Italian Bread Bowls

Do you want an elegant way to serve your soup?

How about a bread bowl?

Do not be intimidated by these at all.

This recipe makes 16 medium sized bowls, so you might want to cut it for a smaller family.

The leftovers freeze nicely.
(I also hear you can freeze the dough balls to thaw and rise later, but I haven't tried it.)

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com .

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Tbsp yeast

3 3/4 c warm water

1 Tbsp salt

3 Tbsp oil

10 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp cornmeal

1 egg white

1 Tbsp water

Directions:

In mixer (or large bowl) dssolve yeast in warm water.  Let stand until creamy.

Add 4 cups flour, salt and oil to the mixture and beat well.  Stir in the remaining flour a little at a time, mixing well.

Knead by hand or in mixer for about 6 minutes or until smooth and elastic. If this is sticky, add a little more flour.  Too sticky will mean flatish bowls at the end.

Lightly oil a large bowl and place dough inside.  Turn once to coat, then cover and let rise until doubled - about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down and divide into 16 portions.  Shape each piece into a round ball and place onto lightly greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.  (I put 8 on a cookie sheet) Cover and let rise again until double - another 40ish minutes. Do not let them rise too long or too fast or they will deflate and be very disappointing at the end.

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, beat egg white and water together.  Set aside.

Bake bread bowls 5 minutes, then brush lightly with egg wash.  (Make sure to get all the parts since this "seals" the bread and gives it a good crust to contain your soup.)  Bake 10 minutes and brush again.  Bake until golden brown, then cool on wire rack.

To make the bowls, cut a small slice from the top.  Scoop out the centers (a spoon works well), but leave enough edge to hold the soup.  Fill and serve.

*You can add seasonings or cheese to the dough to compliment the soup/filling you are serving.