Brie Bread Bowl

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Brie: brie cheese. Yup, you are hearing me right. 🥰👍
• Simple ingredients: you will be able to get everything you need to make this brie appetizer from your local grocery store. They are year round available ingredients that will be easy to get your hands on.
• Party food: the best thing at the party right 😉👍. This baked brie bowl is perfect for parties are more than 'just chips', offer a little substance and a whole lot of cheesy yum.
• Easy recipe: anyone of all cooking skills and abilities will be able to make this pull apart bread. We simply cut the top off the cheese, make a hole in the bread, bake it and add some toppings. It is a super easy, fun recipe that doesn't require any magic tricks. Although, you might think that there is some magic involved in the rate at which it disappears 😂.
• Taste and texture: there is the tang of the brie cheese, the sweet cranberry sauce, the crunchy walnuts, chewy dried cranberries and sweet rosemary leaves. This combination ticks a lot of the taste and texture boxes and them some.
• Versatile: this sourdough bread bowl recipe works for a weekend brunch, a party starter, an appetizer, snack food, super bowl treat or holiday food. It is very versatile, popular and lends itself to a wide variety of serving ideas.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the baked brie cob loaf recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we use a little bit of olive oil on the edges off the cut bread so that they crispp up when we oven bake the bread.
• Walnuts: we add these (crushed) to the top of the melted cheese for texture and to give a festive feel to the bread topping.
• Dried cranberries: as above. We want to use these to add texture and a few pops of colour to the brie. I use whole dried cranberries then take kitchen scissors and roughly chop them into smaller pieces.
• Cranberry sauce: we spread a layer of tart cranberry sauce into the base of the bread bowl so once the cheese melts and the bread is torn apart, the base has a sweet sticky jam on it 😉👍.
• Brie: an excellent cheese to use in a wide variety of recipes both served cold and hot. This rich and smooth cheese is a great choice to bake as it performs well and brings it own ooey gooey cheese pull. I recommend double cream brie.
• Rosemary: this fresh herb is festive and fragrant. We simply pull the leaves off and discard the stems.
• Bread: we want to use a round sourdough loaf for this as shown on the photo above. It is often called a 'cob loaf' in some parts of the world or simply a round loaf in others. Purchase from your local bakery or grocery store. Another way to use this bread is by making the Bacon And Cheese Cob Loaf.

Top Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the easy baked brie recipe. We start by preparing the bread.

• Remove the rind from the top of the cheese (Photo 1)
• Slice the top off the bread (Photo 2)
• Measure around the brie (Photo 3)
• Remove bread from measured hole (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Brie Bread Bowl

Start to make the recipe by removing the brie from the packaging and then using a sharp knife to slice the top of the brie rind off.

Then put the bread to the side whilst you use a serrated knife to slice the top off the round loaf of bread.

Next place the brie into the centre of the bread and use this to measure a circle around it. Then use a knife to cut down into the bread and trace this shape.

Pull the soft white bread out from the hole that you have created.

• Spread a layer of cranberry sauce into the bread (Photo 5)
• Place the brie on top of the cranberry sauce (Photo 6)
• Make small cuts around the circumference of the bread (Photo 7)
• Brush the cut bread with olive oil (Photo 8)

🧀 Cranberry Brie Bread Bowl

Then dollop in the cranberry sauce and spread this out into the base of the bread as its own layer.

Next place the wheel of cheese on top of the cranberry sauce like you see me having done in the photos above.

Once that is done, use a knife and make cuts in the remaining outer crust of the bread bowl. Then use a pastry brush to coat this cut bread with olive oil.

Next place the top back onto the bread as I have done in the photos below.

• Place top on bread bowl (Photo 9)
• Then chop some extra bread pieces for serving (Photo 10)
• Oven bake (Photo 11)
• Transfer the baked brie bowl to a platter (Photo 12)

Then slice up some extra bread and place these onto the baking tray with the bread bowl. Next give them a spray with cooking spray.

Now place the baking tray into the middle rack of the oven and let the bread bowl cook for around 20 minutes.

