Sourdough Bread Bowl

This sourdough bread bowl is the perfect vessel for soup! It is easy to make and perfectly holds any soup of choice.

What You will need

• Sourdough starter: An active sourdough starter at 100% hydration is the standard here.
• Water
• White Bread Flour: White bread flour adds structure to the dough and added gluten for the yeast to feast on.
• Salt: Good quality sea salt adds flavour as well as keeps the yeast in check

Overview of How to Make Sourdough Bread Bowls

1. Autolyse: This is the process of mixing flour, water and the starter to start the hydration of the flour
2. Mix in the salt: Salt slows down the yeast process but it adds flavour and makes the dough easier to work with
3. Bulk Fermentation: This is the process in which the dough is allowed to rise. Interspersed within the bulk fermentation are a few stretches and folds to help facilitate better gluten structure.
4. Shape: Once the dough has risen a fair bit, you can shape it into whatever size you want
5. Cold Proof: this part is optional but it allows the dough to rest as well as builds more flavour.
6. Bake

FAQ + Substitutions

1. Can I use active yeast? Active yeast is possible but the ratios will certainly be different. I will advise against a swap with active yeast for now but will work on a recipe shortly
2. Can I use whole wheat flour? Yes, you can! Just make sure it is whole wheat bread flour. The dough will certainly be stiffer and I 100% recommend keeping the loaves in the fridge overnight with whole wheat for more flavour.
3. Can I make two large bowls instead of three? Of course, cut the dough into whatever size you want. I advise you not to go above 4 bread bowls otherwise they become bread rolls.
4. Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Unfortunately not, since this sourdough relies on gluten structure for texture and structure

Looking for Soup Ideas? Here are some soups to sample with the bread bowl

• Butternut Squash Soup
• Spicy Tomato Soup
• Ghanaian Palm Nut Soup

Let’s make some sourdough bread

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the water and the starter till well combined
2. Add in your flour and combine
3. Let the dough sit for about 45mins – 1 hour to autolyse
4. Add in your salt, a splash of water and mix well
5. Set the dough in a warm place and allow it to rise for 3 hours. In the first two hours, you will perform a series of stretches and folds to build dough strength. More details on stretch and folding are available in my Sourdough 101 blog post.
6. After the 3 hours, you can divide the dough into three by weight and shape each division into a round ball.
7. If baking the same day, place the bread on a baking tray, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for an hour while you preheat the oven. If baking the next day, place the baking tray in the fridge overnight.
8. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
9. When the oven is done preheating, boil some water and place it in a small baking pan on the bottom rack.
10. Cut an X shape at the top of each bread bowl and place it in the oven. Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes
11. After the 20 minutes have passed, reduce the temperature to 400F, remove the pan with water and continue to bake for another 20 minutes
12. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool down completely
13. When the bread is cool, cut the top off and hollow out the bread. You can save the bread pieces for croutons or can simply eat them.
14. Serve with your soup of choice.