Homemade Sourdough Bread Bowls for Soups and Stews

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Homemade sourdough bread bowls are perfect for serving your favorite soups and stews. They are baked with steam, so they are crusty on the outside and warm and chewy on the inside. Learn how to fit making these delicious mini boules into any schedule and without fancy equipment.

Years ago, my friend gifted me a little jar of sourdough starter. At the time, I didn’t really know what to do with it, but I knew one thing for sure: I wanted homemade bread bowls.

So, the very first time I tried my hand at making rustic sourdough, I made bread bowls.

In my memory, those bread bowls were the most amazing thing I had ever baked. But with years of sourdough under my belt now, I’m not sure how good they actually were, haha!

That’s the thing about sourdough, though. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be delicious and have a rustic charm. And it’s way more forgiving than most people think.

And hey, if things go totally awry, you can always turn your bread bowls into sourdough breadcrumbs and make sourdough fried chicken or fried green tomatoes. It’s a win-win, no matter what.

Making sourdough bread bowls is easy. And though they are one of the best ways to snuggle up and enjoy cozy comfort food on a cold night, they are great for cold dips, too.

These bread bowls are made with my regular no-knead sourdough bread recipe, but the baking method is a little different. The trick is creating steam in the oven while baking.

I learned this simple baking method long ago before I knew anything about Dutch ovens or oven spring. So, I am confident that anyone (yes, including YOU) can make these delicious sourdough bread bowls.

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Bread Bowls

• Cozy and comforting – Sourdough bread bowls filled with hot soup are the perfect comfort food for fall and winter.
• No fancy equipment – This sourdough bread bowl recipe is made for the minimalist kitchen. You don’t need a stand mixer or a Dutch oven. You just need a mixing bowl and a few small bowls for cold proofing. That’s it!
• Sourdough benefits – The fermented grains make the wheat easier to digest.
• Kids love it – Kids love bread bowls. I always make a few extra small ones for my three-year-old.
• Easy to make ahead – Homemade sourdough bread bowls are easy to prep in advance. You can make the dough and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Or you can bake a large batch and freeze them. Check out my tips for make-ahead sourdough below.

Tips for Making This Sourdough Bread Bowl Recipe

• Use active starter – An active sourdough starter will ferment the dough faster. You can use inactive starter if you are in a pinch, but it will take longer to ferment. Snag my free sourdough starter eBook to learn how to make your very own!
• Use cereal bowls – Cereal bowls or other small bowls work well for cold proofing the dough. Try to use bowls that have tall sides to support the dough’s shape.
• Create steam in the oven – For this sourdough bread bowl recipe, I recommend an open bake (aka baking on a sheet rather than a Dutch oven). To mimic the steam that would normally be in a Dutch oven, fill an oven-safe dish or skillet with water and heat it in the oven.
• Weigh the ingredients – For the most accurate and repeatable results, weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale, I’ve also included the cup measurements in the printable recipe card below.
• Make a baking plan – Sourdough isn’t difficult to make, but it does require a little pre-planning. Decide ahead of time if you want to bake this in one or two days, and feed your starter 4-12 hours before making the dough. Check out my sourdough tips for busy bakers below.

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What to Eat in a Sourdough Bread Bowl

Just about any soup is delicious in a sourdough bowl, but thicker soups are best because they don’t make the bread soggy. And you can serve more than just soup in a bread bowl.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Creamy soup – Anything creamy works great in a bread bowl. Broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl is a classic. One of our family favorites is broccoli potato and cheddar soup.
• Chili – Bread bowls are perfect for chili. Growing up in Western Maryland, we always ate chili topped with cheese and a spoonful of sugar. Cuban garbanzo stew is a great chili substitute if you want to mix up the flavors a little.
• French onion soup – Use the leftover tops of sourdough bread bowls for French onion soup. In my weeknight meals video on YouTube, I show how to make caramelized onions and French onion soup.
• Chocolate fondue – A bread bowl is perfect for chocolate fondue or dip.
• Dips – Easy peasy! Fill a bread bowl with cheese dip, hummus, or creamy spinach dip, and serve it with veggies.

How Long Does the Dough Need to Proof in the Fridge?

The purpose of cold proofing is two-fold. First, cold proofing develops the coveted sour flavor of sourdough. For my preferences, anywhere between 12 and 15 hours is about right.

To make sourdough less sour, cut back on the cold proofing or skip it altogether. If you skip it, let the dough rest for a second rise in a banneton basket for a few hours. Then, bake as usual.

However, if you skip the cold proofing, your bread bowls will not rise as much.

Cold dough creates more steam while baking, creating a fuller, bouncier loaf of bread. You can cut back or skip the cold-proofing, but your bowls won’t have the same oven spring as cold-proofed dough.

