Serves: 5

After you have baked-off your wonderfully crisp sourdough round and it has cooled, it’s time to form the bowl. This brief, simple hollowing-out process is explained in the steps below, along with easy-to-follow drawings to ensure optimal results.

1. Begin with a sourdough round and a large serrated knife.
2. Make a straight cut across the dome of the round, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches from the top.
3. Remove the top, which can be used as a lid or cut into strips and enjoyed with the meal.
4. Using a tablespoon, gently pull the inner bread from the round, leaving a 3/4- to 1-inch thickness along the sides.
5. Grab the bread with your hand. With a twisting motion, remove it in one piece.
6. The bowl is now ready to fill with any and all of the wonderful recipes that follow.

Some of our recipes utilize the bread that has been removed from the bowl. However, when the recipe doesn’t call for the bread, you can still use it to make homemade breadcrumbs or croutons. For breadcrumbs, simply break the bread into chunks, place them on an unoiled baking sheet, and bake at 350°F for twenty five to thirty-five minutes or until dry. Once the bread cools, crumble it further and store an airtight container. For croutons, cut the bread into cubes, place them on an unoiled baking sheet, and bake at 325°F for thirty to forty minutes until toasted, but not burned. Once cooled, store the croutons in an airtight container. If desired, you can season the breadcrumbs and/or croutons with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or other favorite spices and herbs.

More Recipes from the The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook Cookbook:
Baking Off the Round
Hollowing Out the Bread Bowl