Baked Brie in a Sourdough Bread Bowl [with honey & thyme]

This simple, yet delicious baked brie in a sourdough bread bowl is going to give your next get together that wow factor! Gooey brie, nestled in a crusty sourdough loaf, drizzled with honey and thyme (or your choice of endless flavor variations), you're going to want to grab a glass of wine for this one!

Whether you serve it as the perfect holiday appetizer or make it for a cozy Saturday night meal for one with your fave movie - this baked brie bread bowl is a sure winner!

If you're not into honey and thyme,  you could top your baked brie with any combination of dried fruits, nuts, herbs, jam, or even caramelized onions.

Whichever way you serve it, it's going to be your new favorite appetizer ... and another way to use your delicious freshly baked sourdough bread.

How To Make Baked Brie in a Sourdough Bread Bowl

Making baked brie in a sourdough bread bowl is so easy! You can choose to grab a ready made sourdough bread bowl from your local bakery or make one yourself - it's so easy! I recommend this sourdough bread bowl recipe to get the perfect size.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
   
2. Carefully cut the top out of a sourdough bread bowl or sourdough bread boule (a small, sharp knife like a paring knife is best). Scoop the rest of the bowl out to create a hollow for the Brie Cheese wheel to sit in. Place the bread bowl on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or in a cast iron dish (I've used the lid of my Lodge Dutch Oven).
   
3. Cut up the bread bowl lid and stuffing into chunks and arrange them around the outside of the bowl (you can add extra sourdough bread if you want to - I have done this in the video above).
   
4. Cut the top rind of the wheel of Brie away so that the cheese is exposed and place into the hollow center of the bread.
   
5. Drizzle the chunks of sourdough and top of the bread boule with olive oil.
   
6. Place the Sourdough Bread Bowl with Brie Cheese into the oven and allow the cheese the melt for around 20 to 25 minutes. The cheese should be gooey and bread chunks golden brown when it's done.
   
7. Carefully remove the bread bowl from the oven and drizzle the honey over the Brie. Sprinkle with fresh Thyme leaves and ground black pepper.
   
8. Serve immediately.

Ingredient Notes

• Sourdough Bread Bowl: I've used a small sourdough bread bowl using this sourdough bread bowl recipe. You can use any size you like, but I find that this small bread bowl worked well with the 125g (4 ounce) Brie wheel. If I'm making this for a crowd, I'll make two sourdough bread bowls for the Brie, plus a couple of extra sourdough boules to cut up and toast for dipping. You can see in the video that I've added some extra sourdough chunks to fill in the gaps around the bread bowl.
  
• Brie Cheese: I've used a 125g (4 ounces) wheel of Brie Cheese. Up to 200g (7 ounces) works really well. Double cream Brie is also amazing! You could really use any wheel of cheese that fits inside your bread bowl (soft cheese is best).
  
• Honey & Thyme: there are lots of other things you add to your baked Brie in a Sourdough Bread Bowl. I've listed heaps of options below.

Flavor Variations for Baked Brie in a Sourdough Bread Bowl

• Cranberry and Pecan Baked Brie: Sprinkle dried cranberries and chopped pecans over the melted brie cheese when it comes out of the oven.
  
• Fig and Balsamic Baked Brie: When the brie comes out of the oven, add sliced fresh figs and drizzle balsamic vinegar over the cheese. If you can't get fresh figs, fig jam works well too.
  
• Caramelized Onion and Bacon Baked Brie: Sauté sliced onions and bacon until caramelized. Add the onion and bacon mixture on top of the Brie cheese once it's out of the oven. For an even quicker version of this, bacon onion jam works really well.
  
• Raspberry Jam: Use raspberry jam in place of honey on your gooey Brie - it's so good!
  
• Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil: Top your baked Brie with roasted cloves of garlic, Italian seasoning and a drizzle of EVOO. 

Share the sourdough love!