Here in Ohio it is chilly… okay, downright COLD, and it gets dark super early.  Bummer huh?  But… just the perfect weather to curl up with a hot and steamy bowl of soup!  And what’s better than a bowl of soup?  A bowl that you can eat once you’ve finished your soup!  That’s right, a bread bowl (did your mouth just water?  Mine did). Usually I ask my husband to stop by Panera Bread on his way home from work to pick up 3-4 bread bowls, they’re fairly inexpensive, but one day I was feeling ambitious.  I started thinking about what a bread bowl actually is…. it’s a round ball of crusty bread, then you cut the top off and scoop out the insides.  Seems simple enough right?  Once my brain starts deconstructing food, I know where it’s going to end up, I’m going to think, “I bet I could make that”.  So I checked to make sure I had some yeast packets, and I did, so I was off to the races, looking up bread bowl recipes online.  There are a ton out there! Sourdough bread bowls would by my personal favorite, but like many folks, I don’t have a sourdough starter on hand…. so how about a nice crusty Italian bread?  Yummmmmm.  These were really simple to make, and although I haven’t officially tried this yet (so don’t sue me), but I would think that once your dough has risen once and you’ve formed them into balls, you could probably freeze them.  Then you could pull them out to defrost and rise the second time before baking them.  But like I said, this is an untested theory, so if you try it, I’d love to know how it works out! I love how easy these bread bowls were to make, yet they have that something, that thing that takes a normal soup recipe over the top.  You tell people you made homemade bread bowls, and they’re going to be impressed.  Plus, you know… bread!  Oh how I love bread.  It’s borderline obsession at this point, but I’m betting that I’m not alone on that one Looking for a great soup recipe to go with these bread bowls?  Try THIS ONE  This is what the “proofing” will look like This is almost all the way finished kneading All puffy and finished with the first rise The dough balls rising again Fresh from the oven     Recipe adapted from Allrecipes Bread Bowls Made Easy   Print Prep time 110 mins Cook time 30 mins Total time 2 hours 20 mins   These bread bowls are the perfect way to enjoy your favorite bowl of soup! Author: The Chunky Chef Recipe type: Bread Cuisine: American Serves: 4 bread bowls Ingredients 1 (.25 oz) pkg active dry yeast 1¼ cups warm water (think warm bath water temperature) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar ½ tsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp olive oil 3½ cups all purpose flour ½ Tbsp cornmeal 1 egg white 1 Tbsp water Instructions In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if making by hand), add your warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for 10 minutes. This is called proofing the yeast. It should start looking foamy and smell "yeasty". Using your paddle attachment on your mixer (or large rubber spatula), mix in your salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix until a doughy consistency has formed. Now add in your remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing well in between additions. I had to use all my remaining flour, but you may not. Just watch that your dough looks tacky, but not overly sticky. At this point, turn off the mixer and switch to a dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 4-6 minutes. This is kneading the dough. It will spiral and pull away from the sides of the bowl, kind of slapping around hitting the sides as it kneads/mixes. It will look smooth and elastic when you are finished. If you're not using a stand mixer, you would turn out your dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 6 minutes or so until it becomes smooth and elastic. Lightly oil (I use cooking spray) a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, turn to coat in the oil, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm spot in your kitchen to rise for 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Remove dough from the bowl, place it on a lightly floured surface, and punch the dough down. Literally. Punch it a couple times. Divide into 4 equal portions. Take each section and form into a ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease it), and sprinkle with your cornmeal. Place the balls of dough onto the baking sheet, cover, and let rise again, for about 35 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Beat your egg white with water until frothy. Bake your rolls for 15 minutes, then brush with the egg wash mixture. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool on wire racks. To make them into bowls, simply cut about ½" off the tops of the rolls, and scoop out most of the insides. Notes ** For me, the warm spot in my kitchen is my microwave, yours may be different. I've heard that if your kitchen is drafty, you can fill a bowl with boiling water and place the bowl and your bowl of covered dough in the oven (oven off). The steam from the hot water will create a good environment for your dough to rise. ** Don't toss the insides of your bread bowls, either use for dipping or put into a ziploc bag and save to make breadcrumbs later :) ** This recipe is easily doubled to make 8 bowls or 4 larger bowls. 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