Once done use oven mitts to remove it, place the tray onto a heatproof surface and then use tongs to transfer the brie bowl to a serving platter.

• Top the brie with the crushed walnuts (Photo 13)
• Then add the chopped dried cranberries (Photo 14)
• Sprinkle rosemary leave on top (Photo 15)
• Add the bread pieces to the serving platter (Photo 16)

Once the brie bowl has baked you can use tongs to transfer it onto a serving platter and then get ready to add the toppings.

Start to decorate the gooey baked brie by sprinkling the chopped walnuts into the cheese, then add the dried cranberries like you see in the photos above.

Next scatter the rosemary leaves over the walnuts and cranberries.

Then place the extra toasted bread pieces around the outsides of the bread bowl.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

You can peel and chop some carrot, slice some celery sticks, rinse some snap peas or broccoli and have them on the plate.

Or you can do as I do and use a 2nd bread loaf chopped into pieces and toast those pieces alongside the brie bowl then use these for dipping, dunking and dolloping. Your thoughts on these may change depending on the time of year ie December (bread and cheese) January (all about the veggies 😉👍).

You will find those cuts that we made earlier come in very handy as a means to tear the bread apart and use these torn bits to dunk in and get covered with the melted brie.

I am not joking when I say I have seen people literally stand around a bread bowl tearing, dunking and dipping till every last crumb is gone without any restraint. They are a little hard to resist even at the best of times!!

Cheese lovers, I am calling your name with this gooey brie 😍!

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

If you do have leftovers (😂) you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.

How to Reheat

Add leftovers to a bowl with cling wrap on top and microwave on high in 30 second intervals until warmed through.

How to Freeze

Nah, don't do it. For best results this recipe is not freezable.

However, as a means to be organised (and somewhat contradict myself!) you can purchase and freeze the bread and then thaw and use later down the track when you are ready to make the recipe and don't want to head to the shops (again!).

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use pepper jelly (chilli jam) in place of the cranberry sauce if you wish too.
• Or you can use onion relish, bacon onion jam or caramelised onion for the base layer if you like.
• For other sweet fillings try fig jam, raspberry jam or strawberry jam.
• Crushed pistachios or cashews can be used in place of the crushed walnuts.
• You can use fresh thyme leaves in place of the rosemary for the fresh herb.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• For many brie recipes we don't need to cut the rind off. However, for this recipe we cut the top surface rind off as a means to allow the cheese toppings to be added to this once the cheese is baked.
• Using the brie to measure the circumference of the hole allows the brie to fit snugly into the bread bowl.
• We don't however want to cut all the way to the bottom of the bread bowl as doing so would mean the cheese and cranberry sauce could drip out the base of the bread (oh noooooo 😭!).
• When you are removing the leaves from the rosemary pull them off from top to bottom as they will easily slide off the stem.
• You won't need a cheese knife for this one. The bread will literally get ripped apart from top to bottom and everyone will love it!

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What bread goes with brie?

Sourdough, baguette or a French stick all pair exceptionally well with brie. The trick is to use a plain bread with little of its old bold flavor to allow the cheese to shine.

Do you eat the white part of brie?

The white part of brie cheese is called the rind. It is 100% safe and normal to eat this.

Can you save brie after warmed?

Yes, you can store leftover brie cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.

Then transfer it to a small bowl, cover with cling wrap and heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds increments until it is heated through.

😍 More Easy Holiday Recipes

Dips, spreads, finger foods and appetizer are the way to get the party started right. Here are some more ideas for you to try:

• Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly
• Mini Croissant Sandwiches
• Spinach Cob Loaf Dip
• Microwave Brie
• Baked Camembert with Cranberry Sauce
• Pork Meatballs
• Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
• Air Fryer Mini Hot Dogs
• Chicken Ribs
• Roast Beef Sliders

It is time to get our brie bowl on my friend! You can also find all of my dips and spreads recipes in the one spot. Or make the grazing platter if you have a crowd to feed. You can also find all of my appetizer recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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