# Bread bowls for soup?



## JustJoel (Jan 3, 2018)

In spite of title, I am familiar with soup bowls made from hollowed out bread. I haven’t had one in years, I think the last time I went San Francisco.

What I don’t get is why there are _recipes_ for soup bowl bread? Wouldn’t any standard French or Italian loaf, formed into the iconic shape and hollowed out, do as well? Or is there something special about soup bowl bread that makes it hold the soup better?

Just out of curiosity, I looked at a few of the recipes on-line. They all contained a blend of flours (either bread flour and whole wheat flour, or bread flour and AP flour), they all had a bit of oil (not butter), but there didn’t seem to be anything inherently _different_ about them. And no bigas or poolishes. I would think that a biga would add structure to dough so the bread would hold up to the soup a bit better. And I would probably either but a pan of hot water in the oven, or bake the bread in a cast iron Dutch oven, to get that nice crackly French bread crust.

But I digress. So, can anyone tell me if there are dough differences peculiar to soup bowl bread?


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## tenspeed (Jan 4, 2018)

I can't help you with any info on recipes for soup bowl bread, and I've never put soup into a loaf of bread.  However, I think that dutch oven bread would work as well as any bread.  I often make bread in a 3 qt. dutch oven (half of the regular recipe - 200 g. flour, 150 g. water).  The crust is fairly substantial, especially on the bottom.  I think that it would be a good size for soup.

  I found the best deal on these small dutch ovens at Kohls on Black Friday.  I picked up another one this year for $15.  It's a Food Network brand (which I think is exclusive to Kohls) enameled dutch oven.  Not up to Le Creuset quality, but fine for bread.


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## Whiskadoodle (Jan 4, 2018)

I think a Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup in a bread bowl would be pretty tasty.  

I'm not sure an exclusive soup bowl   recipe is necessary.  Whatever makes a nice crispy brown exterior, soft crumb inside, so French, Italian, Sourdough.  I'd eat 'em.  And to gussy it up for serving,  a nice bread cap on top, cut like a Halloween pumpkin so when you lift the top off you get a nice warm soup smell too.  Yum.


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## JustJoel (Jan 4, 2018)

tenspeed said:


> I can't help you with any info on recipes for soup bowl bread, and I've never put soup into a loaf of bread.  However, I think that dutch oven bread would work as well as any bread.  I often make bread in a 3 qt. dutch oven (half of the regular recipe - 200 g. flour, 150 g. water).  The crust is fairly substantial, especially on the bottom.  I think that it would be a good size for soup.
> 
> I found the best deal on these small dutch ovens at Kohls on Black Friday.  I picked up another one this year for $15.  It's a Food Network brand (which I think is exclusive to Kohls) enameled dutch oven.  Not up to Le Creuset quality, but fine for bread.


Thanks. I’m not really planning on making any soup bowls in the near future. I was just curious as to why there are recipes specifically written for soup bowl bread. It seems disingenuous to take a perfectly good recipe for French bread, and, without changing the recipe, renaming it “soup bowl bread.” If I were king of the world (yeah, that’s gonna happen any day now!), I would insist that “soup bowl bread” be included in a recipe as an addendum, like “this bread would make a great soup bowl. Bake it round and hollow it.”

It’s been many years since I had soup in a bread bowl. Fisherman’s Wharf, clam chowder, I don’t remember being very impressed, though Mom was nearly giddy!


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## RPCookin (Jan 4, 2018)

Personally, I prefer my soup in a crockery bowl with a couple of slices of good bread and butter on the side.  Most of the time when I see someone having this in a restaurant, most of the "bowl" just goes uneaten anyway.


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## Kevin86 (Jan 4, 2018)

Any bread can work depending on your want. Yo say French or Italian bread I say mmmmm yum. But some other people my love there beef soup in rye bread or even a chowder in pumpernickel. 

The original idea behind the soup bowl was to stretch a meal and a penny when flour was a cheap staple. So if that’s the case they’d use what they had locally. 

If you look French, English, Dutch, American,Canadian, etc and so on if you could look back 100 or 200 Years breads would be based of local or supplied ingredients and fashioned depending on what kind of people immigrated to that area. 

So people get posh about somethings now but if your bowl is bread it can’t be wrong if it suits your taste. 
On that note some breads will absorb everything like a sponge leaving little broth and some are denser acting more like a bowl. So to each there own. 

My 2cents anyway


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## buckytom (Jan 4, 2018)

One thing I look forward to on skiing trips is a good, thick, creamy soup like New England clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Other faves are broccoli cheese soup, tomato basil, and split pea with ham.

Besides the soup type being of a thick viscosity, the bread bowl should be made from a very dense, thick crusted bread recipe in order to hold the soup. 

Thin soups, or flaky bread wouldn't work.