Ultimately, it’s up to you. But sourdough dough can last in the fridge for up to 3 days. So you can bake it without cold proofing or within 3 days if you pop it in the refrigerator.

Making Sourdough Bread Bowls without a Dutch Oven

If you are used to making a regular sourdough bread boule, you are probably familiar with baking in a Dutch oven.

This gets a little tricky with bread bowls though because you would need 8 tiny Dutch ovens. And though a mini-Dutch oven is probably adorable, I just don’t need 8 of them.

So, instead of a Dutch oven, I recommend an open bake. This is where you bake the bread on a baking sheet, uncovered.

Open baking sourdough works best with steam. I fill my cast iron skillet with water and put it on the bottom rack of the oven. Then, I preheat the oven to 450° F.

Though the results are not identical to baking in a cast iron Dutch oven, they are still great. You’ll have a lovely oven spring and a crusty golden brown exterior to enjoy!

Tools You Will Need

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• Large bowl – Grab a large mixing bowl for the dough. I love my 12″ Dominion bowl from Ohio Stoneware for large batches of dough.
• Danish dough whisk – A Danish dough whisk makes combining the ingredients easy with less mess.
• Kitchen scale – A kitchen scale makes this sourdough bread bowl recipe (and all baking recipes) consistent and repeatable.
• Measuring cups and spoons – If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no worries! I’ve included the cup measurements in the recipe card.
• Bench scraper – A bench scraper makes dividing and transferring the dough easier.
• Small bowls – I used cereal bowls for cold proofing the dough. Any small bowl with tall sides will work.
• Towels – These dishtowels are the perfect size for cold-proofing sourdough bread bowl dough, but any small tea towel will do.
• Plastic wrap – I used plastic wrap to cover each bowl. You can also cover a few bowls with a plastic shopping bag.
• Baking dish or cast iron skillet – To create steam, use a baking dish or cast iron skillet that is oven-safe to at least 450° F.
• Baking sheet – I used my regular cookie sheet to make sourdough bread bowls. A baking stone will also work.
• Parchment paper – Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Make sure your parchment paper is oven-safe for high temperatures.
• Lame – I used a bread lame for scoring sourdough, but a razor will also work.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour gives your sourdough bread bowls that classic chewy texture. Bread flour will also work. However, you may need to adjust the hydration.
• Whole wheat flour – I used fresh-milled whole grain flour for this sourdough bread bowl recipe, but store-bought will also work.
• Water – Use room temperature or warm water. Just make sure it isn’t hot. The vital yeast and bacteria die off when temperatures reach around 140° F.
• Sourdough starter – Use an active and bubbly starter. Inactive will work, but it will slow down the fermentation process.
• Salt – I used kosher salt, but any salt will get the job done.

How To Make Sourdough Bread Bowls

Prepare the Dough

In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and water. Mix either with your hands or a Danish dough whisk until combined.

Cover with a damp towel and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Add sourdough starter and salt to the flour mixture.

Mix with your hands for 5 minutes. Using wet hands can make this somewhat less messy.

Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Fold

Begin the stretch and fold process. Stretch and fold the dough 5-8 times (until you notice resistance from the dough). Do this for three cycles in 15-minute intervals. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.

Increase the stretch and fold cycles to every 30 minutes. Complete three cycles of stretch and folds. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.

After all stretch and fold cycles are complete, cover with a damp towel and allow to rest on the counter for 5-6 hours or until doubled and domed on top. I’ve found that any space below 73° F slows down the process. So find a warm place or use a proofing box.

Shape and Cold Proof

Once the dough has doubled and is domed on top, turn it out onto a clean counter or work surface.

Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

Shape each portion into a ball by turning it clockwise while simultaneously pulling it toward yourself on the countertop. The friction on the dry counter will create tension and aid in shaping.

Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare 8 small bowls for cold proofing. Line each bowl with a towel and generously flour the towel (I used cereal bowls lined with clean dishtowels).

Use a bench scraper to transfer the dough to the bowls FACE DOWN (sprinkling a little water on the bench scraper and your hands can prevent sticking).

Gently pinch the left and right sides together. Then, pinch the top and bottom together. This creates tension and a nice seam.

Cover each bowl with plastic (I used plastic wrap).

Stick them in the fridge for 12-15 hours.

The Next Day – Open Bake

Fill an oven-safe baking dish or cast iron skill with water and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. This will create steam, which is critical for developing the bread’s oven spring (final rise) and crust.

With the filled dish in the oven, preheat the oven to 450° F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn out each dough ball onto the baking sheet. Note: you may have to bake in batches. I can only fit 6 bread bowls on my baking sheet.

