Description
Easy, homemade bread baked in your crock pot! This simple recipe requires minimal effort and yields a delicious, soft loaf perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 packet (1/4 ounce) rapid rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115°F)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing
- Optional: 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or other herbs of your choice
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
- Prepare Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine warm water and olive oil.
- Combine Ingredients: Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- First Rise: Form the dough into a ball. Grease the inside of your crock pot with olive oil. Place the dough ball in the crock pot, cover, and let rise for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Cook: Turn the crock pot on low heat. Cook the bread on low for 2-2.5 hours.
- Check for Doneness: After 2 hours, check the bread. The top should be set but likely pale.
- Brown the Top (Optional):
- Broiler: Carefully remove bread and broil for a few minutes, watching closely.
- No Lid: Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Kitchen Torch: Use a kitchen torch to brown the top.
- Check Internal Temperature: The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped or reaches an internal temperature of 200-210°F.
- Cool: Carefully remove the bread from the crock pot and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing (at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour).
- Slice and Serve: Slice with a serrated knife and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning or other herbs of your choice into the flour mixture before adding the wet ingredients.
- For a sweeter bread, add 1-2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup to the wet ingredients.
- To make a garlic bread, brush the top of the bread with garlic butter before baking.
- You can also add cheese, such as shredded cheddar or mozzarella, to the dough before baking.
- If you don’t have rapid rise yeast, you can use active dry yeast. However, you’ll need to proof the yeast in the warm water for about 5-10 minutes before adding it to the flour mixture.
- If your crock pot tends to cook unevenly, you can rotate the bread halfway through the cooking time.
- To prevent the bread from sticking to the crock pot, you can line the bottom with parchment paper.
- If you want a crispier crust, you can brush the top of the bread with olive oil before baking.
- Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat frozen bread, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then warm it in the oven or toaster.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 120 minutes