Bread Bowl

Easy bread bowl recipe made with artisan bread dough. 

Take a lump of dough for each bread bowl, slightly smaller than grapefruit-sized. Knead in flour for one minute (I'd like experiment with kneading longer, but usually I'm making these in a hurry!)

Form a ball using similar technique as with the artisan bread recipe, stretching the outside of the ball with the heel of your hand. Pinch the bottom of the dough together, forming a tight ball. Twist the pinched corners gently to keep them together.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Score the top with a serrated knife. Sprinkle top with sea salt. Using a spray bottle or your fingertips, sprinkle with water. Set to rise for 15 minutes. (If I'm using fresh dough, I skip this step.)

Preheat oven to 500º. Place in oven. The key to getting the bread bowl to rise straight up, apparently, is the water. In addition to the water sprinkled on the dough, I pour a cup of water on an old tray on the bottom rack of the oven to create a steam oven.

After 2 minutes, set oven temperature to 425º. Sprinkle bread bowls with water a second time, and allow to bake for about 18 more minutes.

Once they are golden brown, remove from oven. Using a serrated knife, cut down into the top, making a circle (this will create a cone-shaped "lid"). Remove lid and, if necessary, scoop out some of the bread to form a wide enough bowl.

Fill with black bean soup and enjoy!