Weight Watchers-Friendly Bread Bowl Recipe

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour (2 cups)
• All-purpose flour (1 cup)
• Active dry yeast (1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp)
• Olive oil (1 tbsp)
• Warm water (1 cup, around 110°F)
• Sugar (1 tsp)
• Salt (1 tsp)

Instructions:

1. Activate the yeast: In a small bowl, combine the warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy.
2. Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Add the activated yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until the dough starts to come together, then knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Rise: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm area for 1-1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
4. Shape the bowls: Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each ball slightly to form a thicker, bowl-like shape.
5. Second rise: Cover the dough and let it rise for 30 minutes.
6. Bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the bread bowls for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
7. Cool: Allow the bread bowls to cool completely before cutting them open for soup or any other filling.

Weight Watchers Points Breakdown (for the Bread Bowl)

The points will vary based on the exact serving size and ingredients used. For the above recipe, assuming the dough makes 4 bowls and each bowl has a similar size, here’s an approximate breakdown (for a standard serving of one bread bowl):

• Whole wheat flour: 2 cups = ~12 SmartPoints
• All-purpose flour: 1 cup = ~8 SmartPoints
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp = ~3 SmartPoints
• Active dry yeast, warm water, salt, sugar: Negligible SmartPoints

The total SmartPoints for the entire recipe will be ~23 points (this is an estimate). Dividing by 4 bowls, each bread bowl would be around 6 SmartPoints.

Tips:

• If you want to reduce points, you could use all whole wheat flour, or experiment with a lower-calorie flour option like oat flour or a mixture of almond flour and regular flour.
• To cut points, you can reduce the amount of oil or even leave it out and use water to shape the dough.

Pairing with Soup

Panera’s bread bowls are often used to serve soups. If you’re following Weight Watchers, you might want to pair the bread with a lower-point soup, such as:

• Vegetable soups: These are usually lower in points (around 2-4 SmartPoints per serving).
• Chicken noodle: A leaner chicken soup (about 5-6 SmartPoints).

The post Weight Watchers-Friendly Bread Bowl Recipe appeared first on Dieter24.