Bread Bowl
Total Time Prep: 35 min. rising
Bake: 20 min. cooling
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6-1/2 to 7-1/2 cups bread flour
Optional: Cornmeal and sesame seeds
Directions:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast mixture, and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500°. Punch down the dough. Divide and shape into 6 balls. Place 3 in. apart on 2 baking sheets that have been greased, or, if desired, generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 15 minutes. Spray loaves with water; if desired, generously sprinkle with sesame seeds. Using a sharp knife, score the tops with shallow cuts in an “X” pattern.
Bake 2 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 425°. Bake until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 190°-200°, about 16-18 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Cut a thin slice off the top of each loaf. Hollow out the bottom portion of each loaf, leaving a 1/2-in. shell. Discard the removed bread or save it for another use, such as croutons.
Finally, fill each bread bowl with a warm soup, chili, or dip of your choice. Serve immediately!
Notes:
Can I make the bread bowls in advance?
The best part about making bread bowls is that you can easily tailor the recipe to accommodate your schedule. Once hollowed, however, we recommend enjoying bread bowls within 24 hours.
Mix-ahead directions:
After the initial rise in step three of the bread bowl recipe, punch the dough down and divide the dough into balls as directed in step four. However, rather than place them on a baking tray to proof a second time, refrigerate the dough balls in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge, let it come to room temperature, and proceed with step five. One added benefit to this method is that the bread bowls will develop a stronger, more robust flavor due to the slow fermentation of the yeast that will occur while the dough rests in the fridge.
Bake-ahead directions:
Bake and prepare the bread bowls as directed through step five. Then, store in an airtight container for up to three days. When ready to serve, hollow out as directed in step six and fill as desired.
What should I do if my bread doesn’t rise?
If your bread doesn’t rise, there are several possible causes, like the age of your yeast, the temperature of your water, and the temperature of your proofing environment. While some of these bread-baking pitfalls are salvageable, others will require you to learn from your mistake and start over. If the environment is too cold, just give it a little more time to proof, preferably in a turned-off oven or somewhere else around 80°F.
What should I do if I poke a hole through the bottom of the bread?
Nothing is more tragic than a bread bowl with a gaping hole in the bottom. But don’t fret! Our favorite way to fix a bread bowl is with cheese “glue.”
To begin, grate a few tablespoons of cheese (preferably one that pairs well with your soup). Then, sprinkle a little over the hole in the bottom of your bread bowl. Top the cheese with a few small pieces of the bread remnants you removed from the center of your loaves. Place the damaged bread bowl back into your oven at 350° for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove and let the cheese “glue” cool completely. Then, fill as desired. It’s like it never happened!
Nutritional Facts:
1 bread bowl: 283 calories, 1g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 396mg sodium, 57g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 2g fiber), 10g protein.
Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.com
Thanks, Amethyst! 
