The easiest homemade bread bowl recipe for beginners

all-purpose flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: bread flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is more affordable but less flavorful.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil is dairy-free and healthier.

cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Nutritional yeast is a vegan alternative with a cheesy flavor.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast and water. Then, add the sugar, salt and 3 cups of flour. Beat on your mixer's first speed for 3 minutes, stirring in additional flour until a soft, sticky dough forms.

Increase your mixer to its second speed and knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes until it's smooth and elastic. Alternatively, you can also turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 6 to 8 minutes.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough proof in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. If you have a proof setting on your oven, that's a great place to let your dough rise.

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Then, punch the dough down and divide it into six equal-sized balls, about 265 grams each. Place the balls 3 inches apart on two greased baking sheets. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place again until doubled, about 15 minutes.

Prior to baking, brush the risen dough balls gently with egg wash and then spray with water. Using a sharp knife (or a bread lame), score the dough with shallow cuts in an 'X' pattern. Bake for 2 minutes and then lower the oven to 425°. Bake the loaves until they're a deep golden brown and their internal temperature reaches 190° to 200°, about 10 minutes. Remove promptly from the oven and transfer the loaves immediately to wire racks. Let cool completely. Test Kitchen Tip: Brushing with egg and spraying with water is optional, but worth the extra effort. The egg wash gives the bread bowls a beautiful shine and rich, brown color, while the spritz of water helps the loaves develop a crusty exterior.

To hollow out the loaves and turn them into bread bowls, use a serrated knife to slice off the top of the bread. For best results, angle the knife and carve around the 'X' on the top of each loaf—almost in the same way that you would remove the top from a pumpkin when carving a jack-o-lantern. Next, hollow out the loaf using your hands. You want to gently pull out the bread, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. Test Kitchen Tip: Don't throw away the bread you remove. Save it for another use, such as making homemade croutons or breadcrumbs.

Finally, fill each bread bowl with a warm soup, chili or dip of your choice. Serve immediately!

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