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## JustJoel (Jan 5, 2018)

buckytom said:


> One thing I look forward to on skiing trips is a good, thick, creamy soup like New England clam chowder in a bread bowl.
> 
> Other faves are broccoli cheese soup, tomato basil, and split pea with ham.
> 
> ...


All those soups sound warmiful (my husband coined that word)! Why a bread bowl though?

And what type of dough would you use to make one? I’m seriously thinking about it, just for the spits and giggles even though I find it a bit too faddish.

I was thinking an Italian loaf made with a biga to strengthen the dough...


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## JustJoel (Jan 5, 2018)

Kevin86 said:


> Any bread can work depending on your want. Yo say French or Italian bread I say mmmmm yum. But some other people my love there beef soup in rye bread or even a chowder in pumpernickel.
> 
> The original idea behind the soup bowl was to stretch a meal and a penny when flour was a cheap staple. So if that’s the case they’d use what they had locally.
> 
> ...


I think a rye would be very nice with a hearty barley or lentil stew! But can’t one just serve the bread on the side, with lots of European style butter? And stretching a penny by serving soup in bread bowls seems to defeat the purpose. A loaf of bread will last at least a few days, but one bread bowl is done after one meal. Wouldn’t it make more economic sense to buy really cheap soup bowls and serve the bread on the side?

Very interesting commentary though. And certainly throughout history, people haven’t really thought things through, particularly if they’re hungry and don’t know where the next meal is coming from. Thanks!


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## JustJoel (Jan 5, 2018)

RPCookin said:


> Personally, I prefer my soup in a crockery bowl with a couple of slices of good bread and butter on the side.  Most of the time when I see someone having this in a restaurant, most of the "bowl" just goes uneaten anyway.


I would have to agree! But I think I’m gonna make it anyway, just once for spits and giggles, and to satisfy my curiosity. Who knows? I might be on _Master Chef_ and have to make one (lol don’t hold your breath. Please.)


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 5, 2018)

Or maybe you could just use *this recipe* and make bowls that look like this:


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## JustJoel (Jan 5, 2018)

buckytom said:


> One thing I look forward to on skiing trips is a good, thick, creamy soup like New England clam chowder in a bread bowl.
> 
> Other faves are broccoli cheese soup, tomato basil, and split pea with ham.
> 
> ...


All those soups sound delicious, but I’m still failing to see the benefit of serving such hearty and warming soups in a bowl made of bread, rather than in an earthen crock, perhaps accompanied by a variety of breads and spreads. Still, my curiosity must be sated! So I’ll try it. (I don’t ski, btw. Scared to death of ruining my knees! Aprés ski though? Count me IN!)


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## JustJoel (Jan 5, 2018)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Or maybe you could just use *this recipe* and make bowls that look like this:


Now THIS is something I could get on board with! Thanks!


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## JustJoel (Jan 5, 2018)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Or maybe you could just use *this recipe* and make bowls that look like this:


The recipe for this contains 2 tbsp of semolina flour. I’ll have to search for that, or order it online. Is there a suitable substitute, in the meantime?


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## buckytom (Jan 5, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> All those soups sound delicious, but I’m still failing to see the benefit of serving such hearty and warming soups in a bowl made of bread, rather than in an earthen crock, perhaps accompanied by a variety of breads and spreads. Still, my curiosity must be sated! So I’ll try it. (I don’t ski, btw. Scared to death of ruining my knees! Aprés ski though? Count me IN!)


 

You are either way over-thinking this, or just aren't the kind of person who enjoys dunking bread into something like a thick soup, or gravy, or tomato sauce.

By putting the soup in a bread bowl, the dunking has been done for you. As you eat the soup with a spoon, you can tear off a bit of the bread to go with it.

For ski resorts, it's a good way to serve soup and bread without waste or having to wash a soup crock.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 5, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> The recipe for this contains 2 tbsp of semolina flour. I’ll have to search for that, or order it online. Is there a suitable substitute, in the meantime?


I've bought it in a regular grocery store. Don't remember if it was by the other flours or somewhere else. As far as a sub, this article has a lot of info: https://www.thebalance.com/easy-semolina-flour-substitute-4142772


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## Kevin86 (Jan 5, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> All those soups sound delicious, but I’m still failing to see the benefit of serving such hearty and warming soups in a bowl made of bread, rather than in an earthen crock, perhaps accompanied by a variety of breads and spreads. Still, my curiosity must be sated! So I’ll try it. (I don’t ski, btw. Scared to death of ruining my knees! Aprés ski though? Count me IN!)



The main reason for a bread bowl is cause some people think it’s yummy or possibly just neat and cool to try something different.


