Treat yourself to a San Francisco-style staycation by whipping up my crusty, chewy, tangy Sourdough Bread Bowl recipe, then filling the edible vessels with clam chowder or your favorite soup. Trust me — Panera bread bowls have nothing on this homemade, from-scratch recipe!
There are nights I dream of sinking my teeth into a warm, crusty sourdough bowl, brimming with savory soup or indulgently creamy chowder. It must be all the memories of sharing cozy booths with friends at Boudin on chilly evenings finding their way into my subconscious!
Sourdough bread bowls, with their rustic charm and crusty exteriors, have long been synonymous with San Francisco's iconic clam chowders and rich stews. Each bite carries a piece of history and tradition, an homage to the artisans who perfected the craft of wild yeast bread-making before us. Now, it's time to bring that cherished centuries-old tradition into your own home kitchen.
If you've ever marveled at the beauty and flavor of those delectable Boudin bread bowls, you're not alone. As a former San Franciscan, I've savored countless meals nestled in these splendid edible bowls. I’m so happy to announce that I’ve finally cracked the code and unlocked the secrets to making homemade bread bowls from scratch!
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Bread Bowl Recipe
If the fluffy, tangy crumb and delectably aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through your house isn’t enough to convince you to try making a sourdough bowl at home, the journey of mastering sourdough bread baking is an immensely rewarding one.
As you delve into the world of wild yeast, fermentation, and patiently nurturing your starter, you'll experience an unrivaled sense of accomplishment. I can basically guarantee you’ll feel like a demigod after successfully transforming simple ingredients into a crusty, chewy masterpiece!
If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you might’ve already tried your hand at making sourdough rounds, batards, or even my parmesan & rosemary-flecked sourdough. If so, you’ll find this bowl bread recipe to be quite similar — you just make several mini loaves instead of one giant one!
Aside from being perfectly tangy with the ideal ratio of crusty exterior to chewy interior, these homemade bread bowls are also:
- Wildly Impressive - Just imagine serving your honey a “humble” bowl of soup for dinner in a freshly baked sourdough soup bowl. Let’s just say this recipe has earned me major “cool wife” points with Calvin. 🥰
- Budget-Friendly - Last I went to my local Farmer’s Market, freshly baked bread bowls were going for $5 apiece! With this DIY recipe, you can make a whole batch of 4 for that much or less.
- Made With Only A Few Simple Ingredients - Water, bread flour, and salt is essentially all you need!
🍴Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make my homemade sourdough bread bowls recipe:
- Sourdough Starter - You’ll use your sourdough starter to make the levain, which you can then transform into dough. While these are all technically different pieces of the puzzle, they all start with just bread flour, water, and salt.
- Water - In an ideal world, it should be filtered and around 70 degrees F.
- Bread Flour - Bread flour boasts a higher protein content than plain AP flour, which is what gives sourdough its lovely structure and chewiness.
- Salt - Ideally, you’ll be measuring your salt by weight instead of volume, so you’re welcome to use fine sea salt, kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt, or any other saline buddies you happen to have on hand.
- Olive Oil - You’ll only need a bit for greasing the bowl your sourdough will rise in. Feel free to swap in any neutral oil or non-stick spray of your choice.
- Rice Flour - This is used for dusting your small makeshift banneton bowls lined with cheesecloth. Rice flour is less hygroscopic than wheat flour, which means it resists absorbing liquid as easily. Feel free to swap in AP or bread flour, though you may need to be considerably more heavy-handed with it.
- Egg - If you want a gorgeously shiny exterior on your bread bowls, an egg wash is the way to get it! You’re also welcome to use heavy cream (or vegan heavy cream) if eggs are a no-no in your family.
- Soup - The whole point of bread bowls is to fill them up with delicious soups and stews! Pick your favorite, then add a bit of parsley for garnish.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
⏲️ Substitutions & Variations
These sourdough mini boules are as versatile as any other sourdough recipe you can think of. Here are a few optional variations to consider when making the soft dough:
- Vegan - Omit the egg wash in favor of vegan heavy whipping cream or melted vegan butter to keep this recipe completely plant-based.
