In restaurants, don't you just love those bowls made of crusty sourdough bread filled with thick, creamy soups? As you eat, you get to tear off crusty hunks of the bowl, dip them into your soup and use them like a tasty utensil. With artisan-type breads available at all local grocery stores and bakeries, the round shape you need to make these delicious bread bowls at home are easy to buy. Local Safeway sells round sourdough loaves from their own in-store bakery fresh every day.
Bread bowls are easy to create and make an attractive serving dish. And it means fewer dishes to wash as these bowls are completely edible!
To make a bread bowl:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a serrated bread knife, slice off about 1/2 an inch from the top of the round loaf. Set the top aside.
- Using your fingers, gently pull out pieces of bread from the inside of the round loaf to hollow it out, making sure to leave about 1 & 1/2 inches of bread lining all around the inside.
- Using a basting brush lightly dipped in a little olive oil, brush the oil lightly over the inside surfaces of the bread.
- Place the hollowed round loaf on a baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven 12 - 15 minutes until the inside of the bread bowl is light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and fill with one of the ideas below or make up your own.
- Note: Set the piece sliced off the top of the round loaf lightly on top of the filled bread to serve or simply lean it against the bread bowl before serving. You can also arrange the pieces of bread pulled out from the inside of the round loaf around the filled bread bowl before serving. People will appreciate the extra dippers!
Of course, Boston Clam Chowder and Spinach Dip are the two most common fillings for a sourdough bread bowl but here are 10 delicious recipes (with a couple extra bonus recipes thrown in) that are perfect for serving in bread bowls.
- Texas-style Steak Chili or White Chicken Chili
- Guacamole with a California Twist
- Balsamic Pasta Salad
- Beer and Cheddar Soup or Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Crock Pot Mediterranean Vegetable Stew
- Lobster Newberg
- Crock Pot Smoked Sausage and Beans
- Tortellini Tomato Soup
- Hungarian Goulash
- Green Chili Shrimp
Like this article? Get notified every time I post a new one by clicking on the Subscribe button above. Be sure to check out the San Jose Easy Meals Examiner for great recipes, weekly meals plans with corresponding grocery lists and easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions designed to help people with little or no cooking experience. Also, check out the Sustainable Seafood Examiner (me!) for articles on the seafood industry and recipes focusing on fresh, sustainable seafood.
