Allison Crawford at The Hungry Carrot
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Delicious vegan bread bowls made from scratch are the perfect addition to your favorite soups and dips. They only require a handful of ingredients and are surprisingly easy to make. These bread bowls have a crispy and golden crust and a soft and fluffy crumb that holds up well for hearty soups.
Why We Love Them
Is there any other way to take your favorite soup to the next level than with a bread bowl? Enjoy these all year round for a comforting warm bowl of chili, a crisp salad, or a bowl to hold your favorite dip at your next get-together.
Made with a few simple shelf-stable ingredients and freeze easily for when you need them. Turn leftovers into homemade croutons, breadcrumbs, garlic bread, or bruschetta.
Ingredients
- Bread Flour: Substitute all-purpose flour if needed, but we do recommend using high-quality bread flour.
Bread flourhas a higher protein content of 12-14% over the 10-12% of all-purpose flour. More protein means more gluten which gives your bread that beautiful stretch and more structure for a better chew and fluffier bread. - Yeast: Instant, active dry, and fresh yeast are the three most common in baking. I favor
active dry yeastbut it requires rehydrating in warm water, ideally warmed to 105 degrees. - Or skip this step and use
instant yeast. Add it directly to your dry ingredients without the need for hydrating. Note that you need 25% less instant yeast than active dry yeast. For example, if you need 1 tbsp active dry yeast, use 3/4 tbsp instant yeast. - The last type commonly used is fresh yeast. While this is my favorite when it comes to nuances in flavor it does have a shorter shelf life and you need to add twice as much yeast as active dry. Use whichever you have on hand or prefer.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the yeast and half a cup of warm water together to form a slurry. Cover the bowl, and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- With a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook running on low (or use a mixing bowl and mix by hand), combine 2 cups of the flour, salt, oil, activated yeast slurry, and the remaining warm water.
- Add the remaining flour a half cup at a time until it’s incorporated. Mix on low (or knead by hand) for 8-10 minutes. You want the dough to be a little sticky but still pull away from the sides of the bowl. Add extra flour 1 tbsp at a time if your dough is too tacky or a little water if too dry.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until it’s doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Once your dough has doubled, punch it down to remove air bubbles. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, punch it down again, and cut it into 6 pieces of equal size using a
bench knifeor a sharp kitchen knife.
- Form each piece into a small ball. Place them on a baking sheet with either a silicone mat or parchment paper. Cover them with a towel and let rise for another 10-15 minutes.
- Once the oven is preheated, score a small “x” in the top of each ball with a sharp knife or
bread lame.
- Mist the bread bowls with a little water to help form a crust, and place in the oven.
- Bake for 2 minutes then reduce the temperature down to 425 and give the bread bowls another quick misting. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place the bread bowls on a cooling rack and brush with melted plant-based butter if desired.
- Once cooled, cut a thin slice off the top and hollow out the bread bowls. Fill with your favorite soup or dip and enjoy! The bread from the middle of the bowls makes for great homemade croutons or bread crumbs.
Storage
Keep any leftovers tightly covered for up to 3 days at room temperature, or up to a week in the fridge.
To freeze them, wrap them in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. They stay fresh for up to 3 months.
Try these related recipes:
Homemade Vegan Spaghetti Sauce
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Vegan Bread Bowls
Delicious plant-based bread bowls made from scratch are the perfect edition to your favorite soups and dips. They only require a handful of ingredients and are surprisingly easy to make.
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour (can sub for all purpose)
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp plant-based butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the yeast and half a cup of warm water together to form a slurry. Cover the bowl, and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- With a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook running on low (or use a mixing bowl and mix by hand), combine 2 cups of the flour, salt, oil, activated yeast slurry, and the remaining warm water. Continue adding the remaining flour a half cup at a time until it's incorporated. Mix on low (or knead by hand) for 8-10 minutes. You want the dough to be a little sticky but still pull away from the sides of the bowl. Add extra flour 1 tbsp at a time if your dough is too tacky or a little water if too dry.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until it's doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Once your dough has doubled, punch it down to remove air bubbles. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, punch it down again, and cut it into 6 pieces of equal size using a bench knife or a sharp kitchen knife.
- Form each piece into a small ball. Place them on a baking sheet with either a silicone mat or parchment paper. Cover them with a towel and let rise for another 10-15 minutes.
- Once the oven is preheated, score a small "x" in the top of each ball with a sharp knife or bread lame.
- Mist the bread bowls with a little water to help form a crust, and place in the oven.
- Bake for 2 minutes then reduce the temperature down to 425 and give the bread bowls another quick misting. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place the bread bowls on a cooling rack and brush with melted plant-based butter if desired.
- Once cooled, cut a thin slice off the top and hollow out the bread bowls. Fill with your favorite soup or dip and enjoy! The bread from the middle of the bowls make for great homemade croutons or bread crumbs.
