/4-inch deep. Brush with egg wash mixture. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Brush rolls again with egg wash mixture. Continue baking for 10 additional minutes.
- Cool to room temperature, then using a sharp knife, carefully remove he center of the rolls to create a bowl. Remove additional bread from the inside by hand, as needed.
- Fill and enjoy!
Notes
Recipes perfect for bread bowls:
Slow cooker loaded potato soup
Slow cooker chicken pie soup
Slow cooker New England clam and corn chowder
Slow cooker bacon cheeseburger soup
Slow cooker cauliflower and potato soup
Slow cooker corn and white bean chowder
Slow cooker buffalo chicken chowder
Slow cooker Guinness beef stew
Slow cooker corn and bacon chowder with shrimp
Slow cooker two bean spicy chili
Slow cooker turkey and mashed potato chowder
Slow cooker apple cider beef stew
Slow cooker sausage and poblano chili
Slow cooker Mexican chicken chili
Buffalo chicken dip
I’m in! Bread bowls are the best!
They really are! Thanks Tori :)
I loooooove bread bowls – these look awesome!!
Thanks so much Angelyn! :)
hope this bread bowl will help you keep warm. this looks delightful.
Thanks so much Dixya!
Do you think that you can do this without the egg wash (but the complete bake time)? We have a severe egg allergy, and make our own breads. Usually skipping the egg wash isn’t a problem, but I’d be curious as to your take. Thanks!
You absolutely can! The egg wash isn’t essential, it’s more for appearance. If you look at my regular Italian bread recipe, you’ll see what the exterior looks like without egg wash after baking.
HELLO was just wondering if u could use AP flour?
thx
It may be possible. However, the results likely wouldn’t be identical. Bread flour is specifically designed for yeast baking. For best results, I’d recommend sticking with bread flour.
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve bought round loaves of bread at the grocery store to use as bread bowls for soups and stews in the past and have found them just too large! By the time you eat the soup or stew, you’ve just too full, leaving all that glorious bread sopping with soupy goodness behind because you just can’t manage another bite! So, making them the perfect size seems like the perfect solution (duh!). Your photos are beautiful. Pinning…
Homemade is the way to go! I hope you enjoy the recipe! :)
I made these tonight. SO good!! Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing :)
I have tried to make these twice because they look delicious!
But my dough won’t rise, I thought it was my yeast because it’s a few months old, but I bought new yeast and this batch won’t rise either…..
What am I doing wrong?
Yeast can be ver temperamental. If the water isn’t hot enough, it won’t activate. If it’s too hot, you’ll kill it. Your best bet would be to use a kitchen thermometer and make sure your water is between 115-120°F.
Why do you need to create 2 slices on the top of each bread dough before baking?
Typically the slashes will aid in where the bread will expand and prevent random cracks or explosions of the crust.
I made these tonight so we could make pizza bowls and they were SO good! Will definitely be making these again for soup in the fall. Bread bowls are my favorite!
So glad you enjoyed them, Meaghan! :)
¿Me encantan estos panes y quiero intentarlo en casa, ¿podrÃa explicarme lo de 3C bread flour? No entiendo la medida… Gracias.
Would I love these breads and want to try at home, could you explain what 3C bread flour? I do not understand … Thank far.
3C = 3 cups of bread flour :)
I made these last night for dinner and they were delicious! I think I got overly excited and cut into them a bit soon, but the texture of the bottom of the bowls was superb! Perfectly crunchy and crispy! I will be making these again in the future, I’m sure! Yum! :)
So glad to hear you enjoyed them, Mackenzie! Thanks for sharing. :)
Hi Rachel,
I will be making these tomorrow night. I will need to make 4 or 5 bowls. Not sure how to up the ingredients. Can you help me, thank you.
The recipe makes 3 generously sized bowls currently. If you need more, double the recipe.
Is 2 1/4 tsp yeast equal to one packet?
Yes. Enjoy! :)
I loved this recipe! Delicious bread. I used regular all purpose flour because that’s all I had in hand. It turned out great. I also used the instant yeast.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Cindy!
Rachel, I would like to make these for Christmas Eve and was wondering if I could make them the day before and they still be good?
They should be fine. Just be sure to cool them completely before storing them for the next day.
Rachael
I tried but mine didn’t rise. I know my water was at the correct temp and assuming there was no problem with the yeast I don’t know where it went wrong. I only mixed until the dough came together. Should it have been longer?
Thank you
With yeast baking, things can get complicated trying to figure out what went wrong. Your yeast needs to be fresh and active, the liquid just the right temp and proper amount of kneading (varies with each recipe). Also, if your room is drafty, that can have an impact on dough rising.
I’m pretty new with bread baking, and I know you’re supposed to kneed the dough, but when in the recipe do you kneed the dough?
There is no need to knead this dough by hand. All of the work is done during the mixing phase.
Made these beautiful delicious bowls last night with Creme of Roasted Garlic Soup. My husband is not really a bread eater but he loved them.
So glad you both enjoyed them!