Use a bread lame or razor to score an “X” in each dough ball.

Bake at 450° F for 20 minutes.

Drop the temperature to 425° F and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 190° F.

Remove the bread bowls from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Allow them to cool completely to room temperature before digging in.

Once you are done baking, let the water cool in the oven. Then, remove it from the oven.

To serve: cut a circle from the top of the bread bowl, slightly hollow it, and fill it with your favorite soup.

How To Store Leftovers

Sourdough bread is best consumed the same day. But if you have leftovers, I’ve found the best way to store them is wrapped in a clean kitchen towel for up to 2 days. The airflow will keep the outside crusty, but the inside will stay soft.

If you want to store them longer, toss them in a ziploc bag for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze sourdough bread for longer storage. Toss the leftover sourdough bread bowls in a freezer-safe bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Sample Baker’s Schedule

This schedule is my general sourdough baking schedule. Of course, everyone’s timelines look different, but this will give you an idea of how to structure the process.

The night before

• 10:00 pm: Feed sourdough starter.

The next morning

• 10:00 AM: Mix flour and water in a large bowl until combined.
• 10:30 AM: Add starter and salt to the flour/water mixture.
• 11:00 AM: Begin stretch and fold cycles.
• 1:15 PM: After the last stretch and fold, cover the dough with a damp towel and allow to bulk ferment.
• 7:30 PM (ish): Remove the dough from the bowl, divide into 8 equal pieces, and shape.
• 7:50 PM: Transfer dough to bowls, cover, and refrigerate 12-15 hours.

The next day

• 10:00 AM: Place baking dish filled with water in oven and preheat.
• 10:30 AM: Turn out the dough and score.
• 10:35 AM: Bake.

Time-Efficient Sourdough Bread Bowls

Generally speaking, a two-day process yields the best results. But life is busy, and sometimes we need to get food on the table asap. I get it.

If you want to speed up this sourdough bread bowl recipe, here are a few tricks:

• Mix ingredients at one time – Rather than waiting 30 minutes to add the starter and salt, just mix all of the ingredients together and get on with the recipe. I do this all of the time with excellent results.
• Use a proofing box – The warmer the conditions, the faster the dough will bulk ferment. A proofing box allows you to easily control the temperature so you can speed up the bulk fermentation. I use my Brod & Taylor proofer (affiliate link) almost every time I bake.
• Skip the cold proof – If you need same-day bread, skip the cold proof and let the shaped dough rest for a second rise in the towel-lined bowls for a few hours. Your bread will have less sour flavor and will not rise as much in the oven, but it will still be great for serving soup.
• Use active starter – Active starter has more viable yeast and bacteria, so it will make the bulk ferment faster.
• Bake later – If you have time for the dough but not baking, you can proof the dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. That way, you can bake when you have more time.

Video – Sourdough for Busy Bakers

This video covers my top tips for making sourdough fit into your schedule. To get video updates, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. New videos come out weekly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my dough seem flat after cold proofing?

I ran into this issue with my bread bowls because my proofing bowls were a little too wide.

Sourdough needs support during cold proofing, but it can be tricky to find the right container for sourdough bread bowls.

Use any small containers with tall sides that you have on hand. And don’t worry if the dough isn’t perfect after cold proofing. It will rise more in the oven and taste delicious with cozy soup!

How can I create steam to bake my sourdough bread bowls?

The best and safest way to create steam for open baking is to use an oven-safe dish. I use my cast iron skillet, but any baking dish will work. Just make sure it is safe up to 450° F.

Can I bulk prep sourdough bread bowls?

Yes! You can store sourdough bread dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. So you can make the dough in advance and bake it at your convenience.

You can also freeze sourdough dough. The results aren’t quite as good as fresh-baked, but it’s a great way to get ahead of the baking game.

Another way to bulk-prep sourdough bread bowls is to bake and freeze them. Sourdough freezes well, so make a few batches and pop them in the freezer. It’s one of the easiest ways to have homemade bread in a pinch.

Do I need to toast the bread before filling it with soup?

That’s totally optional. Sourdough is dense enough to hold the soup without leaking. So I don’t worry about toasting them. However, toasting the inside once it is hollowed can prevent the bread from getting soggy.

Making sourdough toast is simple. I recommend using the oven method shared in this post about how to toast sourdough bread.

More Sourdough Recipes You Will Love

• Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread Recipe
• The BEST Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Easy Recipe)
• Sourdough Burger Buns Recipe – Soft and Fluffy!
• Simple Sourdough Flatbread Recipe – Quick and Easy
• Chocolate Sourdough Bread
• How To Do the Windowpane Test for Dough
• Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll Recipe

If you tried this recipe and loved it, leave a comment or review below!

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