Those of us living gluten free often think we have to go without special things like a decent loaf of gluten free bread or fancy bread boules to serve with our soup. Not so! This recipe for homemade gluten free boule bread proves that we don’t need to go without or suffer through mediocre substitutes.

Craving a warming soup bowl like you used to be able to have in a restaurant? Now you can make your own gluten free, deliciously, anytime! 

This gorgeous treat shouldn’t be reserved for only the gluten eaters in your life; make this gluten free boule bread recipe and share with gluten- and gluten-free eaters, alike. They’ll all love it and they’ll all be impressed!

You don’t have to tell them that it was really quite easy and ready in an hour! They’ll think you slaved over a hot oven and wore out your forearms kneading these beautiful breads … but you didn’t.

It’s true: most people think it’s much harder to make gluten free bread than gluten bread, but it’s totally the reverse.

There’s no gluten in our bread (duh), hence all those lengthy and energetic bread-baking steps used to produce gluten bread are unnecessary and in fact can cause your gluten free bread to NOT rise. Amazing, right?

Read all about the ins and outs of making homemade gluten free bread in my popular post: Top 18 Gluten Free Bread Baking Tips. You’ll come away a gluten free bread baking pro in no time!

Now back to the recipe at hand: gluten free Bread Boule. Isn’t it a beauty? And it makes any soup you fill it with even more special and fancy, even though it’s not much trouble to make at all.

If you’d like another spin on edible gluten free bowls, check out my post on how to make a squash bowl for soups, too!

Here I’ve experimented with different sizes, shapes and crust treatments to see which works best. Funny thing, they’re all great! In fact, I shared on Facebook and Instagram and asked folks which one they thought was most appealing. Opinions differed — there is no right or wrong, only do (a liberal reinterpretation of a Yoda quote).

Which do you prefer? Brushed with an egg wash of mixed egg plus 1 tablespoon water (on the left); dusted with more of my gfJules Flour before baking (top middle) or brushed with olive oil (bottom right)?

They all produce a lovely bread that’s not too hard or crusty on the outside, so it’s easy to finish your entire dinner, bowl and all!

Make sure you follow my ingredients specifically and don’t go making a lot of substitutions for best results. My award-winning gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour or my gfJules Bread Mix both make this recipe one you can count on. No funky flavor, aftertaste or texture, and the bread doesn’t collapse, either.

How to Make A Gluten Free Bread Boule

Simply bake the gluten free boule bread as I lay out in the directions below and once cooled, cut the center of each boule out to fill with soup.

Then remove the center and serve with the soup for dipping or repurpose as gluten free croutons or cubes for stuffing later by cutting and freezing it.

Then fill with your favorite soup! Below is my gluten free veggie chili in one of these yummy gluten free bread boules.

Here’s another super simple recipe I found for homemade vegetable soup, if you’d prefer that option instead!

When you gather your ingredients for this recipe, note that if baking from scratch, I also recommend using sour cream (I use vegan sour cream – see my dairy-free recommendations here) as the “liquid.” You could use plain yogurt of any kind instead, but if you decide to use milk or another thinner liquid, these gluten free bread boules will spread and not be as bowl-like. Keep that in mind.

This isn’t a concern if using my gfJules Bread Mix though. My mix was formulated to be able to be hand-formed into all kinds of shaped breads without needing a pan for support, and the crusty outside will remind you of an authentic old world bakery! No need to spritz or even put ice cubes in the oven while baking.

If you need some soup ideas for filling these babies, just type “soup” into the search bar at the top of the page. You’ll find everything from vegan Potato Soup to Sweet Potato-Apple Soup to Curried Carrot Soup. Lots of fun choices!

And don’t forget you can also make this recipe as one large gluten free artisan bread — it’s one of the most popular recipes at gfJules.com for a reason!

Gluten Free Bread Boule Recipe

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Gluten Free Boule Bread Recipe

Yield: 4 gluten free boules

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Gorgeous, crusty gluten free bread bowls (boules) are just what we need for soup season, don't you think?

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Ingredients

• 1 gfJules® Gluten Free Bread Mix**

Plus

• 4 1/2 Tbs. sugar (56 grams) or monkfruit sweetener or Swerve or maple sugar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups warm water

OR

• 3 cups (405 grams) gfJules® All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal (or gfJules® Corn-Free Multigrain Flour
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder, dairy or non-dairy (e.g. Coconut Milk Powder) OR almond meal or GF oat flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Plus:

• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 2 Tbs. honey, agave nectar or coconut palm nectar
• 1 1/4 cup room temperature water or sparkling liquid if using gfJules Bread Mix; if baking from scratch, use either sour cream OR any plain yogurt (or milk but dough will not hold its shape as well)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs (OR 2 Tbs. flax seed meal steeped for 10 minutes in 6 Tbs. hot water)
• 2 1/4 tsp. (one packet) rapid rise or bread machine yeast, gluten-free (Red Star Quick Rise®)

toppings (choose one):

• olive oil for brushing on top
• 1 egg mixed with 1 Tbs. water for brushing on top
• gfJules Flour for dusting on top

Instructions

1. If baking from scratch, whisk these dry ingredients together in a large bowl: gluten free flours, milk powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt. Set aside.
2. In the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer or just a mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients (or gfJules Gluten Free Bread Mix ) in with the wet by pouring slowly into the wet bowl while mixing with the paddle attachment.  Once incorporated, add the yeast granules, and beat well – 2 more minutes.
4. The dough will be very thick (much more like regular wheat flour bread dough than you may be used to with gluten free); however, if the dough seems too tight or taffy-like, it won't rise properly, so gradually mix in more water or your favorite milk, one-two tablespoons at a time, until the dough is still thick, but able to be smoothed with a spatula.
5. Liberally dust a pastry mat or clean counter with more gfJules Flour and transfer the dough onto the surface, rolling gently in the flour to cover all sides. Divide dough into 4 equal sized balls, weighing approximately 250 grams each. Knead each slightly, if necessary, to form a smoother ball.
6. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Wet a large serrated knife and press into the bread in one or two lines or a circle approximately where you envision cutting out the top for the boule, rocking the knife back and forth to open the cuts slightly wider. This will give the bread natural rifts to rise from, and make it even prettier once baked.
7. Cover loosely with a piece of oiled parchment paper and place in a warm spot to rise for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 350°F (static) or 325°F (convection).
9. Spritz with water once risen, if you prefer a crunchier crust.
10. Place an oven-safe bowl or pan on the bottom shelf of your oven and fill with ice cubes. The steam from melting ice cubes will help your bread get even crustier! (Not necessary with gfJules Bread Mix.)
11. Choose which look you prefer for the crusts and prepare by either brushing with olive oil OR mixed egg + 1 Tbs. water, or dusting with more gfJules Flour.
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes, testing with an instant read thermometer to ensure it’s fully baked before removing from the oven. The thermometer should have reached 200º F and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with only a few dry crumbs attached.
13. Remove to cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
14. Once cooled, cut straight up and down in a circle to cut the top out of each boule and cut into the bread to form a bowl to hold your soup. Save the part of the bread that was cut out for dipping in the soup or cube and freeze for making gluten free croutons or stuffing later.
15. Serve with your favorite soup.

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  gfJules Gluten Free Bread Mix

Did you make this recipe?

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Another look at this gorgeous way of serving soup ….

and pin it for later!