Slow Cooker Basic White Bread

Submitted by Dreamer in Ontario

"Would you like to make fresh bread but don't have time. This recipe doesn't require any kneading! It takes only 15 minutes to prepare for baking and then you'll use your large crock pot (I use a large oval 6 qt pot) so you don't even have to heat up your kitchen. I found this recipe on www.justslowcooking.com and think it's just fabulous. The dough is very soft so you may be tempted to add more flour but resist the urge. You're going to end up with a loaf that's coarser in texture than bread that has been kneaded before rising and baking. Made sure that the loaf pan or casserole dish is well oiled and that there is room for the bread to rise. Also, it's important that you refrain from opening the lid of the crock pot until at least 2 hours have passed. If you don't have a trivet that can be placed in the bottom of the crock pot you can crumple up some aluminum foil and place your loaf pan on that. As of July 16, 2010 I made a very minor change to the recipe. I've had no problems with it."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 1 loaf
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 (8 g) package active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour or 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• milk

directions

1. Pour 1/2 cup of water into crock pot and preheat the slow cooker/crock pot on High with the lid on.
2. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water or milk with the sugar and set in a warm - not hot - place.
3. Put the flour in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt.
4. Make a well in the centre.
5. When the yeast is bubbly, pour the rest of the water or milk, the yeast mixture, and the oil into the well.
6. Stir with your fingers (I use a soup spoon) until all the flour has been absorbed.
7. Grease a 2 quart mold and place the bread in it. (You can use a coffee can, a casserole dish or a loaf pan, whatever will fit inside your crockpot).
8. Brush milk with a pastry brush over the top of the bread.
9. Cover loosely with a plate and let stand for 5 minutes in a warm place.
10. Place on a trivet in the slow cooker, cover the cooker, and bake on High for 2 to 3 hours.

Reviews

[mset31]

I cooked the bread for about 3 hours but probably could have cooked it more. The recipe was very easy to follow and the comment the poster left (resist the urge to add more flour) is right on. The dough was a bit runnier than typical bread dough, but it baked and puffed up nicely. It didn't get crusty on the outside like a typical loaf would, but it was pretty tasty. Perhaps if I cooked it longer it would get nice and brown on the outside. I am just starting to make all bread at home to save money, and given the fact that this recipe is super easy and you can make it in a Crock-Pot and use less energy makes it a winner in my recipe book. Next time I will probably add to it like one poster suggested; spices or oats, honey, something like that.

 

[QueenBee49444]

egads, I don't know what I did wrong but this was a flop for me. The bread rose and ran over the side of the loaf pan, into the crock pot. Then, the loaf fell. The loaf baked for 3 hours and was still raw and doughy in the middle. The recipe was easy to put together so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

 

[bcfdwife]

Pretty good! No one out of my family of 5 seemed to mind it, but they didn't ohhh and ahhh over it either. Next time I might try spicing it up a bit with herbs. Thanks for a great base recipe though!