Easy 3-Ingredient Bread Bowls for Soup
These rustic bread bowls are made with just three ingredients & baked on a baking sheet with steam in the oven for the perfect crispy crust and chewy interior. They’re sturdy enough to ladle with soup, and soft enough to tear off and dunk the sides.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups bread flour
- 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (two packets)
- 1 Tablespoon salt (use fine sea salt or non-iodized table salt)
- 2 cups warm water (between 105°F and 110°F)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the bread flour, active dry yeast, and salt.
- Add the warm water and mix with a large spoon (or your hands) until it forms a dense dough and there are no visible pockets of dry flour.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes, or in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for 3-5 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic. Sprinkle a little more flour on the counter as needed as you knead the dough.
- Return the dough to the same mixing bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in size, after 1 to 2 hours.
- On a lightly floured surface, evenly divide the dough into four pieces and shape them into balls. Use your hands to gently push the top of the dough down the sides and tuck all the seams underneath to create tension.
- Cut out four large squares of parchment paper. Place the four dough balls seam-side-down on their individual squares of parchment paper, then arrange them evenly spread out on the baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and proof the dough for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Fill a heat-proof baking dish or a second metal baking sheet with hot tap water. Place it on the lower rack of your oven to gradually warm up as your oven preheats.
- Once your oven is preheated, score the top of each bread round by slicing two to three ¼-inch deep cuts into the top of the dough at a 45° angle with a bread lame or a sharp knife.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the baking dish or baking sheet with hot water from the oven. Continue baking the bread bowls until the crust is golden and crispy, after another 10-15 minutes.
Notes
- Hollowing: I accidentally got a little carried away when hollowing up a bread bowl once and made a hole in the bottom. I found it’s best to tear off little chunks at a time from the sides & bottom until there’s enough room to add soup, but the walls are still at least ½ inch thick.
- Make Ahead: When I’ve had family over for dinner, I’ve made these bread bowls a day in advance. I didn’t reheat them since the soup warms them from the inside, but you could pop them in the oven at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes to warm them up.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bread bowlCalories: 688kcalCarbohydrates: 137gProtein: 24gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 1756mgPotassium: 221mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg
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