Slow Cooker Bread

I’ve been wanting to make bread in my Instant Pot, but I do not have the yogurt function, so I was going to make it in the Dutch oven. While googling for a recipe, I found out that you can make it in the slow cooker!

The recipe I used for the first time is Tasty’s Slow Cooker Rosemary Bread! Be sure to visit the page and give them a review.

My process is a little different and this time I added grated parmesan for seasoning. You can add to/omit/replace the rosemary.

What you’ll need:

• Slow cooker – mine is 4-quarts
• Parchment paper
• Kitchen towel
• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Dough mixer (optional)
• Glass measuring cup
• 1-1/4 cup luke warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons (or 1 packet) active dry yeast
• 3-3/4 cup flour – plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• Seasonings (play around with how much you want to use)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons dried Rosemary (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. In your glass measuring cup, mix the sugar with the lukewarm water. Then add in the dry active yeast. Let it sit for 15 minutes, until foamy on top.

2. Add the olive oil, salt, and seasonings (rosemary & parm). Mix well.

3. ADD FLOUR SLOWLY – 1 cup of flour at a time, then the rest.

My processor has a knead dough function, so I decided to use it this time. I mixed it until the dough was no longer sticky (sides of my bowl were clear) – took maybe 2 minutes.

The alternative way is to pour the wet mixture into a bowl and slowly add the flour, while mixing with a wooden spoon. Make sure it combined well. Then you will need to knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes.

4. Form the dough until a nice ball.

5. Measure your Parchment paper to make sure it fits your slow cooker. This will help pull the dough out. I sprayed the Parchment paper with oil to make sure the dough doesn’t stick.

6. PROOF YOUR DOUGH — Add your dough to the center of the Parchment paper. Cover with a towel, making sure the sides are covered well. Place the lid on top and set the slow cooker to the warm setting for 30 minutes.

Because not all slow cookers are the same, I check on it after 15 minutes to make sure the dough isn’t cooking. After 30 minutes, it should have doubled in size. Pull out the dough.

7. KNEAD DOUGH BY HAND FOR 5 MINUTES. Lift the dough out of the slow cooker by the corners of the Parchment paper.

If your dough feels sticky, dust your hands and clean surface with flour and knead it. What I do is take the bottom half of the dough and flip it inward, over and over. Once the 5 minutes is up, form it into a nice ball.

8. Place the Parchment paper back on top of the slow cooker and the dough in the center. I spray the top of the dough with oil and sprinkled my seasoning (rosemary and parmesan) and salt.

9. Cover the dough with the towel and lid again. Set the slow cooker on the high setting and cook for 1-2 hours.

Because not all slow cookers are the same, keep an eye on your dough to make sure it is not overcooking and/or burning on the bottom.

10. You’ll know your bread is done when you tap the top of the dough and it bounces back – my mom taught me this trick, she said this is how they checked their dough before thermometers (hehe).

You can also check the internal temperature with a thermometer. It is done when it says 190°F.

11. Either preheat your oven to 500°F or use the broil setting on high. Brown the top of your loaf for 5-10 minutes.

By the corners, pull out the Parchment paper from the slow cooker and place it on a baking sheet.

You will want to trim off the Parchment paper around the loaf. Either spray or brush oil on top of the loaf. Place baking sheet in the oven.

12. Once the top is golden brown, remove from the oven and let it cool down for 15 minutes.

13. Slice and dig in!