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Crock Pot Bread Recipe

This crock pot bread recipe transforms your slow cooker into a bread-making machine, producing soft, pillowy loaves with minimal hands-on work. It requires a handful of simple ingredients and delivers a tender crumb with a softer crust than oven-baked bread.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 9 slices
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Calories: 185
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main
  • 3 cups 360 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cups 360 milliliters warm water
  • 0.5 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for the slow cooker insert

Equipment

  • One 6-quart or larger oval slow cooker
  • Parchment paper or silicone slow cooker liner
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon or dough whisk
  • Kitchen scale (optional but recommended)
  • Instant read thermometer
  • Bench scraper or rubber spatula

Method
 

  1. Whisk together flour, instant yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl, breaking up any lumps.
  2. Pour warm water (75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit) into the dry ingredients and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until all flour is hydrated and a shaggy, wet dough forms.
  3. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
  4. Rub the inside of your slow cooker insert generously with olive oil, especially bottom and sides.
  5. Use a wet bench scraper or rubber spatula to gently turn the dough onto parchment paper, then carefully lower it into the oiled slow cooker insert.
  6. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and set it to the warm setting (or keep heat off with lid on) for 4 to 6 hours, until dough roughly doubles in volume and feels puffy.
  7. Turn the slow cooker to low heat and bake uncovered for 3 to 4 hours until the top is light golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 205 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Carefully remove the bread using the parchment paper as a handle and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  9. Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Use parchment paper to prevent sticking and tearing. Water temperature is critical for consistent rise. Always verify internal bread temperature with a thermometer for doneness. The slow cooker should be on low heat, never high. Refrigerate wrapped bread up to 5 days or freeze wrapped up to 3 months. Toast slices to restore crust crispness.