Baking softer bread bowls?

[Anonymous]

I make these homemade bread bowls that DH loves — bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil — but DH complains about how crispy the crust is. If I replace all or part of the water with milk, will they have a softer crust?

[Anonymous]

I don’t make bread bowls, but maybe you can compare your recipe to this one.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bread-bowls/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t make bread bowls, but maybe you can compare your recipe to this one.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bread-bowls/

These are the exact ones I make!

[Anonymous]

Wetter doughs tend to crisp more on the outside. I'd try cutting the water down a bit, to see if that works. But bear in mind that it might affect the structural integrity of your bread. What you're making will essentially be like rolls.

[Anonymous]

What if you let them cool and then reheat in foil so they soften?

[Anonymous]

Forgot to mention, that you can also sub out some of the water with scalded milk. It should make for a softer bread. And since substituting water with milk is not 1:1 (Add about 10% more milk), if you leave the amounts the same, you'll end up with a less slack dough. Be aware however that milk caramelizes the bread faster, so you will have to turn your temperature down a bit. Otherwise, you'll end up with a burned outside/underbaked inside.

[Anonymous]

Two suggestions:
1) Put some ice cubes in the oven when you add the dough to the oven...the resulting steam will help slow down the crust formation
2) Put a slightly damn towel on top of the bowls right after you take them out of the oven.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two suggestions:
1) Put some ice cubes in the oven when you add the dough to the oven...the resulting steam will help slow down the crust formation
2) Put a slightly damn towel on top of the bowls right after you take them out of the oven.

I bake bread a lot. I use steam to build a crispy crust. Don’t add ice cubes if you want it soft.