- Add-Ins - While plain tangy sourdough is one of my life’s greatest pleasures, you’re welcome to zhuzh it up with fun mix-ins.
- Take a page from my rosemary parmesan loaf, or customize it by swapping in other herb and cheese combos like havarti & dill or cheddar & chive.
- Roast a head or two of garlic in the air fryer or oven, then mash the cloves and add them to the dough.
- Go sweet with chocolate chips and/or warming spices, then fill your bowl with dessert soup.
📖 Step by Step Instructions
If you're a visual learner like I am, I've added a recipe video that goes through the entire process of making sourdough bread bowls in the recipe card to accompany the following directions. Let's get started!
Mixing and Folding the Sourdough Dough
Step 1: Make Levain. Mix active starter and water together before adding bread flour and mix until homogenous approximately 12 hours before you start the process of making your sourdough bowls. Place in a covered container at room temperature.
Step 2: Autolyse. Mix your levain and warm water together until combined in a large bowl. Then mix in the bread flour until little to no clumps remain with a spatula, wooden spoon or your hands and cover with a tea towel, plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel for 45 minutes.
Step 3: Add Salt. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to your dough mixture and mix with a spatula or your hands until the salt granules have dissolved completely into the dough. Place in a bowl greased with one tablespoon of olive oil, cover, and set aside to rest for another 45 minutes.
Step 4: Folding The Dough. Gently stretch the dough in an upwards motion before placing back onto itself - do this four times every 30 minutes rotating around the dough as you do so. Repeat for a total of 4 times over 2 hours. Once you’ve folded the dough 4 separate times, let the dough rest for 45 minutes before continuing.
Step 5: Pre-Shape. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, about 240-250g each. Shape each divided dough into a boule or circle by turning it out onto a wooden cutting board greased with a touch of olive oil. Gently stretch 6 sides of the dough into the center to create a circular shape. Then, flip the ball of dough upside down and drag the dough gently while creating friction towards yourself about ten times. This process is show in detail within the video below. The dough might feel quite hydrated/sticky here! Feel free to flour your hands repetitively until you’re able to handle the dough and build tension. Allow the dough to rest, covered by a towel for 30 minutes before continuing.
Step 6: Final Shape. Once again, follow the instructions above before placing the dough seam side up into 4 small bowls lined with cheese cloth dusted with rice flour.
Scoring and Baking your Sourdough Bread Bowls
Step 7: Preheat. The next morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and remove your sourdough dough balls from the fridge. Grab a piece of parchment paper and line a baking tray or cookie sheet. Once your oven has preheated, flip the boules of sourdough onto the parchment paper and gently take off the cheesecloth from the top of the loaves.
Step 8: Score. Whisk together your egg wash and brush on top of your sourdough boules. Whisk together your egg wash and use a pastry brush to brush on top the smooth dough. Using a lame or a razor blade, score the bread in a singular line or a cross hatch pattern.
Step 9: Bake. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the loaves to cool for about an hour at least before continuing. It will be very challenging to wait before cutting into the mini loaves, but I promise you it’s worth it! Cutting into your sourdough bread bowls when they’re too hot could ruin it’s structure - I usually wait an hour at the very least.
Step 10: Make Bowls & Fill. Using a serrated knife, cut a hole into the top of the bread bowls, then use a spoon to scoop out the inner bread of the loaf, allowing the interior to look bowl-like. NOTE: Don’t waste that precious sourdough! Make croutons with the interior of the bread you scooped out! Fill the bread bowls with hot soup, garnish and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips/Expert baking tips
Here are some expert tips to ensure your success at making homemade bread bowls:
- Master your starter: A strong and active sourdough starter is key to achieving the desired flavor and texture in your bread bowls. Make sure you're using starter at the peak of its rise for a strong crumb structure.
