Bacon Cheddar Beer Soup in Bread Bowls

My original idea was to make a bacon bread bowl for bacon cheese soup, but I wanted to concentrate on the soup, so I went with the lovely multi-grain bread dough they sell at Publix. Either make your favorite bread dough or purchase some, and divide a 1lb loaf worth into two halves. I always let my Publix dough rise and warm up a bit before doing anything with it.

Cut up the onions, celery, carrots and bacon.

I'm going to make the bread bowls ahead of time, so I can concentrate on the soup. I sometimes have issues with cheese soups, so I have to be careful. Once the bread bowls are done, cook the bacon in a medium to large soup pot, with a little oil to get things going. Once the bacon has cooked down a bit but not browned, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until the onion is translucent and bacon is brown and crispy. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the floury taste is gone. (I like Wondra for things like this, since I rarely bake and I don't get lumps) Slowly add in the milk and stock, whisking well to make sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Here's the fun part: remove from heat, and stir in the cheese, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and beer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut holes in the bread bowls.

Ladle in the bacon cheddar beer soup. I like to let mine sit for a bit to soak up the soup. Sprinkle with chives or green onions. I only have green onions today, so that's what we're going with.