Bread Bowls

Last week when we had some friends over, I was only planning on making the dessert. However, my friend had another idea. He offered to bring their leftover chili his daughter had made, and promised us it was so good we would die. Hmm. Is chili really what I want for my final meal? He also said he wanted to eat it from a chili bowl. A chili bowl? He meant a bread bowl. Oh! Okay. He said they would bring them, but when I talked to his wife, I told her I would take care of the "chili bowls."

So Monday afternoon, I made these guys. Our friends weren't expecting homemade, but these "chili bowls" were not difficult, and they were so much better than any I've ever bought at the store!

I have been promised the chili recipe, so if/when I ever get it, I'll pass it along. In the meantime, try these bread bowls. Tis the season! The soup season, that is. Especially since we have snow promised for later today.
The recipe is slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Italian Bread Bowls
Makes 6 regular or 8 small bread bowls
1 1/2 T active dry yeast, or 1 T instant yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp salt
2 T vegetable oil
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
If you are using instant yeast, no proofing is required. If you are using active dry yeast, proof the yeast in the warm water. Let stand until bubbly, about ten minutes.
Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture in either a Kitchen Aid mixing bowl or Bosch or Blendtec mixer or whatever you use to make your bread!
Continue to add flour in 1/2 cup intervals until a soft, not too sticky dough is achieved. I used 6 cups of flour to my mixture. When the dough has balled together, turn dough onto a Pam-sprayed counter top. This way, you can knead your dough without adding more flour. You'll need to spray your hands too. Knead until the dough is nice and elastic. This will only take a few minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Add dough and then turn the dough so the greased bottom is now the top. Cover dough with a damp towel and set in a warm area. I always turn my oven on for about one minute, then I turn it off and place the bowl in the oven. Let dough rise for about 40 minutes. Punch the dough down and evenly shape into 6-8 balls. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (or use a Silpat liner). I tried slashing the top, as Mel suggests, but it just made them look deformed, so I'd say skip the slashing!
Let the bread bowls rise again in a warm place for about 35 minutes, then bake in a 400°F pre-heated oven (this is when having two ovens comes in mighty handy-dandy!).  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and baked through.