Bread bowl
It's one of the better reasons I stay a while longer in the Cymrian countryside. The bread is absolutely amazing, and not only due to the wheat, mind you. There is soul in every bite, a story in every dish. But out of everything, I will never forget the little bread bowls they made for us in winter. That smell... that colour... The crunch of the crust... And paired with the thick searbh was just amazing.
Differences with respect to typical bread loaves
The bread to be used as a bowl is often baked a bit longer and left to dry out right after baking. Unlike normally, the cloth is not used as one needs the moisture to escape in order to harden the crust. In most cases a small piece of dough is added onto the top to provide a handle to form a lid from the top part of the loaf.
Standalone loaf
Wheat bread bowls are shaped round and folded so that the middle part consists of 4-8 layers. Then, dependng on the purity of the flour it is either left to rest in a basket (brighter variety) or or a tray that will be transported directly into the oven (darker variety).
Leaf-wrapped loaf
Around the break of spring and summer people will often use leaves to prepare a support for the loaves. Horse-raddish is very often used either as a single leaf or a pair of leaves sewn together. Calamus is another popular choice, though in this case a small basket is weaved and powdered with flour or bran to fill in the gaps and stop the dough from escaping.
How to prepare a horse-raddish bread form?
- Take two large horse-raddish leaves and let them wither overnight.
- Cut of the external part of the stem to make the leaf more flexible.
- Sew the leaves together. End to beginning, beginning to end, adjusting the circle size to the end size of the loaf.
- If there is a gap in the center, place a cutout from a third leaf to cover it as much as possible.
- Before using place the leaf form on a steady support, e.g., metal tray or a grass mat.
I've always loved the idea of bread bowls. Is there ever any seepage through the crust, or does the drying out help prevent that?
From the little experience I have, it comes down to the thickness of the crust with some crumb left. I didn't observe the soup seeping through, but the bowls did get soft. soft enough that I used a plate as a support, just in case it tears at some point. It definitely depends on the thickness of the soup too. The sour rye soup I was preparing was somewhat thick, but I would probably harden it a bit longer for thinner ones, like chicken soup. There's yet a lot to experiment. ^^