The most delicious homemade sourdough bread bowls, just like ones you would buy from a restaurant. Freshly bake and fill with your favorite soup for a super filling meal. Learn all my tips and tricks to get that chewy interior and perfectly crusty exterior.
When I think of winter, I think of cozy winter meals like soups, homemade breads, and pastas. These are the types of meals I rely on at the farmhouse and have a whole collection of them on the blog.
I’ve been dreaming of this recipe ever since I walked into Panera a few weeks ago for lunch with the kids. And ever since seeing their bread bowls I’ve been thinking about making my own sourdough bread bowls. I just knew that I wanted to recreate this at home with traditional sourdough.
Now don’t get me wrong this is not something I would do every day, or even every week, but it is something really fun that the kids loved.
Honestly, it wasn’t that much extra effort, just a few more minutes of shaping, and everyone was really impressed.
This recipe required a little thought. Usually when you are baking an artisan type loaf, you use a dutch oven to trap all the steam and give the bread that oven spring and delicious crust. But I don’t have 8 little dutch ovens. So I had to find another way to create all that steam.
Once that was figured out, the possibilities are endless and this would be a really fun brunch idea for a little get together. Who doesn’t love sourdough bread bowls?
Tips:
- You will need a very active sourdough starter to a nice rise. Check out how to make a sourdough starter and how to care for one.
- The key to making a nice crusty exterior is to create a lot of steam. This can be done a few different ways. Placing towels in a baking dish and add boiling water into the dish (be careful), pie weights in a cast iron skillet with cold water, a small baking dish with water in the oven during the preheat and first 15 minutes of baking, or even simply spraying water into the oven with a spray bottle.
- The amount of time it takes for your dough to double can be determined by many environmental factors, such as the temperature in your home, the maturity of your starter, and the hydration status of the loaf.
- The most accurate way to get the best loaves of bread each time is to measure your ingredients with a kitchen scale.
Ingredients:
Unbleached all purpose flour
Whole wheat flour
Bread flour – can be substituted with more to the unbleached all purpose.
Active sourdough starter (active and bubbly) – This is a starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before starting the dough. It is at its peak (about doubled in size) and can pass the float test. Add a little dollop of sourdough starter in a small bowl with water. If it floats it is ready.
Water – Preferably filtered.
Salt – I use sea salt or pink Himalayan salt.
Tools you may need to make this recipe:
Bowls – I just used 8 small bowls and line them with tea towels.
Parchment paper
FAQ:
Are Panera bread bowls sourdough?
While they claim to be sourdough, true sourdough bread uses a sourdough starter that contains wild yeasts from the environment to give rise to the bread. Panera on the other hand, lists yeast in the ingredients: “Yeast (Yeast, Sorbitan Monostearate, Ascorbic Acid)” which makes it debatable if it is a true sourdough bread.
Do you eat the sourdough bread bowl?
Yes. It is absolutely delish to eat the sourdough bread bowl. As the soup soaks into the bread it adds so much flavor.
How do you cut a sourdough bread bowl?
With a serrated knife, cut a circle at the top of the boule angling the knife towards the center. Pull off the top and set aside. Using your hands, remove the interior of bread bowls. You want to leave about an inch to inch and a half of the bread. Fill with your favorite soups and dips.
How To Make No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the bread, ensuring it is active and bubbly.
Combine warm water, flour, active sourdough starter and salt in a large bowl. Mix the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes to bring the dough together. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap while resting.
Allow to rest for 30 minutes for the water to hydrate the flour. This process is called autolyse.
Stretch And Fold
To develop the gluten and obtain a nice rise, you will want to do 6 rounds of stretching and folding.
While the dough is in the bowl, grab the edge and the dough firmly and pull up, stretching it upwards and gently shaking it . Then place the dough that is in your hands into the center. Turn the bowl about a quarter turn and do this process again, and again one to two more times. This is one round. If your fingers are sticking to the dough, get your hands a little wet.
First 3 stretch and folds – every 15 minutes.
Last 3 stretch and folds – every 30 minutes.
Honestly, I follow this loosely. As long as I get in six stretch and fold rounds in a two hour period I’m happy.
