Hearty soup on a cool day only gets richer when served in a bowl of bread. This recipe makes enough to serve your family and invite your friends. Your soup will soak in to the bread bowl creating a scrumptious side. Pulling apart the soap-soaked walls at the end of the meal is the best.

Serves: 8-10 single serve bowls

Tools:

2-3 baking sheets

2-3 non stick baking mats, such as Silpat

1-3 linen kitchen towels

serrated knife

Spray bottle with filtered water

For the Bread:

Make the dough recipe for scratch bread. Follow the recipe through the first rise, setting at least one hour covered with the linen towel, as one whole dough. This seems to work best in a glass bowl in a warm spot.

After the first rise, separate the dough into balls the size of your first or so, for the number of bread bowls desired. When making the balls, wrap the dough underneath itself so that the top is smooth and the edges tucked under. Place the dough balls equal distance apart on the baking mats placed on the baking sheet(s). Let rise again for at least one hour. Be sure to cover with the linen kitchen towel(s).

After this second rise, preheat the oven to 185 Celsius or 375 Fahrenheit. Uncover the risen dough balls. Spray lightly with the filtered water. This will give a lovely shine and texture to the baked dough. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake until the bread balls are golden brown.  25-35 minutes, plus or minus depending on your oven.

Remove the bread balls from the oven and let cool, only slightly, until you can handle them with your bare hands.

With your serrated knife slice into the top of the dough ball on an angle, cutting back and forth making a circle. Once the circle is complete, lift out the top of the bread bowl. With a fork, pull out some of the excess bread dough so that you can fit soup in the bowl.

Make your favorite savory soup. The chicken potato soup pictured pairs perfectly.

Serve immediately.