This weekend, I'm making
bunny chow, which is basically a curry served in a bread bowl. I want to make my own bread bowls, something a little chewy with a crisp crust. And I'm just wondering if anyone can point me toward a recipe or type of bread that would work.
Thanks.
Ya just had to go and ask a bread question, didn't ya? Ok, get a cup of coffee and sit down for a spell, and I'll tell ya what I don't know about bread bowls.
Bread bowls are made from just about any lean bread formula, it just depends on what kind of bread you want to serve...white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, multi-grain, etc. Keep in mind that bread bowls are used mainly for stews or very hearty soups, and don't hold up well to thin soups.
I like a simple dough formulas for bread bowls like
French Bread or
Italian Bread or even my
Rye Bread formula. I don't know how well it would go with curry, but
Pumpernickel makes a great bread bowl, and I make it whenever DW wants to take spinach dip to a party. They all lend themselves nicely to developing a chewy crust when exposed to steam during the first 10 minutes of baking because they are lean dough, without much in the way of enrichment from eggs and fats that soften the crumb and crust. The ultimate bread bowl, IMHO, is made with
No-Knead Bread. You will get a wonderful, heavy and chewy crust every time, and the flavor is magnificent when left to ferment for around 18 hours +/-. Keep in mind that you can add herbs and/or spices to the dry ingredients for enhanced flavors as well.
Make your dough according to the directions provided and allow to rise. Then you can take a the dough and divide it into 4, 6, 8 or even 10 portions, depending on what percentage of the meal the bread bowl and curry will be. If it will be just for a soup course, then 8 to 10 portions will yield bread bowls weighing 6.8 oz to 5.5 oz. respectively. If it will be dinner in and of itself, then 4-6 portions would yield bowls weighing 13.8 oz. to 9.2 oz. respectively. These figures are based on my
French Bread formula which yields 55 oz. of dough, and is fairly typical of most of my bread formulas, +/_ a couple of ounces.
It is well known that the more you work dough that the tougher it becomes. We generally avoid overworking dough for this reason, but it's fine to do so when making bread bowls, because you want them to have some good external strength. After you divide your dough, shape each portion into a tight boule, stretching the dough from the top to the underside of the boule, and pinching it tightly on the bottom. Place the boules on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal with the seam down to proof before baking. Allow them to increase to about 1-1/2 times their original size, then bake them until they reach an internal temp of 200F. They will get a nice oven spring and grow some more in the oven.
If you make any of the lean doughs I suggested above, take a spray bottle and mist the top of the dough so it is WET just as it is going in the oven. Then spray the oven walls with water just enough to create some steam, doing this three times at 3 minute intervals. Alternatively, you can place an old cookie sheet or cast iron pan on the oven floor (for gas ovens) or on the bottom rack position (for electric ovens) while the oven is preheating, and pour a cup of boiling water into the pan right after placing your bread in the oven, then close the door and leave it closed until the baking is complete. Wear a long oven mit when doing this so you don't get a steam burn or accidentaly touch the oven rack with your hand.
Immediately after baking put the finished loaves on a wire rack to cool, and do not cut into them for 1-2 hours minimum. I like to let all of my breads sit for 3 hours before slicing so they have completed the full baking process.
I hope this helps you out. Let us know how they turn out, and be sure to take some pics.