Broccoli Cheese Soup In Bread Bowls

Now that fall is here I have been craving some yummy soup! One of my very favorites is broccoli cheese. Only made better by being served inside a fresh bread bowl with chunks of bread from the inside sitting around the plate to dip in my cheesy soup.

Bread Bowl Ingredients:

Flour 6 1/3 cups
Salt 1 tablespoon
Yeast 2 pkgs
Water 3 cups

I love this bread recipe because it takes only four ingredients, about four minutes, no kneading involved in this recipe and it still tastes amazing! Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then add the water and stir until it is incorporated. Let this sit covered with plastic wrap for about an hour and a half. Now you can use this for the bread bowls immediately or keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. I love how versatile this recipe is and you can use it all at once or a little here and there as you need it.

I formed three large bread bowls and three small bread bowls for our family out of this recipe. The small ones were like getting a cup of soup at a restaurant and the large ones like getting a bowl of soup at a restaurant. Perfect for adults and kids here at our house. I baked them at 350 degrees for about 40 min or until browned. When I knew they were about ten min from done I pulled them out and brushed mine with olive oil to get the shiny brown and hard texture on the outside of the bowls. Let them cool completely before cutting them open, this is a great time to begin soup while they cool. When cutting them I used a serrated knife and cut the tops in a circle and then used my fingers to pull chunks out of the inside to make room for the soup. I just placed the bread around the plates for dipping.

I loved how cute the little ones turned out!

Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients:

Onion 1/3 large white onion diced
Butter 1/2 stick
Flour 1/3 cup
Heavy cream 1 cup
Milk 1 cup
Chicken Stock 2 cups
Salt 1/4 teaspoon
Nutmeg 1/4teaspoon
Pepper 1/2 teaspoon
Broccoli florets 8-10 ounces
Carrots 1 cup shredded
Cheddar cheese shredded 2 1/2 cups

First I used a large stockpot and melted about a teaspoon or two of butter to cook my onions and get a nice caramelized color on them.

Scoop them out and put them aside until later.

Next melt the 1/2 stick of butter in your pot then pour in the flour to make a rue.

Stir this continually for a few minutes letting the flour taste cook out, I like to use a whisk for this.

Next add the cream and milk slowly while whisking the rue into the liquid. Let this cook on medium to low heat for about 15-20 minutes while stirring. Then add in the chicken stock, again while stirring.

Next add in the veggies, carrots, broccoli (I defrosted mine from the freezer so they were a bit soft and steamed) and onions from earlier.

Let this cook over low heat for another 15-20 minutes. Stir this every few minutes. Put the seasoning, salt, pepper and nutmeg in and stir. Then put it all in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times. I only pulsed four times because I did not want a puréed soup, I like chunks.

Return it to the pot and add the cheddar cheese and cook over low to medium heat while stirring until all of the cheese is melted. Serve as soon as it is melted.

I ladled it into our bread bowls and served.

This was a perfect fall dinner, thanks for stopping by!
Johanna