Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough Bread Bowls
Updated: Oct 25
I'm always looking for fun ways to feed my family, especially the kids, a soup bowl you can actually eat afterward tends to win them over.
Same shaping method as the mini pumpkin loaves, sized up into bowls, bake them, hollow them out, and they're ready for soup or dip.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
An edible bowl that's as fun as it is functional
Real sourdough tang under the pumpkin shape
A memorable way to serve soup or dip for a crowd
Links to Supplies You Will Need:
Servings: 4 bread bowls (weighing around 240g each)
Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Bulk Rise: 4-6 hours
Cold Ferment: 8-24 hours (optional, but recommended)
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours
Sample Timeline
Night before, between 6 PM and 10 PM: Feed your starter so it is active and ready by morning.
Next morning, between 6 AM and 10 AM: Start the recipe.
Ingredients for the Dough:
100g (just under ½ cup) active sourdough starter
350g (about 1½ cups) warm filtered water
10g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt
500g (about 4 cups) unbleached bread flour
To make them shaped like pumpkins:
Olive oil (for dipping the twine in)
Cinnamon sticks (for stems)
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, combine 100g active starter, 350g warm water, 10g salt, and 500g flour until well mixed. Use your hands to ensure there are no dry flour pockets. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
Perform 3 rounds of stretch and folds every 30 minutes.
After the last fold, let the dough bulk ferment for 4-6 hours, or until it has increased in size by 50%-75%.
Shape the dough into 4 mini loaves (about 240g each). Place them into mini bannetons.
Cover and refrigerate overnight (8-24 hours). This step is optional, but recommended.
Lay pieces of butcher’s twine (dipped in olive oil to prevent sticking) over the banneton, place parchment paper on top, and flip it over. Then tie the twine around the dough to create pumpkin indents and cut off the excess.
Preheat your Dutch oven to 500°F (260°C). Bake 2 loaves at a time with the lid on for 20 minutes (add ice cubes for steam to achieve a crispy crust). Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
After baking, cut the twine off. Wait until the loaf is fully cooled before inserting the cinnamon stick as the pumpkin stem, otherwise the whole loaf will taste like cinnamon (unless that is what you want, of course).
Once cooled, cut off the top piece of the loaf and carve out a circle in the bread, pulling out the pieces (save these for snacks, croutons, or breadcrumbs). Fill the bread bowl with your soup of choice and enjoy!
Additional Tips:
Variations: Experiment with adding herbs or spices to the dough for extra flavor.
Substitutions: If you don’t have butcher’s twine, you can use kitchen twine, but ensure it’s food-safe and dipped in olive oil to prevent sticking to the bread.
Common Mistakes: Avoid rushing the fermentation process; longer fermentation develops better flavor and texture.
Storing Instructions:
Store any leftover bread bowls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For longer storage, freeze the bread bowls before filling.
Reheating Tips: Reheat the bread bowls in the oven at 350°F (175°C) until warmed through.
Ingredient Notes
Active starter: These need real structure to hold a bowl shape, so peak starter matters.
Bread flour: Higher protein means walls strong enough to hold soup without collapsing.
Twine shaping: Lay the twine over the banneton after the cold ferment, place parchment paper on top, and flip it over. Then tie the twine to form the ridges.
Hollowing out: Do this after fully cooling, a warm loaf will tear.
Troubleshooting Tips
My bread bowl collapsed after I hollowed it out. Let the loaf cool completely before cutting into it, a warm loaf doesn't have the structure yet to hold its shape once hollowed.
My bowl came out dense instead of airy. Same as any sourdough loaf, this usually points to under-proofing. Give the dough its full rise, looking for it to be puffy and doubled.
What to Serve This With
Perfect for serving soup, chili, or dip at a fall gathering.
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