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.
I live in south east Asia and don’t have an oven, but I have a crock pot, so I am very grateful for this sweet recipe!!! Thanks for creating this!
On another note, is it possible to add any other ingredients to make variations in the crockpot? No worries if not, but thanks for creating and sharing this recipe!!
I haven’t experimented with this recipe so I’m not sure if handles variations well.
Can I use Gluten free flour 1:1 ratio? Gluten free bread tastes terrible would like to try this.
I’ve never made yeast bread with gluten-free flour so I can’t say how it would work with my recipe.
I was surprised not seeing a measure of sugar in the recipe. I thought sugar was needed to activate the yeast. Also thought that salt needs to be kept away from the yeast as much as possible as it can deactivate the yeast. Was the lack of sugar a typo?
The lack of sugar in this recipe is not a typo. Sugar is not needed to activate yeast. Yeast readily makes its own food supply by transforming flour’s starch into sugar.
I have a special bread and cake pan with my crock pot. Can I use it with this recipe?
I’ve never tested the recipe with an insert like that before. I imagine it would be fine to use but can’t say for sure.
Loved your bread, soooooo easy! Will it bake all the way through if I increase it by 50% and use an oval slow cooker? Thanks.
You’ll likely need to increase the baking time but I can’t say how much longer it would take since I’ve not baked the bread this way.
Would love to know if you did increase the recipe and how it turned out.
Good recipe Jen!
Added a little rye flour to create a “cheater” sourdough. Used a little extra water and let it proof for about 24hrs. “Baked” up great. I did the broil thingy on top of a preheated pizza stone. Great crust and nice interior. I did take it to 198°F.
Overall, a great, easy, mostly hands-off, recipe! Makes a great loaf with little effort!
Glad you enjoyed it, David! It’s so great to hear the recipe worked with your changes.
I tried this slow cooker bread with all purpose flour and I thought the consistency was like sour dough bread. I have problems with store bought bread going bad since it’s just me eating and I’m not like my Mom who would freeze bread.I would make this again for taste and portion size for one
Delicious I love this receipe
This recipe is fabulous! I got a thick, chewy and delicious bread with minimal effort. My Italian grandparents used to bake bread nearly every morning. This is very much like theirs. I’m getting ready to do another batch. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Fantastic, Karen! I’m thrilled you enjoy the recipe so much!
Can you bake this in a gas oven? karen
The recipe was formulated and developed to be made in the slow cooker. I can’t guarantee it will turn out in the oven.
Tried this recipe for the first time today and am really happy with the results, especially as I used plain flour. The first slice served still hot with butter and it was delicious. As my slow cooker has a non stick liner the bottom of the loaf browned so next time I will do what the guy with the bread maker did and flip part way through, great tip, thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread, Liz! There’s nothing better than homemade bread, especially when it’s easy to make.
I’ve tried many bread recipes over the years, and somehow, they didn’t turn out like bread should taste. All the breads I have ever made were for the oven. So I decided to go looking for slow cooker breads, and went with this recipe. I’m so glad I did, because this is the absolute best bread I have ever made. It turned out perfect. Actually better than store bought. This will be my bread recipe from now on. Thank you so much for such an easy and wonderful recipe. Now, if anybody asks about any special skills I learned during the pandemic, I can tell them that I can make great bread from this recipe.
I promised a neighbor a loaf of this bread and in the middle of proofing it got called away overnight. With no time to bake it and no time to continue proofing it, I stuck it in the fridge and crossed my fingers. 36 hours later, I arrived home took the covered bowl out, set it on a heating pad for a few hours and then baked it in the crock pot and in 90 minutes, Voila! another BBAI masterpiece! This recipe, like all of Jen’s is bulletproof! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, what purpose can I find for a very gently-used bread maker…