Bread and Soup Pairings: What are the Best Types of Bread to Pair with Soup?

Garden Vegetable Soup - Image Credit: Panera Bread

I recently had the opportunity to learn more about bread at an interactive Panera Bread workshop. Not just the sliced variety that you find at a grocery store, the true art of bread making, as instructed by Tom Gumpel - head baker of Panera, involves learning how it can enhance the flavors in food as well as the overall dining experience. A hands-on class, I learned how to make a savory asiago bread pudding and a chocolate pecan babka (see recipes below). I also learned how to pair bread with food such as how grilled meats goes well with sourdough bread and how French bread goes well with breakfast food but of course my main focus was wanting to learn how to pair soup with bread. Check out this informative list (provided by Panera's Tom Gumpel and Danielle Cook) of what type of bread goes with some common cups of soups. Your soupy experience will never be the same...

French bread - Image Credit: Panera Bread

Soup and Bread Tips Pairing from Panera Bread

Information provided by Tom Gumpel, Head Baker for Panera Bread and Danielle Cook, Bakery Development Project Manager of Panera Bread.  

Low-fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup – Pairs well with asiago cheese bread.  The slightly spicy with flavors of cilantro, cumin and garlic blend perfectly with the nutty flavor of the asiago cheese in our sourdough-based bread.

Vegetarian Creamy Tomato Soup – Pairs well with three cheese bread. The tomato soup has a rich and creamy tomato flavor with hints of oregano. Dipping a piece of three cheese bread in this soup reminds you of sopping up mom’s homemade marinara with great piece of bread.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Pairs well with French bread.  The rich and cheesy soup with chunks of broccoli soaks in nicely to the open crumb of our French bread.  Save a little of the bread for the last bit of soup at the end of the bowl so that you can use it to scrape the bowl clean!

French Onion Soup – Pairs well with sourdough bread.  A classic at Panera since we began 23 years ago has been French onion soup in a Sourdough bread bowl.  The soup soaks into the sides of the tangy bread bowl, making the mix of the slightly sweet and beefy soup compliment the sourdough perfectly.

Low-fat Chicken Tortilla Soup – Pairs well with Jalapeno cheddar bagel. The flavors of cumin and lime along with ancho and chipotle chilies of the chicken tortilla soup blend nicely with the slightly spicy jalapenos and salsa spice mix in the bagel.  Roasted corn flour in the bagel dough balances the spices of the bagel and the soup.

New England Clam Chowder – Pairs well with country bread. Clams and potatoes in the rich, creamy broth goes really well with the nutty, yet slightly sour flavor of the country bread. Country bread’s soft crumb is a perfect match for the thick broth of the chowder.

Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto – Pairs well with whole grain bread. The flavorful tomato broth of the Vegetable soup tastes great soaked into a piece of hearty, slightly sweet whole grain baguette.  With the added benefit of whole grains and fiber from the baguette and a variety of vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower and tomatoes in the soup, it tastes great and is good for you, too.

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup – Pairs well with sesame semolina bread. The nutty flavor of the sesame seeds on the crust and the semolina crumb tastes great dipped into the creamy, chicken broth of the Wild Rice soup.

Baked Potato Soup – Pairs well with ciabatta bread. The broth of this russet potato soup is full of flavor with bacon, chives and spring onions. With that in mind, a simple bread with a nice open crumb pairs well with this soup, allowing the flavors of the soup to be the star.

Low-fat Chicken Noodle Soup – Pairs well with asiago focaccia bread.  The sharp flavor of the asiago that tops this focaccia tastes great with the lightly herbed broth of the chicken noodle soup.