October 7, 2020

Sourdough Bread Bowls

This past spring I made these soup bowls for the first time. They turned out so delicious, I have big plans to make them a lot this fall to serve my family. Click to Tweet

This past spring I made Sourdough Bread Bowls for the first time. They turned out so delicious, I have big plans to make them a lot this fall to serve with soup.

To make them, I adjusted my Tangy Sourdough Bread recipe to make 8 soup bowls. After they’ve baked and cooled, you can use them, store them in a bread box, or freeze for later.

Ingredients Needed to Make Sourdough Bread Bowls

sourdough starter that has been “fed”
warm water
all-purpose flour
sugar
kosher salt
instant yeast, optional
sesame seeds or Everything Bagel Topping

Instructions for Making This Recipe

Making the Dough

To begin, gather all the ingredients and have them close by on the counter or table, ready to use. In a large mixing bowl, combine the active sourdough starter, (See my Recipe for Sourdough Starter Here) water, and 3 cups of flour. Beat vigorously with wooden spoon for 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, about an hour.

Using instant yeast will ensure a faster rise, if time is a factor for your baking routine.

In a large mixing bowl using a kneading hook attachment, combine the starter mixture with the remaining 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and optional instant yeast. Begin mixing at a low speed, adding up to 1/4 cup of water as needed to make a smooth dough. Adding water may, or may not be necessary.

Continue kneading for 5-7 minutes. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled. (This may take 2-3 hours).

If you have opted not to use the instant yeast, you may remove the dough at each hour interval to stretch and fold, envelope-style to work the gluten in the dough. The dough will most likely be sticky. Use a stainless bench scraper to lift the dough from the work space more easily.

Preparing the Dough for Baking

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, along with a baking stone. Spray two sheets of parchment paper with baking spray and set out on a workspace. (If you don’t have a baking stone, you may use two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.)

Once the dough has doubled, stretch and fold the dough, envelope-style, again using the bench scraper as needed.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, forming each into a ball. Place four balls on each sheet of parchment paper and cover with greased plastic wrap or a clean cotton tea towel. Make sure to allow space for the dough to rise without the balls touching each other. Allow the dough to rise for 40-60 minutes until puffy.

In a small bowl, prepare your egg wash by whisking together the egg white with 2 tablespoons water.

Uncover the dough. Using a pastry brush, brush each ball with egg wash. Then sprinkle each with sesame seeds or Everything Bagel Topping.

To make the transfer easier, use kitchen shears to cut the parchment paper into squares for each of the dough balls. With a pizza peel, transfer each square to the baking stone to cook. Bake four bowls at a time until rolls are nicely browned on top, approximately 20-24 minutes.

Transfer bread bowls to wire racks to cool completely. This recipe will make 8 bread loaves.

To use the bowls, when ready to serve, cut tops off and remove inside bread filling. You may use this on top of your bowls, or for later as Homemade Croutons. I like to put Country Potato Soup or Shrimp Chowder with Bacon inside the bread bowls. Really any creamy soup would work well.

See more Sourdough Recipes Here. See Ideas for Soup Here.