French Bread Bowls

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You don't have to go all the way to Panera to enjoy your soup in a bread bowl. With my step by step instructions I will show you how to make them at home!

A french bread bowl full of broccoli cheese soup.

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Why Choose This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Step by Step Instructions
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
French Bread Bowls Recipe

Why Choose This Recipe

Because eating soup out of a giant roll is awesome!
Make 4 large (store bought size) OR 6 medium (cantaloupe size) OR 8 small (grapefruit size)
Not more difficult to make than regular French Bread (which isn't hard either)

Ingredient Notes

Flour - All purpose, never self rising.

Step by Step Instructions

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water in your mixing bowl. I use a 6 quart stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to make this bread, but it can be made by hand as well.
Let it sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast get foamy.

Sugar, yeast and warm water getting foamy.

Add the olive oil, salt and flour.
As you can see in picture 8 it looks like there is too much flour, but don't worry, it will all mix in.

Oil, salt and flour added to the mixing bowl.

After all the flour is mixed in your dough should look like picture 9, a shaggy ball of dough that cleans the sides of the mixing bowl.
Knead at a medium speed for 5 minutes, or by hand for 10 minutes. The dough should end up like picture 10 and 11, very smooth, elastic-y and the sides of the bowl should be completely clean.
Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a clean dish towel to rise.
Over the next hour, about every 10 minutes or so, knead the dough in the bowl about 3 times. This is going to create that chewy french bread crust. It doesn't have to be exactly every ten minutes, but you need to have kneaded the dough at least 4 times over that hour.
After the hour just let the dough rise until doubled. This should take about 30 minutes.

Dough when first being kneaded to what it looks like after kneading.

Once the dough has doubled, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into pieces.
4 Pieces for 4 large bread bowls about the same size after baking, as you buy from the store.
6 Pieces for 6 Medium bowls about the size of cantaloupes after baking.
8 Pieces for 8 Small bowls about the size of grapefruits after baking.
Shape the pieces into smooth balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Cover to let rise until doubled.
While the bowls are rising, place an empty aluminum (never glass) baking sheet on the very bottom rack of your oven.
Make sure the other rack is in the center of your oven.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
After placing the bread on the center oven rack to bake, before closing the oven door, throw a ½ cup of water onto the now super hot baking sheet you placed on the bottom oven rack and quickly close the oven door.
This creates steam that sets that crusty, chewy crust you want.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
Loaves should be golden brown and sound hollow when thumped.
Cool at least 20minutes before cutting the top off, hollowing the center, filling with soup and eating.

Dough dumped out, divided up, shaped into balls, baked and cut to hold soup.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

Do bread bowls get soggy?

They can. You bread bowl is more prone to become soggy if you are serving a broth type soup like this Garden Vegetable Chicken Soup. If this is a concern for you then try something more like Beef Stew or this creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Are you supposed to eat the bread bowl?

Yes, you are! Trust me they are just as good as eating soup with Dinner Rolls!

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