Bread Bowls

This recipe comes from my "On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, 2nd Edition" textbook from school. B LOVES this recipe, swears it's the best bread I make. My mom has also said that I'm not allowed to bring anything else to family get-togethers. My sister-in-law also devours them. My youngest brother says nothing, but next thing you know, the loaf is gone, and there are (...is?) butter and crumbs all over his face. I took these all as good signs, and that's why I picked this recipe to share with you.

As you can see, this is actually a recipe for a LARGE amount of dinner rolls, but it just depends on how big you make them. For our final in Intro to Baking, we made a few big loaves out of this recipe, so I assume bread bowls would not be any different. Just like making very LARGE dinner rolls! And I'm feeding about 6 people tonight, so I think I will use the full recipe.

 Also as you can see, the measurements are done in ounces and pounds. I highly recommend a scale. (It means less dishes!) But for those of you who do not own a scale and do not wish to purchase one, I will attempt to convert the measurements. Because I love you that much.

All right, let's get this party started!

Whisk together:

2 oz (5Tbsp+2tsp.) active dry yeast

24 oz lukewarm water, about 90-110 degrees F. *Remember, when dealing with water- "A pint's a pound the world 'round"*

Add:

2lbs 12oz (8 1/4 cups) Bread Flour

1oz (1Tbsp+1tsp+1/2tsp) Salt

4oz (1/2cup) Granulated Sugar

2oz (3/4cup) Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

2oz (1/4cup+1Tbsp) Shortening

2oz (4Tbsp or 1/4 cup) Unsalted Butter, softened

3.2oz eggs (2 whole eggs)

With all above ingredients in a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment (I have a fairly large KitchenAid, you may have to adjust the recipe if all the ingredients don't fit into yours.), mix/knead on medium speed (mine is usually set to 2) for 10 minutes

While your dough is mixing, lightly grease a large bowl to dump the dough in and let it rise

Dump the dough in, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about an hour. I cover mine with foil and write on the top what time it should be done, otherwise I usually forget about it!

Get a picture in your head of someone or something that has bothered you during the week. Got it? Good. Place that mental picture on your dough, and punch it down a few times. Feel better? Good! Let the dough rest for a few minutes (and let your anger go!) allowing the gluten relax. Baking can be therapeutic, no?

Prepare parchment paper lined sheet pans--no need to grease the paper. You can, however,  sprinkle cornmeal on it if you choose. I like the crunch on the bottom the cornmeal creates!

Grease your hands with pan spray rather than dusting them with flour (Pam or an off brand). Flour is going to dry out your dough a bit. Divide the dough however you choose-- in this case, 6 round bread bowls. Try to make them as evenly portioned as possible so that they will cook evenly. (This is why I recommend a scale.)

Arrange on parchment paper. I had some leftover dough so I just rolled out some rolls.

Proof until doubled in size--I give it a half hour to an hour. The easiest way to proof something without an actual proof box is to boil a small to medium sized pan of water on your stove, stick it on the lowest rack of your oven (OVEN OFF!!!) and put the sheet pan with dough on the rack above it (or beside it, if you have more than one pan and not enough room). The boiled water will let off steam as it cools, creating a warm and moist environment for your dough.

Remove both the pan of water and the pans of dough from the oven. Brush tops of dough with an egg wash. Here is a guide of washes from my book. 

My favorite is to whisk a whole egg with just a TINY bit of water. This makes a shiny top for the bread! Simply gooooorgeous, dahling. 

Set your oven to 350F and bake dough until medium brown (or if you have a thermometer, until the internal temp of the bread reaches 200F), about 25-30minutes, but keep an eye one it.

The ones on the left look better... I tried to rotate the pans to keep them evenly cooking but the ones on the bottom still flattened out a bit... :( sad face.

With a serrated knife, cut the tops off the bread and scoop out the bread innards to form a bowl. Heat up you favorite soup and pour into the bowl. Grab a spoon and enjoy!