Overnight Slow Cooker Bread

I developed this recipe for those days when you want homemade bread but you don’t want to turn on the oven and heat the house. It’s simple to make with ingredients that you probably have on hand. I get this started in the evening to enjoy for lunch. The longer the dough is allowed to ferment, the more complex the flavor of the loaf.

Step: 1

Place 3 1/2 cups flour, water, salt, and yeast in a large glass or ceramic bowl; mix by hand until just incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it on a thick kitchen towel on the counter. Let sit on the counter for 12 to 18 hours.

Step: 2

Sprinkle a clean work surface with 2 tablespoons flour. Scrape the dough (it will be sticky) from the bowl onto the work surface. Stretch and fold the dough over several times, working in some of the flour. Shape into a round loaf.

Step: 3

Place parchment paper inside a slow cooker, making sure to drape it up the sides. Place the dough in the center of the slow cooker, and trim off any parchment paper that hangs over the rim. Place a double layer of paper towels over the slow cooker and secure the lid.

Step: 4

Cook on High without peeking for 2 hours. Remove bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Per Serving: 198 calories; protein 6.6g; carbohydrates 39.7g; fat 0.9g; sodium 293.2mg.

The best flavour of the flour can make a real difference to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are bet higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which doesn’t always getting bigger as well as white bread.

To made this in a breadmaker , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be make in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can start it yesterday , then finish it off the next day.