Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not
so great) words of knowledge:
> The bread bowls are not coming out right.
>
> They are flat instead of raised. They expand out to around 8" - 9" in
> diameter, but only get about 3" high (if that).
>
> I have followed the directions exactly, made sure the oven is actually
> at 400 degrees.
>
> I have tried this twice, same results each time. The 2nd time I even
> made the dough a little drier to minimize/prevent settling.
>
> How do I get the centers to come up so I have a nice bread bowl for
> soups, etc ?
>
> Here is the recipe I am using from allrecipes.com
>
> Italian Bread Bowls
>
> SUBMITTED BY: Kerri Skrudland PHOTO BY: docswife
> "These cute little bread bowls are a great way to serve soup in the
> wintertime. I usually serve a hearty potato soup when I have the time to
> bake them. They freeze for up to 1 month, if desired."
> RECIPE RATING:
> The reviewer gave this recipe 160 stars. This recipe average a 4.4 star
> rating.
> Read Reviews (136)
> Review/Rate This Recipe
> PREP TIME 30 Min
> COOK TIME 30 Min
> READY IN 2 Hrs 15 Min
> yield 8 bowls
>
>
>
>
> INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
>
> * 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
> * 2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
> * 2 teaspoons salt
> * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
> * 7 cups all-purpose flour
> *
> * 1 tablespoon cornmeal
> * 1 egg white
> * 1 tablespoon water
>
> DIRECTIONS
>
> 1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until
> creamy, about 10 minutes.
> 2. Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well.
> Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an
> electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
> 3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly
> floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.
> Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat
> with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until
> doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
> 4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each
> portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking
> sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free
> from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
> 5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl,
> beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves
> with half of this egg wash.
> 6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg
> mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
> 7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf;
> scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with
> hot soup and serve immediately.

Found the solution. I put the dough in small pyrex bowls. The end
result is a cylinder about 6" in diameter and about 5" high.

One thing I will need to do is remove them from the bowls after about 15
minutes and let them finish baking on a cookie sheet.

The sides and bottom were very similar in texture to a loaf of bread
baked in a 9x5 pan - not exactly what you want for a soup bread bowl.