Bread Bowls

I made these to go along with the broccoli cheese soup I made last night and they were great. The bread bowls I made were pretty big, so you can make 12 instead of 8 from this recipe if you'd like them smaller.


Bread Bowls

2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cups hot water
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
9 cups bread flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tablespoon salt

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside. In a large bowl mix hot water, butter, and 1/2 cup sugar together. Add 3 cups of flour, yeast mixture, and eggs. Mix until smooth. Stir in powdered milk, salt, and enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough (it was about 6 cups for me). Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until double (about 30 min). Punch down. Let rise again (another 30 min). Punch down form dough into a large ball and cut in half. Cut each half into 4 pieces (so that's 8 all together) and form into balls. (Can make 12 if you want smaller bread bowls - these are pretty big.) Place balls at least 3 inches apart on 2 greased cookie sheets. Cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double (20-30 min). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.