Dough Bowls

Mrs. Therica Breazeale, who owns and operates CAM Crafts in Wears Valley, remembers that everyone used dough bowls when baking, especially when baking biscuits. “I remember my Grandmother would measure out lumps of dough for biscuits by the handful.” Says Mrs. Breazeale, “and they always came out exactly the same.”

Therica also points out that, like an iron skillet, dough bowls are not to be washed out with soap and water, just wiped clean. “See the little hole on the end?” asks Therica, “Well that is always on real dough bowls, it’s how you hang it on the wall!” Bowl carver Leon Neal of North Carolina has this to say about the old dough bowls:

In my grandmother's time...the family dough bowl was a critical part of the family food preparation, highly used and highly treasured by the best cooks. It was not uncommon for a future husband to carve a wooden dough bowl for his bride as a wedding present. It was also common for a young female to desire a carved wooden dough bowl for her "hope chest" so that when she married, she would have a very desirable kitchen tool (other "hope chest" items were things like handmade quilts and other family heirlooms). A mother's dough bowl was usually one of the items in an estate that was most sought after--typically left to the oldest daughter--and there have been more than a few siblings who have stopped talking because of a mutual desire for the same dough bowl.

Hand carved by Herman Harmon of North Georgia. CAM crafts has authentic dough bowls made from several woods including poplar and Black Walnut.

While the bowls are beautiful, they are also functional. Even though most will choose to use them to display loaves of bread or fruit, dough may be rolled the old fashioned way.

Just remember not to wash them out with soap and water. Wipe clean and rub occasionally with olive oil to enhance the shine and natural character of the wood.