Cover with a wet towel, lid, or plastic wrap and allow the dough to bulk-ferment (also known as bulk rise) until doubled.
Split the dough into 8 equal portions.
Shape into balls by gently spinning it toward you. This adds tension to the dough which helps it rise.
Set out 15-20 minutes uncovered. This allows the surface to develop a skin, so that it doesn’t stick to the tea towel during the overnight rise.
Turn over and shape. I do this by folding the two sides over to meet in the middle, and then the other two sides.
Transfer the dough to 8 floured bowls with tea towels, seam side up. Cover with plastic (I usually just use grocery bags) and proof for 12-15 hours in the refrigerator.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Place a baking dish with rolled up dish towels on the bottom rack (be careful! You don’t want to have any part of the towel poking out or hanging over, they may burn). Or a cast iron skillet with pie weights. The key to creating that crusty crust is steam. So by adding towel or pie weights it helps create steam.
Remove dough from the fridge immediately before scoring and baking.
Add parchment paper on a large cookie sheet and gently place sourdough bread bowl loafs on the pan seam side down.
Score with a razor a small X at the top of each dough boule.
Place the baking sheet in the oven.
Carefully pour boiling water over the baking dish with towels and place in the oven. Add cold water to the pie weights cast iron skillet, or just sprits the dough water. Another reader suggested you can also just add water to a small baking dish and place it in the oven during the preheating time and during the first 15 minutes of baking.
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 then turn the oven down to 425 and bake for about 20 minutes.
Allow to cool.
Once cooled, cut open the top and scoop out the insides. Pour in your favorite soup and enjoy.
Bakers Timeline For No-Knead Sourdough Bread
8 am: Feed sourdough starter with flour and water.
12 pm: If the sourdough starter is mature, then proceed to creating the dough.
Combine the warm water and flour. Rest for 30 minutes.
12:30-ish pm: Add in sourdough starter and dimple in with wet hand.
Sprinkle salt on top.
Mix the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Rest for 30 minutes.
1:00ish pm: Stretch and fold.
Cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to bulk ferment until doubled.
8:00 pm (may be much sooner or later): Split the dough into 8 equal sized pieces with a dough scraper.
Shape dough.
Sit out 15-20 minutes, uncovered.
Turn over and shape.
8:30 pm: Transfer to floured baskets with a tea towel and cover with plastic. Place in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours.
The Next Day
9:00 am or even as late as 4 pm to be ready for dinner: Preheat the oven to 500.
Take dough out of the fridge, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, dust with flour, and score.
10:00 am: Bake the sourdough bread and let it cool.
Whenever you are ready to serve, cut the sourdough bread bowl top off and scoop out the interior.
Find More Of My Favorite Sourdough Breads:
- Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
- Sourdough Cornbread
- Rosemary Sourdough Bread
- The Easiest No-Knead Sourdough Discard Bread
- Bread Machine Sourdough Bread Recipe
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Also, tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 500 grams unbleached all purpose
- 200 grams freshly ground whole wheat
- 250 grams bread flour, can omit and just add more to the unbleached all purpose
- 200 grams mature starter, active and bubbly
- 650 grams water
- 20 grams salt
Instructions
- Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the bread, ensuring it is active and bubbly.
- Combine warm water, flour, active sourdough starter and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes to bring the dough together.
- Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap while resting.Allow to rest for 30 minutes for the water to hydrate the flour.
- Stretch And Fold :To develop the gluten and obtain a nice rise, you will want to do 6 rounds of stretching and folding. While the dough is in the bowl, grab the edge and the dough firmly and pull up, stretching it upwards and gently shaking it . Then place the dough that is in your hands into the center. Turn the bowl about a quarter turn and do this process again, and again one to two more times. This is one round. First 3 stretch and folds – every 15 minutes. Last 3 stretch and folds – every 30 minutes.
- Cover with a wet towel, lid, or plastic wrap and allow the dough to bulk-ferment (also known as bulk rise) until doubled.
- Split the dough into 8 equal portions. Shape dough balls by gently spinning it toward you.
