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Make these vegan bread bowls for your delicious soups and dips! This recipe is easy and made with whole wheat flour.
A bread bowl full of broccoli cheddar soup at Panera Bread was heaven for me in my pre-vegan days. Pure carby deliciousness. Good news - you can eat vegan and still experience the delight of warm soup in a bread bowl.
This recipe calls for a combination of whole wheat and unbleached all-purpose flour to create bread that is fluffy, moist, and sturdy.
Ingredients
- Warm water: 105° to 115°F is ideal for activating dry yeast.
- Active dry yeast: 2 packets or 4½ teaspoons.
- Maple syrup: Or agave syrup or sugar.
- Olive oil
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Salt
- Non-dairy milk: In lieu of an egg wash.
How to Make Bread Bowls
See the printable instructions in the recipe card below.
- Mix the yeast, warm water, maple syrup, and olive oil together in your mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this recipe.) Let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. See the FAQ section for water temperature recommendations.
- In a separate bowl, combine the white flour, whole wheat flour, and salt.
- Turn on your mixer and slowly add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time. Let the dough hook knead the dough on a low speed for about 10 minutes. Occasionally, the dough might crawl up the hook - push it back down.
- If the dough is still sticky, add more flour 1-2 tablespoons at a time. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. The dough should stick to the side of the bowl momentarily and pull away cleanly.
- Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1 hour in a warm area. I like to place the bowl in my oven with just the oven light on - perfect temp!
- Punch the dough down and then separate into 5 even pieces. Roll them up into balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (make sure your bread bowls aren't still in there!)
- Brush the tops of the bread bowls with non-dairy milk.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown all around.
Storage
After the bread has completely cooled, store in a plastic bag or wrap tightly in foil. Use within 3 days.
Freezing
You can store any leftover bread bowls you won't use in time right in the freezer! Wrap tightly in the foil, then store in a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up 3 months.
To thaw, remove from the freezer and let it rest on the counter for about 2 hours.
Alternatively, you can thaw and reheat the bread bowls by baking in the oven. Remove from plastic bag and foil and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes.
FAQ
Broccoli cheese soup, butternut squash soup, and vegan bean and "bacon" soup are my favorites! See more vegan soup recipes here. Spinach dip is great in a bread bowl, too.
You can omit the whole wheat flour and use 6½ cups of all-purpose flour. You will need to reduce the amount of warm water, so use 2 cups instead of 2½.
This is usually an indicator that your yeast has expired. When in doubt, buy a new jar of yeast! Another reason could be that your water was too hot. A temperature range of 105° to 115°F is ideal.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!
Recipe
Vegan Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 2½ cups warm water 105° to 115°F is ideal - see notes
- 2 packets active dry yeast or 4½ teaspoons
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, warm water, maple syrup, and olive oil together in your mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this recipe.) Let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- In a separate bowl, combine the white flour, whole wheat flour, and salt.
- Turn on your mixer and slowly add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time. Let the dough hook knead the dough on a low speed for about 10 minutes. Occasionally, the dough might crawl up the hook - push it back down.
- If the dough is still sticky, add more flour 1-2 tablespoons at a time. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. The dough should stick to the side of the bowl momentarily and pull away cleanly.
- Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1 hour in a warm area. I like to place the bowl in my oven with just the oven light on - perfect temp!
- Punch the dough down and then separate into 5 even pieces. Roll them up into balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- If the balls have flattened out a little, just re-shape and plump them back up.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (make sure your bread bowls aren't still in there!)
- Brush the tops of the bread bowls with non-dairy milk (this helps achieve that golden brown look on top without eggs.)
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- After your bread bowls have cooled, carve out the middle using a serrated knife. Hollow it out more using a spoon - make sure to leave at least ½ an inch of the bread bowl intact all the way around so it is still strong enough to hold warm soup!
Notes
- Water exceeding about 130°F can kill yeast, so make sure the water is not too hot.
- Prep time includes rising time.
