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It is officially soup season around here so I am going to show you how to make bread bowls for soup. Having soup in a regular soup bowl is great, but when you make a hearty soup like my tomato basil soup, you want to serve it in a beautiful hollowed-out bread bowl.

These homemade bread bowls make the perfect vessel for your favorite soup, like this Bacon Cheeseburger Soup. From start to finish, this recipe with simple ingredients can be on the table in a couple of hours. If you are a first-time bread baker, this is a great recipe to start with.

How to Make Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe

Add 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix this and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast has activated and creates a foam top.

Now, add 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Add 4 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. You can use bread flour or you can use all-purpose flour. Either one works fine for this recipe.

Use the dough hook attachment and knead on low speed for one minute then increase to medium speed for about 6 minutes. Remove the dough hook, and place the dough in a large bowl coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a warm damp cloth.

Set the bowl in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about an hour.

On a lightly floured surface, remove the bread from the bowl. You can use a bowl scraper to make sure the bread doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Be gentle when removing because you do not want to deflate the air bubbles in the dough.

Now, use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

Once you have 4 equal pieces, start to form into a dough ball. Pull all the corners toward the center and then flip the dough onto the counter. Pull the dough to you and turn. This will keep the dough in a round shape and make it uniform.

Do the same thing with each section. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and allow them to proof for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Now, use a sharp knife to score each loaf. Scoring the bread allows for the expansion of the bread without it busting. It will boost the loaf and keep it from cracking and looking hideous.

The cuts don't have to be deep. Just enough to allow the bread to rise.

The last step right before you bake the loaves is to make an egg wash with just one large egg and 2 tablespoons of water.

Mix well and then brush each loaf with the wash. This will seal the edges, add some shine to the loaves, and create that golden brown texture we crave on bread.

Bake the bread bowls at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Once the bread comes out, let it cool to room temperature before cutting it.

How to Serve Creamy Soup in Bread Bowls

Whenever I am going to serve soup in these bread bowls, here is what I do.

Start by cutting the top off of the bread. I use a knife and slice it completely off. Then, I use my hands and scoop out the inside of the bread. I save the insides to make my homemade bread crumbs.

Then, I drizzle the cavity of the bread with some olive oil and pop it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to toast the inside.

I cube up the top of the bread, sprinkle it with cheese, and throw it under the broiler also. I like to use them as dippers with my soup.

Remove from the oven and pour in your hot soup. Any soup works fine but these are amazing when you have recipes like my Loaded Baked Potato Soup or Pumpkin Coconut Soup in them.

The best part of this recipe for me is when you dip your spoon into the soup and get a piece of chunky bread right along with it. It is SO good!

These bread bowls are made with basic ingredients. You can also make sourdough bread bowls if you have ventured into the world of making all things sourdough with a sourdough starter.

For More Bread Recipes Check These Out

• Chocolate Sourdough Bread
• Copycat Subway Italian Herbs and Cheese Bread
• Copycat Cheesecake Factory Honey Wheat Bread