Sourdough Bread Bowls: Edible Serving Dishes for Soup Season

There are few things more satisfying than eating your serving dish. Sourdough bread bowls combine the best of both worlds: a crusty, tangy vessel filled with hot soup, where each bite includes both the bread and whatever you poured into it. They look impressive, taste incredible, and are significantly easier to make than most people assume.

The Dough

Use your standard sourdough recipe at 65-68% hydration. Lower hydration than your typical loaf produces a sturdier bowl that holds soup without going soggy too quickly. My basic recipe works perfectly with the water reduced by about 25g. Follow the same process for bulk fermentation: stretch and fold, wait for 50-75% volume increase, then shape.

Shaping for Bread Bowls

Divide your dough into portions of about 300-350g each (a standard recipe yields two to three bowls). Shape each piece into a very tight boule using the technique from my shaping guide. You want maximum surface tension because the dough needs to hold a round shape without spreading. Place the boules seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Do not use a banneton, you want a round, dome-shaped result, not the traditional flat-bottomed boule.

Baking

Cover the boules with an inverted stainless steel bowl or pot for steam during the first 15 minutes, then remove the cover and bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes at 425°F (220°C). You want a thick, sturdy crust that is deeply golden brown. Under-baked bread bowls go soggy in minutes. Err on the side of a darker, more robust crust.

Let the bowls cool completely before hollowing. This takes at least two hours. Cutting into a warm bread bowl releases the interior steam and makes the crumb gummy.

Hollowing Out

Using a serrated knife, cut a circle in the top of the boule, about one inch from the edge. Angle the knife inward slightly. Remove the lid (save it for dipping). Using your fingers or a spoon, pull out the interior crumb, leaving walls about one to one and a half inches thick. Thinner walls hold less soup and go soggy faster. Thicker walls are sturdier and give you more bread to tear off as you eat.

Serving

Fill the bread bowl with hot soup just before serving. Creamy soups work best because they are thick enough to stay contained: clam chowder, broccoli cheddar, loaded potato, or tomato bisque. Thinner soups soak through the bread faster, so eat quickly or line the inside with a thin layer of melted butter before filling, which buys you extra time.