Bread Bowls

I had all afternoon Sunday to lounge around so I decided to use the time to make dinner a little more fun by making bread bowls (and I still managed to take a 2 hour nap)!  I had never made them before but they turned out pretty well!  I think that the bowls would be better for a cream based soup because it really soaked up the water in the broth based soup but it was still good.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite blogs: MelsKitchenCafe, but I added some sugar to the dough and made it half whole wheat (posted is my version of the recipe).

I think I have only eaten soup from a bread bowl once before.  It is a fun way to eat soup this way but it's a lot of bread (the equivalent of 4-6 slices when one would usually eat 1-2 slices).  Nick managed to eat his whole bowl plus what I pulled out from the middle but my little baby just didn't allow me to fit all that inside.  This little girl is starting to push on my ribs and make me uncomfortable... only 3 more months left though!  I have been eating small meals and snacks about every few hours and have been able to avoid the common and uncomfortable pregnancy symptom: heartburn.  Hopefully I can avoid it in my third trimester too!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 c warm water
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 c whole wheat flour
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp corn meal

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Mix, cover with a towel, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Mix in salt, oil, and whole wheat flour.  Add the white flour 1/2 cup at a time mixing well between each addition.  Add the white flour until the dough is soft and no longer sticky.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 6 minutes until smooth and elastic (add flour as needed to prevent sticking to hands or surface).  Lightly grease a large mixing bowl and place dough in it.  Cover with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 40 minutes).

Prepare a baking sheet by lightly greasing and sprinkling with corn meal.  Punch dough down and divide into 6-8 equal pieces and then form each into a round ball.  Place on prepared baking sheet and use a sharp knife to make 2 cuts on the top of each ball.  Cover lightly with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until double in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown.

Let bread cool completely and then cut off the top of each loaf as you would cut the lid of a pumpkin.  Gently pull it apart from the rest of the loaf and then dig out the inside of the loaf leaving a 1/2-1 inch wall remaining.  Fill bread bowl with soup and serve immediately.

–Melanie