- Prioritize hydration: Sourdough bread dough benefits from a higher hydration level, typically around 70-75%. This hydration promotes a more open crumb structure and enhances the overall texture of the bread bowls. Be prepared to work with a stickier dough than you might be used to and use techniques like the "stretch and fold" method to develop gluten.
- Embrace slow fermentation: Patience is a virtue in sourdough baking. Allowing your dough to ferment at a slower pace enhances the flavor complexity and promotes better digestibility. It's during this time that the wild yeast and bacteria work their magic, developing that tangy, distinctive taste.
- Pay attention to shaping: To achieve those impressive, visually appealing bread bowls, you'll need to shape them into dainty rounds. Gently handle the dough during shaping to preserve the gas bubbles formed during fermentation.
- Preheat and steam: Create the perfect oven environment for your bread bowls by preheating your oven thoroughly. Adding steam during the initial stages of baking helps create a crisp crust. You can achieve this by spraying water into the oven or placing a tray of water on the oven's lower rack.
- Don't rush the cooling process: Allow your bread bowls to cool completely before cutting into them. This critical step allows the moisture inside the bread to redistribute and the crumb structure to set. Cutting into warm bread will lead to a gummy texture and uneven slicing.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Lucky you, I wrote a whole blog post on how to store sourdough. You’ll find all the details there!
Hmmm, are dogs cute? Are Gustav Klimt’s paintings breathtaking? Does music make life better? YES. If you like homemade bread, you’ll love homemade bread bowls.
So, to make enough space for the soup you’re going to fill it with, you’ll want to scoop out a good bit of the bread inside your sourdough bowl. Use it to make homemade bread crumbs or, if you’re neat about it, croutons.
The lid of the bread bowl will act as your dipping buddy while you tackle the first bites of soup. Then, when the liquid level is low enough, slowly start to pull bites off as you go!
Using a clean kitchen towel or tea towels to cover them while they cool on a wire rack ensures they maintain their sturdy crust, then store in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
While the traditional sourdough method utilizes natural fermentation for that classic sourdough flavor, adding yeast like active dry or instant can expedite the rise time, resulting in a faster rise but slightly less complex flavor.
Absolutely! A well-baked sourdough bread bowl, with its sturdy crust and delicious bowl interior, is a great idea for serving thicker soup varieties, especially on a drizzly night, turning your meal into a delightful experience.
More Sourdough Recipes You’ll Love
If you try the recipe for this Homemade Sourdough Bread Bowls, please leave a 🌟 review and share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter! 📧
Sourdough Bread Bowl Recipe
Equipment
- Small Bowls
- Cheese Cloth
Ingredients
Levain
- 20 g (1 Heaping Tablespoon) Sourdough Starter, 100% hydration, float test before using
- 80 g (⅓ cup) Water
- 80 g (⅔ cup) Bread Flour
Sourdough Bread Bowl
- 100 g (½ cup) Levain
- 360 g (1 ½ cups) Water, 70 degrees F ideally
- 500 g (4 cups) Bread Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- Olive oil - for greasing bowl
- 3 Tablespoons Rice flour, For dusting small bowls/cheesecloth
- Soup of choice, & parsley for garnish
Instructions
Levain
- Make sure to do a float test - It’s the best way to tell if your starter is fresh. Simply pinch off about 1 tablespoon of your starter and place it in a glass of water. If it floats, you're in business!
- Mix starter (20g) and water (80g) together before adding bread flour (80g) and mix until homogenous approximately 12 hours before you start the process of making your Sourdough bowls. Place in a covered container at room temperature.20 g Sourdough Starter, 80 g Water, 80 g Bread Flour
Sourdough Bread
- Mix your levain and water together until combined. Then mix in the bread flour until little to no clumps remain with a spatula or your hands and cover for 45 minutes. This is called the autolyse - hydrating your flour prior to moving on to the next step.100 g Levain, 360 g Water, 500 g Bread Flour
- *When making sourdough it’s helpful to have a little bowl of water nearby - dipping your hands in water prior to working with the wet, sticky dough will help immensely!
- Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to your dough and mix with a spatula or your hands until the salt granules have dissolved completely into the dough. Place in a bowl greased with one tablespoon of olive oil, cover, and set aside to rest for another 45 minutes.2 Teaspoons Salt, Olive oil - for greasing bowl
- Time to start folding the dough - every 30 minutes for the next two hours fold your dough as shown in the video below. Gently stretch the dough in an upwards motion before placing back onto itself - do this four times every 30 minutes rotating around the dough as you do so.
- Once you’ve folded the dough 4 separate times, allow it to rest for 45 minutes before continuing.
- Pre-shape - Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, about 240-250g each.Shape each divided dough into a boule or circle by turning it out onto a wooden cutting board greased with a touch of olive oil. Gently stretch 6 sides of the dough into the center to create a circular shape. Then, flip the ball of dough upside down and drag the dough gently while creating friction towards yourself about ten times. This process is show in detail within the video below. The dough might feel quite hydrated/sticky here! Feel free to flour your hands repetitively until you’re able to handle the dough and build tension. Allow the dough to rest, covered by a towel for 30 minutes before continuing.
- Final Shape - Once again, follow the instructions above before placing the dough seam side up into 4 small bowls lined with cheese cloth dusted with rice flour.3 Tablespoons Rice flour
- The next morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and remove your sourdough boules from the fridge. Grab a piece of parchment paper and line a baking tray. Once your oven has preheated, flip the boules of sourdough onto the parchment paper and gently take off the cheesecloth from the top of the loaves.
- Whisk together your egg wash and brush on top of your sourdough boules. Using a lame or a razor blade, score the bread in a singular line or a cross hatch pattern. See the video below for an example! Place the mini loaves into your preheated oven and reduce the oven temperature to 425F.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until you start to see a hint of browning on the edges and top of your small loaves.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the loaves to cool for about an hour at least before continuing. It will be very challenging to wait before cutting into the mini loaves, but I promise you it’s worth it! Cutting into your sourdough bread bowls when they’re too hot could ruin it’s structure - I usually wait an hour at the very least.
- Using a serrated knife, cut a hole into the top of the bread bowls, then use a spoon to scoop out the inner bread of the loaf, allowing the interior to look bowl-like. NOTE: Don’t waste that precious sourdough! Make croutons with the interior of the bread you scooped out! Fill the bread bowls with hot soup, garnish and enjoy!Soup of choice
Video
Notes
- Master your starter: A strong and active sourdough starter is key to achieving the desired flavor and texture in your bread bowls. Take the time to nurture and feed your starter regularly, allowing it to develop its unique character and fermentation power. Make sure you're using starter at the peak of its rise for a strong crumb structure.
- Prioritize hydration: Sourdough bread dough benefits from a higher hydration level, typically around 70-75%. This hydration promotes a more open crumb structure and enhances the overall texture of the bread bowls. Be prepared to work with a stickier dough than you might be used to and use techniques like the "stretch and fold" method to develop gluten.
- Embrace slow fermentation: Patience is a virtue in sourdough baking. Allowing your dough to ferment at a slower pace enhances the flavor complexity and promotes better digestibility. It's during this time that the wild yeast and bacteria work their magic, developing that tangy, distinctive taste. The best piece of advice I ever received about bread-making is, "watch the dough, not the clock." When the dough is puffy and slowly springs back after you poke it, it's ready!
- Pay attention to shaping: To achieve those impressive, visually appealing bread bowls, you'll need to shape them into dainty rounds. Gently handle the dough during shaping to preserve the gas bubbles formed during fermentation. Use a light touch to maintain an even distribution of air pockets within the dough, ensuring an airy and well-risen final product.
- Don't rush the cooling process: Allow your bread bowls to cool completely before cutting into them. This critical step allows the moisture inside the bread to redistribute and the crumb structure to set. Cutting into warm bread will lead to a gummy texture and uneven slicing.
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