Monday, October 31, 2011

Pumpkin Bread Bowls



This is a fun idea to do during this Thanksgiving season. You can make the pumpkin bowls ahead of your special dinner; freeze them; and pull them out that morning ready for your soup appetizer OR your main dish. Such a fun, festive idea for your holiday season.

Recipe: Use the basic bread recipe (Click here for recipe)

Now, simply follow the technique of forming the bread bowl. :)

Step One:
Shape into round balls, pinching a small piece off for the top part of the pumpkin. Roll/toss the bread ball in the palms of your hand and it will roll into a tight bread ball.





Step Two:
Mix a small amount of orange food coloring with water and paint the large part of the ball.


Step Three:
Using a bread razor (Grignette), slice about 5 slits around the ball.


Step Four:
Mix green food coloring and water and paint the small portion set aside for the top of the pumpkin. Using a toothpick place in the center of the pumpkin.




Step Five:
Cover and allow to rise 30-45 minutes. After the have risen, bake at 350° for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 45 minutes on a cooling rack. Slice the tops off and set aside. Remove all of the inside of the bread except for a thick wall around the edges and bottom. Fill with your favorite soup, and serve.




Note From Paula: While working, make sure to keep the other pieces covered w/ plastic wrap. The air will make a 'skin' on your bread as it dries. This is such a fun bread bowl that will add great beauty to your meal!

Will share my homemade broccoli n' cheddar soup in a future post. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Just had a couple of questions regarding the Pumpkin shaped bread soup bowls. That is one of the cutest ideas I have ever seen and so perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

    I really want to make them but, here are my questions to you:

    1) What is the size in diameter of each bread ball (for the appetizer size of soup) in inches? Along with this about how many appetizer size balls would you get out of a 3 loaf batch of bread?

    2) What would be the size in diameter (in inches) of each bread ball for the larger serving of soup? How many of the larger size balls would you get out of a 3 loaf batch of bread?

    3) Do you use the toothpick just to pick up the green "stem" dough ball or do you attach the dough to it and stick the toothpick into the "pumpkin ball" to hold it in place while they are raising?

    4) Before freezing (as I plan to make these in advance as you suggested) should you cut the tops off and remove the insides of the bread or wait until they are thawed and then remove the inside bread?

    Thanks in advance for your time and attention to my questions. I love your newsletter and look forward to seeing what great ideas you come up with!

    Sincerely,
    Lacey

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  2. Answers to post:
    1. I have no idea how many little bowls you would get! I would GUESS about 40...50 baby bowls?
    2.The bowls that I made in the pic were about 3" in diameter. To make smaller, make the dough about 1 1/2" Just realize that the smaller the bread bowl the harder it will be to scrape out the center and it might tear. The 1 1/2" will rise/grow so it will end up bigger than the 1 1/2".
    3. The tooth pick is only to hold it in place while the plastic wrap is on top of the pumpkin bowls while they are rising.
    4. I kept my bowls intact as a pumpkin and cut them after they had thawed. Keep the bread fresher and prohibits the bowl caving in!

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