Easy Bread Bowls For Soup

Easy Bread Bowls for Soup. You can “have your soup – and eat the bowl, too!” This warm, soft-centered bread perfectly holds your favorite soup for a satisfying meal in one. Our hearty bread bowls are easy to make and perfect for freezing to have on hand for later. 

You’ve never made bread or baked using yeast? No worries. This is a New Year, and we’re up for new adventures!

Don’t fear the Yeast

You may have avoided baking bread for fear of working with yeast. Don’t stress. Just follow a few simple tips:

Use fresh yeast. Keep yeast in the fridge or freezer to extend its shelf life. Unopened yeast can last about two years. Opened yeast lasts four months in the fridge and six months in the freezer. 

Temperature is the key when adding milk or water to yeast. If the liquid is too hot, your yeast will die; too cold and it won’t activate. The ideal temperature is between 70-105 degrees F. This is a huge temperature range! Just think baby bathwater and you’ll be fine. 

You need to knead. Kneading activates the gluten, giving texture and structure to your bread. Kneading can be done in a stand mixer with a dough hook or by hand on a lightly floured surface. A stand mixer will save you about half the time, but kneading by hand can improve your mental health. Just try it. You’ll thank us. 

Find a warm place to rise. We love using the microwave as a proofing oven. Just heat 1 cup of water for 1 minute in your microwave, then remove the water and place the covered bowl of dough in the microwave. Your warmed microwave is the perfect place for proofing dough. 

We’re excited for you to try baking with yeast! 

Can Bread Bowls be frozen for later?

Of course. Bread freezes well either before or after baking. Here are two options for freezing your bread bowls:

Freeze the shaped bread dough to be cooked later.

Freeze the cooked bread bowls to be thawed and warmed for serving. 

Either way, you’ll love the result. Check the recipe notes for details on preparing and freezing these Easy Bread Bowls for Soup. 

What types of soup work best with this recipe? 

Glad you asked! Bread bowls work really well with thick soups or cream-based soups such as Instant Pot White Cheddar Potato Soup and 30 Minute Corn Chowder. Fill them with ABK’s Quick and Easy 15 Minute Chili or Panera Copycat Broccoli Cheddar Soup. You can also form the dough into rolls to serve with broth-based soups. Lemon Chicken Soup and Minestrone Soup are family favorites you don’t want to miss. 

Easy Bread Bowls For Soup

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Author: Si Foster

Course: bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 to 8 bread bowls

A simple recipe for bread bowls to be used with cream soups or stews.

Ingredients 

• 2 packages (1 1/2 tablespoons) instant dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon milk

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Instructions

• Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
• Add oil, salt, and 3 cups of flour. Mix with a large wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of the mixer until well combined.
• If using a stand mixer, change the paddle to the dough hook. Add remaining 3 cups of flour, a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, continue adding flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Alternately, knead by hand, adding flour as needed. When finished, the dough should be smooth and elastic.
• Remove the dough from the bowl. Grease the bowl with olive oil or cooking spray. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 30 minutes in a warm area, until doubled.
• Empty the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal portions (or 8 if you want them smaller). You can eyeball this or weigh your dough to ensure they bake evenly.
• Form each portion of dough into a ball shape and place 3 balls on each of the prepared sheets (or 4 balls on each sheet if making 8 bread bowls).
• Cover lightly and set aside to rise for 30 more minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place rack in the lower third of the oven.
• Before bread has finished rising, prepare an egg wash by whisking together 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon milk.
• Just before placing in oven, use a bread lame or sharp knife to score the tops of each bread bowl. Brush with egg wash.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

To freeze bread bowls before baking: After the dough has risen, punch it down and form bread bowls. Place bread bowls on a prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray, and place in the freezer until dough is completely frozen. When frozen, place bowls in a sealed container in the freezer until ready to use. When ready to thaw, place bread bowls on prepared baking sheets and let thaw overnight in the fridge. They can also be placed on prepared baking sheets and allowed to thaw on the counter for several hours. Let bread bowls completely thaw and then rise until doubled in size before baking. 

To freeze bread bowls after baking: Baked bread bowls should be cooled completely, wrapped in plastic wrap, and stored in a sealed container in the freezer. When ready to thaw, place bread bowls in the fridge or on the counter, then heat through in a 300-degree oven.

These bread bowls are dense in texture and a great companion to any cream-based or thick soup. If paired with a thinner soup (like chicken noodle), they are best shaped into rolls and served on the side.