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## Kevin86 (Jan 5, 2018)

buckytom said:


> One thing I look forward to on skiing trips is a good, thick, creamy soup like New England clam chowder in a bread bowl.
> 
> Other faves are broccoli cheese soup, tomato basil, and split pea with ham.
> 
> ...



We often do chilli in a bread bowl to


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## medtran49 (Jan 5, 2018)

It's just a different presentation.  I doubt it's to save money on not having to wash a soup bowl because I've made these, both hollowed out and shaped.  You're using more time and same amount of dishes, if not more, by making soup bowls rather than just using a bowl you probably already have anyway.  And I can't believe it would be cost effective to buy them from a bakery since they are a basically a specialty item.

We did really like the cheese beer soup in pretzel bread bowls I made, but since then, it's been pretzel rolls or sticks with the soup in regular bowls...


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## Kevin86 (Jan 5, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> I think a rye would be very nice with a hearty barley or lentil stew! But can’t one just serve the bread on the side, with lots of European style butter? And stretching a penny by serving soup in bread bowls seems to defeat the purpose. A loaf of bread will last at least a few days, but one bread bowl is done after one meal. Wouldn’t it make more economic sense to buy really cheap soup bowls and serve the bread on the side?
> 
> Very interesting commentary though. And certainly throughout history, people haven’t really thought things through, particularly if they’re hungry and don’t know where the next meal is coming from. Thanks!


Bread can certainly be served on the side. 

Asfar as stretching the penny I was referring to the soup a bread bowl is filler and if the soup was ur produce for the week and it had to last bread can be a filler. 
Also the inside is hollowed out so all of the removed bread would be used in other meals to make another meal go farther as well. 
Or in the day hardworking dad would get the bowl and mom and the kids would dip what was scooped out. 
Whatever works for you is what should be done. It is soup remember.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jan 5, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> All those soups sound delicious, but I’m still failing to see the benefit of serving such hearty and warming soups in a bowl made of bread, rather than in an earthen crock, perhaps accompanied by a variety of breads and spreads.



Nobody has to wash the dishes!


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## RPCookin (Jan 5, 2018)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> Nobody has to wash the dishes!



You serve the bread bowl on a plate instead of serving the soup in a bowl... I don't see the reduction in dishes to wash.


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## Mad Cook (Jan 5, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> The recipe for this contains 2 tbsp of semolina flour. I’ll have to search for that, or order it online. Is there a suitable substitute, in the meantime?


Semolina flour is used for making pasta so any flour marketted as pasta flour should do the trick. But read the label with the ingredients.

I could be wrong as I'm not at home so can't look but I' sure I have a bag of pasta flour at home which has OO on the label. (I'm sure someone can confirm this or set me right.)

Someone might be able to confirm this or otherwise but if the semolina is only a small part of the total flour content would strong bread flour do as a substitute?


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## GotGarlic (Jan 5, 2018)

Regarding the semolina flour, according to Serious Eats:


> Of all the crazy and random additions I've made to bread doughs, semolina flour is the one that has become a regular component in my breads. It makes the bread a very pale yellow color and gives it a richer flavor. The first time I used it, it reminded me of a bread my mother used to buy from a local bakery when I was a kid, and that I hadn't tasted since.
> 
> Semolina is a course-ground flour made from durum wheat. I've also tried durum flour, which is ground finer, but honestly I didn't notice enough of a difference to prefer one over the other. Right now, semolina is easy to find, but I can only get durum by mail order. If both are available in your area, try both and see which you prefer, or just buy the one that's least expensive.



Bread Baking: Semolina Braid Recipe | Serious Eats

It seems to me that it's not necessary to have this in order to make the recipe; it will just be a little different. To give it a golden color, add a pinch of turmeric.


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## letscook (Jan 7, 2018)

I'm weird - when getting soup serve in a bread bowl, I feel I have to hurry up and eat it before the bread gets soggy and starts leaking all over. It has never happen to me but Its just the feeling I get with it.


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## dragnlaw (Jan 7, 2018)

I like them and they certainly are not a regular dish here but, might be if my brother was still here.

I have three recipes for them. There is not much difference in the ingredients other than quantities.  One makes 3 loaves, another 6 and the last 8. The 6 & 8 freeze beautifully.


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## JustJoel (Jan 7, 2018)

*I’m not downing soup bread bowls!*

I think soup bowls made of bread are a charming idea, if a little faddish. I’m just surprised that there are actually recipes labeled “soup bowl bread,” when the recipes are all for bread that’s just, well, bread! Seems to me you could just make a nice sourdough, rye, or French bread, shape it into a bowl shape, then hollow out the bread and ladle your soup in.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 7, 2018)

When I worked in the bakery, we shaped whatever bread the customer wanted into boules.  Made nice 7-grain with sunflower seeds boules for a customer who wanted to serve pumpkin soup.  They were beautiful.


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