Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls

It may be Meatless Monday but I’m going to talk about this coming Friday today because Friday November 17th is National Homemade Bread Day! If you follow me on social media or know me you will know that we’ve been making homemade sourdough bread almost weekly (sometimes more then once a week) since just before last Christmas, so almost a year. You’ve been asking for more sourdough bread recipes and I’ve finally got another to share!

As I shared back in April we planned on only making it for the holidays last year. I didn’t think my gluten sensitive stomach would handle it very well. I ate more, and more, and more just waiting for my body to say enough it enough woman but that still hasn’t happened so I’ve been enjoying every bite and second of it. I even posted a couple weeks after Christmas last year that I’d had so much bread in just a couple weeks that it was more then I had consumed in years. While it might not be a big deal to some it has been life changing for me and I’m loving the simple things and toast has become a go to for so many crazy nights for a quick dinner. Of course topped with so many things and basically open-faced sandwiches or bruschetta. I also had French toast for the first time in so long and I loved every bite. While I’m not saying this is for everyone with a gluten sensitivity it works for me. We’ve done a lot of research on sourdough but I always encourage people to do their own. This is a very useful post https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/can-sourdough-change-the-gluten-free-diet/ in which I could relate to as sprouted bread was one that I could handle, and didn’t have it often as it wasn’t the same as bread I grew up loving and really wanted. You can of course try this with your usual gluten free flour but I can’t vouch for the results.

Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls

Again going on almost a full year and things have changed so much. Toast Tuesday, or any day, has become a thing. More sandwiches, bruschetta, just simple things. Since it’s soup season that also means Sourdough Bread Bowls for soup! I’m going to try something a little different this week. As National Homemade Bread Day is this Friday and it does take a little prep, especially if you don’t have a starter I decided to share the bread bowl portion today so you can get starter hopefully in time (hello Amazon Prime!). Then later this week I’ll be sharing a simple Tomato Squash Soup that you can fill your Sourdough Bread Bowls with!

Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls with Tomato Squash Soup

Many of you ask how hard sourdough is to make, really it’s not hard but it isn’t quick. It isn’t a lot of hands on time but a lot of waiting. So for an example I wake up and will feed the starter, which takes me less then 10 minutes. Then 12 hours later I do the same thing, less then 10 minutes. Then 12 hours later, so the next morning we make the dough which takes up to 30 minutes if you’re doing it by hand and not using a Kitchen-Aid. Then you let it rest for 3-4 hours before shaping which takes about 20 minutes. Then 2-3 hours later throwing it in the oven, which takes 2 minutes but you do have to preheat the oven an hour ahead of time (many ovens can be preset with a delay start). Then pull it out of the oven and the hard part is waiting an hour before cutting into it!

I’ve only been hesitant to share more recipes because due to elevation and conditions there is always a little tweaking. There is variation and you will find what works best for you, your area (it harvests yeast in the air so it may vary depending on where you are), and your tastes (the longer you let it proof the more sour taste it will have). It will require a kitchen scale, sourdough starter (you can make your own or buy it), and a glass jar with a tight lid to store your starter.

Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls

For these Sourdough Bread Bowls they work best having a baking stone (but can be made on a baking sheet if needed). For best results you will need a way to inject steam into your oven. We had everything, including a baking stone which we got for our wedding over 15 years ago and that we use all the time for bread and our homemade pizzas. For steam we use an old heavy rimmed baking sheet and have it piled with river rock (which was washed when we purchased it) and use a large pastry icing plastic squeeze bottle with water. Another option for making sourdough without the baking stone and rocks would be to use a Dutch oven but you are limited in what you can make, basically you can make a boule (you wouldn’t be able to make these bread bowls unless you made them one at a time but could make 2 large boules). A Kitchen Aid also makes it easier but it’s do able without.

Trust me when I say I NEVER use to make bread because it wouldn’t turn out. My husband got a bread machine for a wedding shower gift with his name on the tag. We didn’t use it much only a few times, he used it again when I was diagnosed with Celiac (years later told I don’t have it), and haven’t used it since. I made the sourdough for the girls and me when the hubby was traveling in February because we “couldn’t live without it” and hey it was so easy I started making it. So he moved on to homemade pasta, but really we both still make bread because we really enjoy the whole process. I really can’t explain it but as “complex” as it may seem it’s simple and the process is relaxing and there is just this calm about the whole process. Watching the dough, the smell of it baking, and this crackle you hear as the fresh out of the oven bread cools.

Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls

If you’re still with me, trust me you won’t regret diving into making your own sourdough bread. You should read this guide before paying a visit to the Truffle Nation Baking School website and take a baking course with them! We enjoy it so much as I said and like playing so if there is something else you want to see, want us to try, or another bread we make that you want me to share the recipe for let me know! I have a feeling I’ll be posting our Cinnamon or Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sourdough soon since I get so many requests for that. So with that if you’ve made or do make any of my sourdough recipes please comment below or tag me on social media and let me know what you think and if you want more! I have no problem writing them up, especially if I keep getting the requests but if people aren’t making them then I’m not sure if they’re worth it. Meaning so many asking and then reading what is involve and deciding it isn’t worth it or they don’t for some other reason. My husband is the one who writes the instructions for these as he has a very analytical and detailed mind and is very in tune with the process.

The recipe makes 8 and while you might be thinking we don’t need 8, well save the extras for sandwiches or a bread bowl salad the next day!

So now that you know what’s going on in my kitchen I want to know what’s going on in yours! Comment below or link up with Deborah and me for Meatless Monday, instructions below!

Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls
Print Recipe
 Sourdough Bread Bowls
Delicious homemade sourdough bread bowls that can be filled with soup, salad, or even make a boule that can be used for a sandwich!
Course Dinner, Lunch
Servings
bread bowls
Ingredients
  • 150 g sourdough starter
  • 1350 g flour, divided (King Arthur, All Purpose Flour white and red bag)
  • 2 TBSP sea salt
  • water
Course Dinner, Lunch
Servings
bread bowls
Ingredients
  • 150 g sourdough starter
  • 1350 g flour, divided (King Arthur, All Purpose Flour white and red bag)
  • 2 TBSP sea salt
  • water
Instructions
  1. Pull about 150g of unfed sourdough starter and place in a large container that has a lid (we use an ice cream pail).
  2. Feed starter equal parts by weight (150g) of flour and room temperature water to have approximately 450g of starter.
  3. Place cover on container and let sit in a warm location for 12 hours.
  4. Feed equal parts by weight flour and temperature water again to have approximately 1350g of starter.
  5. Place cover on container and let sit in a warm location for 9-12 hours. Starter should be quite bubbly now. At this point remove 50g of starter to live for another loaf , feed equal parts flour and water, then place in the refrigerator in a glass jar with an airtight lid (this is where you get the 150g you start with for the next batch).
  6. Place the Kitchen-Aid mixer bowl on the scale and tare it. If not using a mixer us another large bowl.
  7. Add the starter to the mixer bowl, take note of the weight, then tare the scale.
  8. Add 4 parts flour for every 7 parts starter by weight. Hint: Multiply the starter weight by 0.5714 and that will give you the amount of flour to add.
  9. Add about 2 TBSP of salt. This doesn’t have to be precise but should be close.
  10. Start mixer on lowest setting then add a small amount of water at a time. If not using a mixer use a wooden spoon or spatula and mix by hand as much as possible. Do this about 5-10 seconds apart and keep adding water little by little until dough comes together.
  11. Turn mixer up one more speed (2 on our Kitchen-Aid) and let mix about 10 minutes until dough looks smooth. If not using a mixer you will knead it by hand on a clean smooth surface (could take about 20-30 minutes). Dough should be extremely pliable and pass the “window pane” test where a piece of dough can be stretched where light can pass through it without breaking.
  12. Place a damp bread towel in a large bowl and move the dough to the bowl. Cover the dough with the extra from the towel and place plastic or a cover over it to keep things from drying out.
  13. Let sit and proof for 3-4 hours in a warm area.
  14. Remove dough from the bowl and divide into 8 equal parts (about 250g each).
  15. Shape each part into a flat disc about 4″ across, place on parchment paper approximately an inch apart, cover with a damp bread towel, place a sheet pf plastic wrap on top of the towel, and let sit and rise for 2-3 more hours in a warm location.
  16. 1 hour before baking preheat oven at 400 degrees F.
  17. Just before baking, score top of dough with relief marks using a sharp knife to assist in rising.
  18. Slide bread bowls, keeping them on the parchment paper, directly on baking stone and quickly squirt water on the rocks to generate steam and close the door.
  19. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown.
  20. Let cool for a minimum of 1 hour before cutting.
  21. For a bread bowl cut the top off and pull out the insides (dry out and use for bread crumbs in recipes or toast for croutons) leaving enough on the sides and bottom so you don’t have any holes or thin spots the soup would leak through.
  22. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

You need to start with 150g of unfed sourdough starter. If you have a friend who makes sourdough you can ask them (we love sharing ours with friends and family) or you can purchase sourdough starter online (we purchased ours off Amazon almost year ago and it's still going strong) or make your own. If purchasing it will take a week to two of feeding your starter to get to the point of it being ready to make bread and to have 150g. Don't worry though once you do that you will always pull starter from what you're making to save for the next time, you will just need to follow instructions for storing your starter.

Homemade Sourdough Bread Bowls are perfect for soup season! #MeatlessMonday #plantbased Share on X
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Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls

 

Sourdough Bread Bowls, A Whisk and Two Wands
Sourdough Bread Bowls

 

Meatless Monday
Meatless Monday