William Lipovsky
From tasty dips to snack on during the football game to hot soup for dinner, bread bowls are a food staple in many household pantries. But where can you buy bread bowls? Are they only available at bakeries, or do grocery stores also stock them?
Below, we’ll tell you what you need to know about buying bread bowls, including where to buy them in-store and online. We also provide step-by-step instructions if you’d prefer to make your own at home.
How Bread Bowls Are Sold
First, the basics: Not all bread bowls are created equal! There are different kinds of bread used to make the bowls and even different kinds of bowls. While sourdough bread seems to be the most popular choice for bread bowls, there are other varieties like sourdough seasoned with rosemary or another herb.
Before a bread bowl becomes a bread bowl, it is really just a round loaf of bread. Once a round loaf is cut and hollowed out, it becomes a bread bowl as we know it. There are uncut and precut bread bowls.
- Uncut means that the round loaf is still whole and will need to be cut and hollowed out to make it into a bread bowl.
- Precut means the top of the round loaf of bread has already been sliced.
- If it is precut and hollowed out, the inside of the loaf has already been emptied of the bread and is ready to be filled with a dip or soup.
- If it is precut but not hollowed out, then the top of the loaf has been cut but the inside of the loaf will need to be hollowed out before it can be used as a bread bowl.
Bread bowls come in a variety of sizes, from as small as six ounces to as large as one pound. Prices for bread bowls vary based on size, quantity purchased, and place of purchase.
Where to Buy Bread Bowls In-Store
It’s important to note that some stores only stock bread bowls seasonally, and the type of bread bowl may vary by store and location. It is best to call your local store to verify that it has bread bowls in stock and what kind of bread bowls it’s currently offering.
We were able to put together the lists of stores in this article through online research and speaking with customer service representatives who confirmed what kind of bread bowls the following stores sell.
Walmart
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Whole Foods
- Bread type: Sourdough and rosemary seasoned round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Panera Bread
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread
- Bowl type: Precut or uncut, both not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Kroger
- Bread type: Italian round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Safeway
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Publix
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Not stocked regularly but available for order by customer request
Jewel-Osco
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread
- Bowl type: Precut (tops are cut) but not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Tops Friendly Markets
- Bread type: Rye round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Wegmans
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
WinCo Foods
- Bread type: Sourdough
- Bowl type: Large and small, uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Year-round
Bashas’
- Bread type: Sourdough round bread and other varieties that vary by store
- Bowl type: Uncut and not hollowed out
- Available: Seasonal, usually in the fall and winter
Where to Buy Bread Bowls Online
If you don’t need your bread bowls right away or just prefer online shopping, there are also places where you can buy bread bowls online.
Boudin San Francisco Sourdough
- Bread type: Sourdough
- Bowl type: Round loaf, uncut and not hollowed out
- Size and cost: A 6 pack of 8-ounce bread bowls costs $16.95. Additional fees like shipping charges and sales tax may be assessed upon check out.
- View bread bowls
King’s Hawaiian
- Bread type: Hawaiian Sweet Round Bread
- Bowl type: 2 round loaves uncut and not hollowed out
- Size and cost: 2 loaves cost $16.00. Orders of $30 or more receive free ground or home delivery. Additional fees like sales tax may be assessed upon checkout.
- View bread bowls
Stores That Don’t Sell Bread Bowls
There are many popular stores and restaurants that you might think of as go-to places for bread bowls.
However, we’ve discovered through our research that a lot of popular stores and restaurants don’t sell bread bowls.
You won’t find this product at:
- Costco
- Cracker Barrel
- Cub Foods
- Food Lion
- Giant Eagle
- Giant Food
- Harps
- Harris Teeter
- Meijer
- Rouses Market
- Target
How to Make Your Own Bread Bowls
Once you’ve purchased an uncut round loaf, making your bread bowl is as simple as cutting off the top of the loaf and hollowing out the inside. Once you’ve pulled the bread out of the middle, you can fill the bowl with soup or your favorite dip.
But sometimes it can be fun to make your own bread bowl. We’ve provided some step-by-step instructions and a quick instructional video to walk you through how to make your own bread bowl at home.
- Put yeast, sugar, salt, hot water, and olive oil in a mixer
- Gradually add flour and continue to mix on low for eight to ten minutes
- Remove and cover with plastic wrap
- Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes until it doubles in size
- Grease two cookie sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal
- Make tennis-ball size dough balls by punching down the dough
- Place on cookie sheet and make sure they aren’t touching
- Let them rise for another 30 minutes
- Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes
You may find this complete recipe, as well as a list of ingredients and serving sizes, on this Genius Kitchen recipe page.
Here is a short YouTube video that also provides step-by-step instructions on how to make a homemade bowl, similar to the recipe listed above.
