Spelt Bread Bowls
As soon as autumn begins its cool descent, the urge for soup and bread beckon. What better way to join the two than putting one inside of the other? You could certainly dunk slices of your bread, or make croutons from a fading loaf, but the ultimate combination is to use the bread as your vessel for soup! It’s tempting to dismiss bread bowls as gimmicky or difficult, but neither is the case. There’s something extra satisfying about cracking into that crusty loaf enveloping a hearty soup. This recipe calls for about 1/3 whole flour and 2/3’s bread flour. I used spelt here but you could use any of the heirloom wheat flour for some delicious variations. Divide the batch of dough into either four large bowls or six medium sized vessels. Here I’ve filled them with French onion soup (click for recipe, or see below) but they also make a perfect vessel for chowder or other comforting stews.
Ingredients
- 1 lbs bread flour
- 12 oz whole spelt flour
- 2 cups water (heated to 90-100°)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast (for overnight fermentation in the refrigerator) or 2 tsp yeast (for about a 2 hour fermentation)
Instructions
- Decide on overnight or quick fermentation and use the corresponding amount of yeast.
- Weigh out and mix the dry ingredients.
- Measure and heat your water to 90-100°.
- Mix your dough. This is a stiff dough. It should be hard work to get all the flour mixed in. That’s what allows your loaves to stand tall enough to hold soup.
- If you’re doing the overnight fermentation, put dough directly into the refrigerator.
- If you’re doing the short fermentation leave on the counter and allow it to increase in volume 50-75% twice. This will take 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Check every thirty minutes and fold after the first rise.
- Once fermentation is complete, divide dough into 4 or 6 pieces and shape into rounds.(4 large bowls, or 6 medium sized bowls) and place on a silpat-lined sheet pan.
- Allow to rise in a warm place covered until doubled in
volume: 30-90 minutes
- Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Slash and load your breads and immediately toss 3 ounces of water into the bottom of your oven and close the door quickly behind to trap the steam.
- Bake until perfectly browned, about 20-25 minutes,
- Take out from oven and allow to cool.
- Cut out the top and scoop out the middle.
- Fill with your favorite soup and serve. French onion gets topped with gruyere and broiled to melt the cheese.
French Onion Soup
French onion soup is so comforting and unctuous that it begs to be part of your cool weather soup rotation, especially when served in our hearty Spelt Bread Bowls. It’s not the easiest soup to make, but follow this recipe and you’ll be amazed at how simple it can be. Typically, recipes call for canned beef stock, or for you to prepare your own, which can take 8-12 hours. While canned stock is not up to my standards, it’s not always practical to make a dedicated batch of beef stock. Instead, simply add some beef and beef bones to your onions while they caramelize. This will spare you time and effort with just as delicious results. You could call this a one-pot version of French onion soup.
The key to this soup is to slice your onions very thinly and evenly, which is best achieved with a mandolin. This allows the onions to caramelize quickly and evenly so you don’t have to stand too long stirring over a hot stove. The soup can be ready in as little as three hours, although you can certainly simmer it for up to five or six hours.
Ingredients
- 5–6 medium onions
- 2 lbs back ribs
- 1 lb short ribs
- 6 quarts of water
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 tbsp of butter, oil or rendered beef fat
- salt and pepper to taste
- a touch of thyme or oregano (optional)
Instructions
- Slice all your onions about 1/16th of an inch thick.
- Place onions in your soup pot with a little butter or oil. Sauté on medium high heat until the bottom of the pan starts to brown with the sugars from the onions.
- Turn the heat down to medium and stir every 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the caramel. Set a timer for these stirrings or you will forget and burn the onions. After 20-30 minutes your onions should be turning a rich brown color.
- Add your beef and brown it a bit.
- Add your bones and enough water to cover generously.
- Crush your garlic and add to the pot along with salt and pepper to taste
- Simmer gently for 3-5 hours or until your beef begins to fall off the bone.
- Portion soup into bread bowls or oven safe soup bowls, top with cheese and broil until the cheese bubbles and browns.
- Serve and enjoy!!