Bread Bowls

Last night, I decided to try and make some bread bowls for my mom's family dinner (tonight). I had some irrational confidence that I would be able to just pull it off first try. Not so! The recipes instructed me to separate the dough into x number of pieces and form balls from each. I don't know if the dough just didn't rise high enough or if I have a grossly exaggerated idea of what a bread bowl should look like thanks to our country's portion size problem, but I have no idea how a main course soup is going to fit into one of these bad boys.

Either way, I tasted two of the three recipes I attempted and they are GOOD!


#1

Dark Rye Bread adapted from knowell, who submitted at Allrecipes
(pictured above - the darker ones)

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rye flour
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (heaping) teaspoon caraway seed
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

I put it into my breadmaker in this order and set it for the dough cycle.
When it beeped, I took the dough out and separated it into five sections and created the dough balls from there. I covered them and let them rise for an hour, then baked them at 375 for about 20 minutes (just kept an eye on them). This rye bread recipe is perfect. I've been looking for one just like this for a while!



#2

Bread Bowls adapted from King Arthur Flour (I used my new kitchenaid for this one!)

Ingredients:
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup corn meal
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water

Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Divide the dough into five pieces, and form them into round (not flattened) balls. Place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover lightly, and set them aside to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until they've almost doubled in size.
Uncover the balls and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes, to develop a tough skin. Just before placing the bread bowls in the oven, mist them heavily with water. Bake the bread bowls in a pre-heated 425°F oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown. Turn off the oven, prop the door open a little, and leave the bread bowls inside for 15 minutes; this will keep the crust crisp.
Remove the bread bowls from the oven and cool them completely before cutting the tops off and removing the insides; (reserve the insides to make bread crumbs). Yield: 5 large bread bowls.

That last part is a lie. :(


I'll post the third once I taste it later today!