- Set out 15-20 minutes uncovered. Turn over and shape. I do this by folding the two sides over to meet in the middle, and then the other two sides.
- Transfer the dough to 8 floured bowls with tea towels, seam side up.
- Cover with plastic (I usually just use grocery bags) and proof for 12-15 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Place a baking dish with rolled up dish towels on the bottom rack. Or a cast iron skillet with pie weights.
- Remove dough from the fridge immediately before scoring and baking.
- Add parchment paper on a large cookie sheet and gently place sourdough bread bowl loafs on the pan seam side down.
- Score with a razor a small X at the top of each dough boule.Place the baking sheet in the oven.
- Add boiling water to the baking dish with towels and place in the oven. Pour cold water into the cast iron skillet with pie weights, or just sprits the dough water.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 500 then turn the oven down to 425 and bake for about 20 minutes.Allow to cool.
- Once cooled, cut open the top and scoop out the insides.
- Ladle in your favorite soup and enjoy.
Notes
- You will need a very active sourdough starter to a nice rise. Check out how to make a sourdough starter and how to care for one.
- The key to making a nice crusty exterior is to create a lot of steam. This can be done a few different ways. Placing towels in a baking dish and add boiling water into the dish (be careful), pie weights in a cast iron skillet with cold water, a small baking dish with water in the oven during the preheat and first 15 minutes of baking, or even simply spraying water into the oven with a spray bottle.
- The amount of time it takes for your dough to double can be determined by many environmental factors, such as the temperature in your home, the maturity of your starter, and the hydration status of the loaf.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made them for the first time and they turned out great! When the dough is ready to bake, have you frozen them instead? If so, what was your process in thawing and baking after the dough was frozen?
Yes. Thaw and let rise on the counter before baking.
I am going to make bowls this weekend and am confused on the water part. when you say add cold water to the skillet, is that the DO. Do you bake them in the oven or on the sheet pan. Do you use the boiling water And the cold water in the skillet. I have added a small amount of water when baking 1/2 loaves in a Dutch Oven With good result. {slit difference in crust}. Thank you for your web page! It has ben my go to fro information.
Add the cold water to the skillet.
these came out perfectly! i was planning for 8 bowls as recipe calls, but had some dinner guests cancel, so i redistributed those 2 bowls and ended up with 6. they were just beautiful! i think having 8 would have been perfect size with no bread bowl left over. We had a soup buffet and kept refilling the bowls with different soup and it held up perfectly. definitely will make again. Thanks Lisa!
A soup buffet is a great idea! And if they could keep being refilled then this is really the bread bowl I have been looking for. Someone told me to use a Kings Hawaiian bread bowl for Spinach Artichoke dip and it was NOT a good idea, plus I’m not a fan of that kind of bread. THIS boule has got to be the answer! Can’t wait to try it!!
Could I use all bread flour instead of adding whole wheat flour?I want to do a 24 hr cold ferment in refrigerator and don’t want it to sour. Thanks
Yes.
This was my first time making bread bowls and with your instructions and recipe, they turned out perfectly!
This flour (3 different types of flour) and water combination (70% hydration) is the best I’ve encountered so far. Living at a dry high altitude (Denver), I always read that I should use 80%+, but my dough was always too wet and didn’t proof properly. I never thought 70%, combined with a 30-minute autolyze, would be the magic number.
I made the following adjustments to the recipe: instead of AP flour, 500g freshly ground hard white wheat berry flour sifted using a 40 mesh screen; instead of whole wheat, 200g AP flour; kept 250g bread flour as is; added 47g vital wheat gluten to make up for the lack thereof in the freshly ground and AP flour. I also cut the final bulk into six equal portions instead of eight (eight made the bowls too small).
I will definitely use this for other than bread bowls! The texture and sourdough tartness was just right.
Are you supposed to remove the tea towels after the first 15 mins of baking, or leave in? Thanks!
You can leave it in for the entire time!
You can leave it in the entire time.
Thanks again for the amazing recipe Lisa! I made 20 of these in various sizes for my nieces birthday. I love the flavor so much I’m going to use it for a full size loaf. It’s so nice to make something that has the family coming back for more!