Bake Bread In The Slow-Cooker

I hope you’re sitting down because your world is about to be turned upside down. During the summer, it’s most often our goal to keep the house from heating up if we can help it, but who doesn’t LOVE a piece of warm, fresh oven baked bread? Now you can have both.

You can’t just make it, toss it in the crock-pot, and hope it comes out so here are a few tips to help you figure out what works for you:

Prepare for some trial and error at first: Consider your first loaf or two as an experiment. Once you know how long it takes for your loaves to bake, subsequent loaves will require less attention.

Line the slow cooker with parchment: This makes it easier to lift the loaf from the slow cooker and prevents it from sticking to the bottom.

Check loaves with an instant read thermometer: The best way to know when loaves are done baking is with an instant read thermometer. A baked loaf will have an internal temperature of 190°F to 200°F.

Handle loaves as little as possible: Until they’re fully baked, handling the loaves can crush the delicate crust and cause dimples in the loaves. (This is another reason why the first few loaves are an experiment and subsequent, less-handled loaves turn out better!)

Run loaves under the broiler for a brown crust: Place the loaf right on an oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven and turn on the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes. Check frequently as the crust can go quickly from golden to burnt.

Ingredients
1 batch bread dough (enough to make 1 one-pound loaf), any variety, prepared to the point of shaping and baking

Equipment
Parchment paper
Slow cooker

Instructions

Shape your loaf of bread: Shape your loaf into a round or a loaf depending on the size of your slow cooker and/or what kind of loaf you’d like to make. Set the shaped dough on a square of parchment paper. (If you’re baking the bread in a pan, there’s no need to use parchment.)
Lift it into the slow cooker: Lift the loaf by the parchment and set it in the middle of the slow cooker. Try to arrange flatten the parchment as much as possible against the sides of the slow cooker to prevent it from getting caught in the bread as it rises. Cover the slow cooker with its lid.→ Pre-Baking Rise? You do not need to let your bread rise before baking. However, if your bread dough has been in the refrigerator, letting it warm a bit on the counter can reduce the overall cooking time.
Set the slow cooker to HIGH: Turn on your slow cooker to the highest heat setting (or quickest time setting).
Bake for 1 to 2 1/2 hours: Baking time will vary depending on your slow cooker. If this is your first time baking bread in your slow cooker, begin checking the loaf after 1 hour, then every 30 minutes, and then more frequently as it nears finishing. Record this baking time for future reference.
Bread is done with an internal temperature of 190°F to 200°F: Checking the internal temperature of the loaf is the best way to tell when it is done baking; a finished loaf will have an internal temperature of 190°F to 200°F. The top will also feel soft but no longer spongy, and the bottom will be hard and slightly golden.
Brown the loaf under the broiler: If a darker-colored, crustier loaf is desired, set the loaf on a rack positioned in the middle of the oven and turn on the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes. Check frequently to avoid burning the loaf.
Cool and slice: Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.