vegetable soup in bread bowl

 

Would you like to have your soup in a bowl or cup sir? Is a rhetorical question every waitress would ask as a first response to your soup order. As most of the fancy restaurants offer only the above too options, few fancy sandwich places offer your soup in a bread bowl. First time when I heard that I almost ordered then started my list of questionnaires, is the soup completely vegetarian? If the waitress gives an immediate response then comes our “is there chicken or beef broth in the soup”? most of the time the waitress would check her nutritional chart or would go in to check with the chef. While she comes with a positive answer now a days..thankfully!! huh.. these places are offering lot of vegetarian and vegan options now a days. Then skeptically I go again. What is that bread bowl? She explains that the soup is served in a big round piece of bread carved inside and filled with the soup. Once we are done with the soup we can devour the bread.MUahhh!! but wait, she said the soups vegetarian how about the bread? She has that confident look on her face and replies , “no mam!! All our breads are completely vegetarian”. Ahh!! She has done her homework. Uh ah!! Am not giving up. Now with a smile and an apologetically tone I go again “can you find out if the bread is egg washed? The waitress goes in where I am praying”please lord don’t make her upset enough to spit on my soup”. She comes back with the same Aww..sorry unfortunately all our breads go thru the egg wash cycle. Dang!! I beat myself up!!Why did I not pack my lunch today? Going thru this whole scenario opened my eyes to get up early and pack lunch but never did the desire to consume soup in a bread bowl fade. Here desire had become the mother of invention..not technically, discovery actually.
Eggwash is a process that happens to the bread towards the end of the baking cycle for giving a glazy appealing look. I have added an extra step to do it our eggless way. It is not a required process though.
Disclaimer: Each bread bowl is so filling by itself, So I suggest serving for kids is not suggested unless you want to finish up the leftovers. Please see the soup section for the soup recipe.

Ingredients:

• Two large mixing bowls
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. butter, unsalted
• 1 ½ cup warm water
• 2 packs active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 6 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Add the milk and butter to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until the butter is melted and then set aside to use later.
2. Mix ½ cup of your warm water with the yeast in a small bowl. Stir constantly to incorporate all the yeast. Once mixed well, set the bowl aside for five minutes while you continue on with the rest of the preparation.
3. Take one of the large mixing bowls and add the sugar, salt and the remaining one cup of warm water. Stir to mix well. Pour the milk and butter into the large mixing bowl first and then add the yeast and water mixture. Stir to mix well.
4. Add flour to the large bowl incorporating only one cup at a time. As you begin to reach 6 cups use your best judgment regarding how much you will need. The dough should be somewhat firm at this point and not sticky, but it should not be so dry that it is falling apart.
5. Spread flour over your clean counter top and place the dough in the middle. Knead the dough by hand for about five to eight minutes or until it comes together in a nice ball. Form it into a round loaf after kneading.
6. Use the olive oil to coat the sides of the second large bowl. Place the loaf in the bowl and turn it over several times to coat the loaf with the oil. Drape a dish towel over the bowl and set it aside for about an hour. The bread should rise to be double its size.
7. Check the dough after one hour has passed. Punch down the dough in the bowl. Spread flour on the counter top and knead the dough for an additional five minutes.
8. Shape the dough into a round loaf again and using a serrated knife, cut it into four equal parts. Knead each part just enough to form it into a round mini-loaf.
9. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then lightly grease each of the cookie sheets. You will be baking two loaves on each sheet.
10. Place two loaves on each cookie sheet allowing enough space in between for them to double in size, and then cover with a dish towel. Allow the loaves to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
11. Bake the loaves until they are golden brown. It will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Watch them closely so they do not burn on the bottom. Remove them from the oven and allow them too cool on the cookie sheet until you can handle them. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. * for a glazy eggfree wash: mix 2 tbsp of sugar in 4 tbsp of milk and one tbsp of oil and brush the bread all over and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
12. Just before serving tear or cut the tops out of each loaf. Gently remove the inside of the loaf leaving about a half inch to an inch of bread along the sides and bottom to create a bowl. Fill the bowl with soup, include the tops and insides on the plate for dipping and serve.
13. soups like pumpkin,tomato, squash, zuchini and asparagus are good choice for bread bowl as they are thick and will not make the bowl too soggy.