Slow Cooker Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
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.
Hi there, I have tried this recipe and my dough seemed to have too much water in it. How should the dough look and feel after I have let it sit on the counter for 8-18 hours? Thanks in advance.
The dough will slightly tacky but shouldn’t be too wet. There’s a video in the post showing how the recipe is made and you can see how the dough should look.
Do you have any other slow cooker yeast bread recipes?
I have monkey bread and orange sweet rolls made in a slow cooker.
Please advise what would be a different method of browning the crust (after slow cooker), as I do not have access to a broiler??
I actually haven’t tried browning it any other way than with the broiler. You could try toasting it at 350°F for 10 minutes or so but keep a close eye on it so. There is a chance this could dry the bread out.
The paper towel suggestion is brilliant! Also, from my experience just restarting my slow cooker baking, your time frame of closer to 2 hours seems much more realistic that many of the directions that mention 1- 1 1/4 hours…. I hadn’t made slow cooker baked bread for a year and a half, when we were staying for a few months with my bachelor brother whose oven wasn’t working, but recently I decided I needed to start experimenting again in anticipation of hot summer days. I’d forgotten how well it works….and now in my own home I have a functioning broiler, which makes all the difference since it activates the Maillard reaction, making the bread even yummier.
Question: what type of slow cooker do you show in the demo—I just bought one that turns out not to be ceramic, but a high quality metal construction (Calphalon). Yours looks similar to mine…do you think it really matters? I’m going to bake another loaf this morning and check it with a thermometer to make sure it reaches 200 degrees F…..I didn’t check yesterday’s loaf until after I’d browned it under the broiler….
The one I have is from Hamilton Beach. It isn’t ceramic but I can’t find the same one online. I’ve linked to one similar in the post just above the recipe. I honestly don’t think it matters if it’s ceramic or nonstick material.
I think you are right…I’ve used my new non-ceramic Calphalon slow cooker, and the only difference I can see so far is that the loaves are a uniform color (pale) all over, as opposed to browned on the bottom and white on top. However, I checked with a thermometer this time, and my loaf was 200+ degrees internally. I browned top and bottom under the broiler, and …voila! a lovely golden loaf!
I must say, it’s nice to have a smaller footprint and lighter weight when it comes to a slow cooker!
If my slow cooker needs liquid what do I do? Can I just put water in, then place the dough with parchment paper right on top of the water? If I put in just about an inch or so of water, it might not seep through the parchment. Will that much water dry out during cooking requiring me to add more?
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the slow cooker for the bread if it requires liquid.
Bummer. But thank you for helping me!
I am sure I read somewhere that you can cook items in the slow cooker which need water (bain marie), by putting the mixture in a silicone mould. I haven’t tried this yet, as I go rid of all my silicon moulds as I wasn’t confident with them, but I’m going to get one to try so I can make cakes in the slow cooker. Don’t know if that’s any help.
1. How come 455 CUPS of flour?????
2. Why must the dough be left for 8-18 HOURS overnite.
It’s 3 and 1/2 cups of flour weighing 455 grams. The dough is left overnight because it’s a no-knead recipe and must sit for this amount of time for the gluten to develop naturally.
Question: I currently do not have a functioning broiler; instead, can I use the oven to brown the loaf? If so, what temp. should I set & approx. time??
I actually haven’t tried browning it any other way than with the broiler. You could try toasting it at 350°F for 10 minutes or so but keep a close eye on it so. There is a chance this could dry the bread out.
I think that you will find that 350 degree F will be much too low, simply not intense enough to get the quick browning effect you are looking for. I saw a recommendation for slipping the loaf into a 500 degree F oven for a few minutes: In my experience baking lots of “artisan” style bread, this makes the most sense.
Do you mean ina toaster oven?
No, in a regular oven.
Can I ask for measurements of ingredients in ounces please – I’m never sure with ‘cups’ how much to use?
Above the ingredient list just under the ingredient label are tabs for you to switch to Metric. You’ll the measurements in grams. I don’t weigh in ounces.
My dough didn’t rise, it was a new package of yeast and I checked the temp. Of the water before adding. I let it sit overnight, any suggestion as to why it didn’t rise.?
Even though the yeast is new, it could have been a bad batch. Some other possibilities are the water was too warm, but you said you checked that, or the temperature of the room was too cold. Also, make sure you are properly measuring the flour. Any excess flour will absorb the liquid and this can have an effect on how well the yeast works.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. A little less salt would be perfectly okay if that’s more suitable to you.