Slow Cooker Bread
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Homemade Slow Cooker Bread is always much more delicious than store-bought, and this recipe couldn’t be easier. This simple white bread is easy to make and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Once you make your first loaf of bread in the slow cooker you will want to make it every week. This bread recipe can be used as a base for so many different variations!
When you want homemade bread without much hassle, get out your trusted slow cooker! Enjoy slow cooker bread as an appetizer or side to any dish. It’s especially great with soup.
Out of all the bread I’ve made, this slow cooker version just might be my favorite.
I mean, who would have thought a loaf this gorgeous could be produced in a small appliance designed to slowly cook meats, vegetables, and soups. I just can’t get over how lovely it is.
I’ve dabbled in the slow cooker method before. I made slow cooker orange sweet rolls and slow cooker monkey bread. Each was tasty but nothing like today’s bread.
I’ve also made so many other variations of bread, from rosemary olive beer bread to the best ever banana bread, the list goes on and on. But, I am loving how slow cooker bread turns out.
It has the texture of a steam bun – so soft and moist.
This bread is possibly the easiest of yeast bread. The dough is prepped the night before simply by mixing all the ingredients together. Then, it sits on the countertop with plastic wrap over the top.
When you wake up the dough will have developed gluten and doubled, almost tripled, in size. And it will smell of wonderful yeast dough. I love that smell!
When you are ready to bake the bread, just turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over on itself a couple times. Shape it into a ball and place it in the slow cooker.
It takes around two hours to bake. The effort is minimal and the reward is great!
There’s no kneading and no waiting for the dough to rise before baking. It will plump up in the slow cooker and turn into a beautiful rustic bread.
Bread in the slow cooker will not brown. The crust will remain light in color. Because of this, I like to pop it under the broiler for about 5 minutes once it’s finished baking. This will give the crust a lovely golden color.
This is why I love baking! ⇓⇓
*Always double check your slow cooker’s manufacturer instructions before attempting this recipe. Some models require the pot to be partially filled with liquid to avoid safety or durability problems. Also, never leave the slow cooker unattended.
Slow Cooker Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (455 g) bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, 1 envelope
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) warm water, 105-115°F
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir with a whisk. Slowly pour in the water. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended and the dough forms into a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it set on the counter overnight, 8-18 hours.
- Line the bowl of the 6-quart slow cooker with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With well-floured hands, flatten the dough into a 9-inch circle, then fold it over onto itself and shape it into a ball. Place the dough into the prepared slow cooker. Place a double layer of paper towel under the lid to prevent condensation from dripping onto the rolls. Turn the slow cooker on high and cook for 2 hours or until the bread is cooked through. The temperature should register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the bread by lifting them out with the parchment paper.
- The fully cooked bread will have a light, soft crust. If you desire a golden crispy crust, place the bread under the broiler for 5 minutes. Set the bread on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Always double check your slow cooker’s manufacturer instructions before attempting this recipe. Some models require the pot to be partially filled with liquid to avoid safety or durability problems. Also, never leave the slow cooker unattended.
- All-purpose flour can be used in place of bread flour. But keep in mind there will be a slight texture difference. Bread flour contains more protein. This absorbs more moisture and creates a chewy texture that is well known in bread. All-purpose flour has less protein and will not absorb as much of the water. This will affect the overall texture.
- Active dry yeast can be used in place of instant yeast. You must activate it in the warm water with a pinch of sugar first. Let it sit for 5 minutes. If it doesn’t foam up, you will need to try again with new yeast.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Another superlative “how’d-she-think-of-that!” recipe from our talented introvert!! Folks, this one is hilariously easy. I have been toying with it a bit and since the very nature of it is out of the box, I specifically addressed the long proof time because I needed six loaves on a single day for a double-surprise birthday party at my house for 60 guests. Using just one crock pot and 3 large plastic bowls I was able to get the total time from start of recipe to browning the crust to under four hours.
Here are the two small changes I made (and believe me, I generally look askance at people who monkey with recipes that have been refined and tested hundreds of times, and carefully published only to have ol’ Betsy Ann, pipe in with her “great” addtion of 2 cups of Cap’n Crunch to the Classic Popcorn Shrimp recipe. Aaargh!)
So, here’s what to do if you need a loaf in a hurry. 1) Add 1 additional teaspoon of fast-acting yeast to the recipe. 2) Once, you get the initial dough in the bowl, place the bowl atop a standard electric heating pad set on medium heat. It should double in size in about two hours and be ready for the crockpot. Make sure the bowl is wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. My loaves never needed more than 95 minutes at the high setting to reach 190-degrees.
Can you makes this as wholemeal option and add seeds onto?
There shouldn’t be any issue mixing seeds into the dough but I don’t recommend swapping the flour.
Really nice recipe. Thank you. I love the simplicity, and more, I love the results. I use my bread machine to mix the dough. I tried baking it in the slow-cooker straight from the bread machine, without the long rise, and I actually couldn’t tell the difference from when I let the dough rest overnight. The first few times I made this, the bottom browned and was hard as a cracker, but it softened up during storage, as it probably absorbed some moisture from the rest of the loaf. Today, I tried something different: I flipped the loaf upside down after 90 minutes and let it bake an additional 30 that way. As a result, the “top” browned a little, and the bottom wasn’t as hard. The flipping did flatten the bread a little, but it’s kind of like a ciabatta anyway, so all good!
That’s wonderful to hear, Tom! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try.
@Tom, Do you still use baking parchment, please? I’m wondering if it will still ‘brown’ with parchment….
Can you double the recipe?
I don’t recommend doubling yeast bread recipes because it’s not always as simple as just doubling the amount of yeast. I suggest making two separate batches.
This is amazing. Slightly tweaked the recipe to reduce the salt to 3/4 tsp and add 1tbsp sugar and 2tbsp oil. I sometimes sub half the white flour for wholemeal, which works well. Today I put the dough in a loaf tin before putting it in the slow cooker and cooked it for 2 1/2 hours. The crust is softer for little people. I have raved about it to friends.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for following along and making my recipes.
Could you prove in the slow cooker? Only asking as mine lost all the size by moving this into the slow cooker. Has anyone tried this?
This recipe doesn’t require proofing. It will proof as it “bakes” in the slow cooker.
This is the first bread I’ve ever baked and it turned out perfectly, exactly what the picture looked like. Minimal effort, I started making the bread at 1pm (using dried yeast, just did as the instructions said), left it covered for 18 hours, then woke up at 7 to put it in the slow cooker, back to bed while it baked for 2 hours, under the grill for 10 minutes and it was perfect.
Could I use whole wheat flour?
I don’t recommend using whole wheat as a substitute for all-purpose. Whole wheat absorbs more moisture than all-purpose so the bread will be dry. You may be able to substitute up to 50% of the flour however, I’ve not tested this and can’t say for sure how it would turn out.
Does a round slow cooker work better for bread than an oval slow cooker, or does it matter?
I use an oval slow cooker just as pictured and it works perfectly fine.
If I want to add grated cheese to have throughout the loaf, should I do that before or after proofing
Add it when you are mixing all the ingredients together.