Description
This Sourdough Bread Bowl recipe creates delicious, crusty bread bowls perfect for serving soups or stews. Made from a naturally fermented sourdough starter, it delivers a tangy, flavorful bread with a chewy crust and airy crumb. The recipe includes detailed steps for making the levain, dough mixing, folding, shaping, proofing, and baking, culminating in hollowing out the bread to use as an edible bowl. Perfect for a comforting meal, these bread bowls also come with pro tips to help bakers master sourdough techniques.
Ingredients
Levain
- 20 g (1 heaping tablespoon) sourdough starter, 100% hydration, float test before using
- 80 g (⅓ cup) water
- 80 g (⅔ cup) bread flour
Sourdough Bread Bowl
- 100 g (½ cup) levain
- 360 g (1 ½ cups) water, ideally 70°F
- 500 g (4 cups) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Olive oil – for greasing bowl
- 3 tablespoons rice flour, for dusting small bowls/cheesecloth
- Soup of choice, for serving
- Parsley, for garnish
- Egg wash (1 egg beaten with a splash of water) for brushing
Instructions
- Prepare the Levain: Perform a float test by placing 1 tablespoon of sourdough starter in water; if it floats, it’s active and ready. Mix 20 g starter with 80 g water until combined, then add 80 g bread flour and stir until homogeneous. Cover and let ferment at room temperature for about 12 hours.
- Mix Dough and Autolyse: Combine 100 g levain with 360 g water, then add 500 g bread flour and mix until just combined with no clumps remaining. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes to hydrate the flour.
- Add Salt and Rest: Sprinkle 2 teaspoons kosher salt over the dough and mix thoroughly to dissolve the salt. Transfer dough to a bowl greased with olive oil, cover, and let rest for another 45 minutes.
- Perform Stretch and Folds: Every 30 minutes for 2 hours, gently fold the dough inward four times, rotating between folds to develop gluten structure. After completing four folds, let the dough rest for 45 minutes.
- Pre-shape the Dough: Divide dough into 4 equal portions (~240-250 g each). Shape each piece into a boule by folding six sides into the center, flip it seam side down, then drag it on a lightly oiled board to build surface tension. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Final Shape and Cold Proof: Reshape dough rounds as before and place seam side up into small bowls lined with cheesecloth dusted with rice flour. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare for Baking: The next morning, preheat oven to 450°F with a baking tray inside. Remove dough from fridge, turn each boule seam side down onto parchment-lined baking tray and remove cheesecloth.
- Score and Bake: Brush top of each loaf with egg wash. Using a lame or razor blade, score a single line or cross hatch pattern on top. Bake at 450°F initially, then immediately reduce temperature to 425°F. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown and edges show slight browning.
- Cool Bread Bowls: Remove loaves from the oven and cool completely for at least 1 hour before cutting to maintain structure and avoid gummy texture.
- Prepare Bread Bowls: Using a serrated knife, cut a hole in the top of each loaf and carefully scoop out the interior crumb to create a bowl. Save the scooped bread to make croutons. Fill bread bowls with hot soup, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Notes
- Ensure your sourdough starter is vigorous by performing the float test for best rise and flavor.
- Hydration is key: dough will be sticky; dipping hands in water while working helps manage stickiness.
- Patience during folds and fermentation develops flavor and texture—don’t rush the process.
- Proper shaping and gentle handling preserve gas bubbles for airy crumb and beautiful rounds.
- Allow bread bowls to cool thoroughly before hollowing to prevent collapse and gummy crumb.
- Use leftover scooped bread to make crunchy croutons—nothing goes to waste!
- Prep Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
