Brie Baked in a Bread Bowl is a Must-Make!

Brie baked in a bread bowl gets gooey and melty and utterly delicious.  It makes for a fantastic appetizer or party dish with very little work.

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Years ago I edited a small community fundraiser cookbook. I had a newborn baby and had taken a sabbatical from my job teaching high school. Who knew that it was the beginning of it all?

I learned so much during that project — including how to annoy a husband who just wants to eat! Little did he know that cookbooks would control his diet for years to come. LOL.

One of the winning recipes in that Friends for Life Cookbook was this recipe, entitled “Garlic Brie Bread” or Brie baked in a bread bowl. So simple, yet so very good.

Real Food Real Easy

You know that may be my new mantra for the new year. Simple food made from real ingredients with a quick and easy prep are some of the best recipes. Don’t you think?

And let me tell you: this Brie baked in a bread bowl is a must-make.

This appetizer is just fantastic! It is very “make-ahead” and only contains a few ingredients. It looks elegant, but takes just minutes to prepare.

Brie Baked in a Bread Bowl is a Must-Make!

Melted cheese serves as a delicious appetizer or even a full meal in many forms around the world, but particularly in France. From tangy Raclette to Fondue Savoyarde, melted cheese and bread has been fortifying folks for centuries.

Brie baked in a bread bowl is, for me, a cheater version of fondue. 

I know, I know. Not the same cheese, not the same thing. Oui, Maman. Je comprends.

All the same, when you have a hankering for bread and cheese and it’s cold outside, this dish is a must make.

It’s so simple! Pile chunks of Brie cheese into a bread shell that’s been soaked in olive oil and garlic. Could there be anything better?!

Do you take the rind off Brie before baking?

This is mostly a personal preference. I don’t mind eating the rind normally, but when I bake it, I like to remove most or all of the rind. I find that the cheese melts more smoothly without the rind.

The rind is, however, completely edible.

What goes with baked Brie?

Baked brie is delicious with a good red wine, of course!

It’s also nice on an appetizer table alongside fresh fruit, crudite vegetables, and charcuterie.

How do you make a bread bowl?

Some bakeries sell bread bowls all ready to go. You can make your own bread bowl pretty easily.

Bread rounds come in large and small sizes. If you’ve got a large round of Brie or a lot of filling for your bread bowl, choose the larger size. If not, go for the smaller size.

1. Slice off the top of the bread boule. You can use this for another purpose or save it as a “lid” for your bread bowl.
2. Cut into the round of the bread, leaving a ½-inch shell. Slip your fingers into this section and pull to remove it from the bread bowl. It may come off in a whole piece or you may have to continue removing pieces of the soft insides until you have a bowl-shaped bread shell. 

How do I make baked Brie?

There are several different methods to bake Brie. Often you’ll see it served one of two ways: baked with fruit of some kind or baked in a bread bowl.

Cranberry-Basil Baked Brie is delicious and a great use of leftover cranberry sauce.

Here’s how to bake Brie in a bread bowl:

1. Lay out all your ingredients: a small round of brie, a small sourdough boule, sliced baguette, olive oil, and garlic.
2. Slice off the top of the bread boule. Cut a round circle down into the bread, leaving a thick border.
3. Slip your fingers between the circle and the shell and loosen the hunk of bread and remove. Sometimes it will come out in one whole piece. Sometimes, you’ll have to pull more bread out by hand. Reserve this bread for another use or slice and toast it with the baguette slices.
4. Trim away the rind from the Brie and cut it into cubes.
5. Drizzle olive oil into the bread bowl. Brush this to coat and sprinkle in the minced garlic.
6. Fill the bowl with the Brie cubes.
7. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil as well.
8. Bake the bowl and the baguette slices until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
9. Serve immediately.
10. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days, refrigerated.

How do you eat Brie baked in a bread bowl?

Enjoy the baguette toasts by dipping them into the melted Brie. Once you’ve run out of toasts, cut the bowl into wedges. The bowl is edible!

How to save money making Brie baked in a bread bowl:

You might not think of a fancy pants Brie appetizer as a good cheap eats. But it can be! Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe more economical:

• Bake your own bread. Homebaked bread is delicious and can be more economical than purchased bread boules. Head here to learn all you need to know about sourdough bread.
• Check the day-old bread rack. I regularly find boules and baguette on clearance at my local Ralphs. When I do, I snatch these up and store them in the freezer until we’re ready to use them in this dish.
• Do a price comparison. I know that ALDI is the best place for me to buy good quality Brie cheese when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where. 

Tools you might need to make this recipe easy:

This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

• cutting board 
• bread knife