Where to Buy Bread Bowls for Soup (Sourdough, etc)

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? In this article, we’ll tell you what you need to know about buying bread bowls, including where to buy them in-store and online. Prefer to make your own bread bowls at home? Not to worry — we’ve provided step-by-step instructions for that, as well.

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 is important to note that some stores only stock bread bowls seasonally, and the type of bread bowl may vary by store and store locations. It is best to call your local store to verify that they have bread bowls in stock and what kind of bread bowls they are 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. But we’ve discovered through our research that a lot of popular stores and restaurants don’t sell bread bowls. We’ve provided the list below for you so you’re not left wondering.

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 (here’s an article covering where to buy 00 flour if you like a crisper bowl) 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.

In Summary

Now you know where to buy bread bowls for soup or anything else you want to contain in a creative way. Bread bowls are available year-round in many stores and seasonally (during the fall and winter months) in others. Depending on the store, you may purchase bread bowls of various sizes, as well as those that are uncut or precut. A number of online retailers also sell bread bowls year-round if you’re having trouble finding them in-store. We’ve also provided step-by-step instructions for making bread bowls at home.