Homemade Bread in a Slow Cooker

By Tiffany Published May 4, 2024 • Last Updated: May 4, 2024 39 Comments

Can you make slow cooker bread? You bet! Transform any bread recipe with two rises into a soft, delicious loaf that bakes unattended on your counter without turning on the oven.

Loaf of homemade bread and half sliced on a cutting board. Text overlay says, " Easy Slow Cooker Bread".

Over the years, I’ve used my slow cooker for all sorts of things. I mean, you can make meat, soups, stews, fruit butter, yogurt, spaghetti sauce, veggies – even dessert! I don’t think there’s anything you CAN’T make in a slow cooker.

One thing I hadn’t tried in the slow cooker? BREAD.

But when our oven broke, and it took over a month to get it fixed, my people started to get tired of tortillas and pita bread on repeat.

And I started to get tired of the price of store-bought sourdough at over $3 a loaf for something I knew cost me a lot less to make from scratch.

Money-Saving Tip: One of my lessons in Grocery Budget Bootcamp (enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE 5-day Crush Inflation Challenge and start saving money on groceries tomorrow!) is to evaluate what are the best items for you to make from scratch. Bread is at the top of the list in my home. We love bread and making it from scratch saves a ton!

Armed with a freshly kneaded batch of Rosemary Olive Oil Bread Dough, I gave bread in the slow cooker a chance.

Holy smokes. It turned out AMAZING! Mr. Crumbs said it was perfect for a soft sandwich bread, and asked if I could make it again. Safe to say, I think slow cooker bread works!

SLOW COOK BREAD

So, should you slow cook bread on your next baking day? It depends.

SLOW COOKER BREAD PROS

Doesn’t heat up your house
Can bake bread and leave the house
Bread is much softer than oven-baked
Frees up the oven for other items

SLOW COOKER BREAD CONS

Can only bake one loaf of bread at a time
Takes longer to bake one loaf
Requires planning ahead since you can’t use your slow cooker for two things at once
Loses signature flaky crust

Close up view of half loaf and homemade slices of bread on a cutting board.

SLOW COOKER BREAD INGREDIENTS

I’m going to walk you through the steps of how to slow cook bread using my Man Bread recipe as an example, but any bread recipe that calls for two rises should work as slow cooker bread.

Warm water (105-115 degrees).
Honey. Just a tablespoon helps to activate the yeast.
Active dry yeast.
Coconut oil. You can use melted butter or olive oil instead, although the flavor will be slightly different. Rest assured; this bread does NOT taste like coconut oil.
All-purpose flour or bread flour. You can also use up to 50% whole wheat flour.
Salt.
Vital wheat gluten (optional). This makes for a softer, more pliable loaf. If you are using bread flour, you don’t need to include this. Otherwise, add 1 tablespoon for every cup of all-purpose flour to make homemade bread flour.

HOW TO SLOW COOK BREAD

Step 1: Grease the bottom and sides of your slow cooker well with butter and set aside. (We use this slow cooker.)

Step 2: Follow the bread recipe according to the instructions through the first rise and shaping of the dough.

For Man Bread, that looks like this: In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, add warm water, honey, and yeast. Stir a few times until the honey dissolves. Once the yeast starts foaming (5 minutes or so), add the flour, melted coconut oil, and salt. Once your bread dough comes together using the dough hook, knead for 10 minutes on medium-low. Leave your dough ball in the bowl and cover with a towel. Let the bread dough rise for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Place the unbaked dough in the buttered slow cooker and turn it on high. The bread will complete its second rise and bake at the same time.

Step 4: Allow bread to bake for 45 minutes and check the internal temperature using an instant-read thermometer. Bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 180-200 degrees. This may take up to 3 hours, depending on the slow cooker. After the initial 45 minutes, check the temperature every 30 minutes until you are familiar with the timing of your slow cooker.

Note: The bottom and sides of the slow cooker bread will become a beautiful golden brown, but the top will remain pale.

Close up view of baked slow cooker bread.

BREAD IN THE SLOW COOKER TIPS

Any bread recipe that calls for two rises should work as a slow cooker bread. The second rise happens while the slow cooker heats up.
Slow cooker bread will come out fully cooked and soft, but it will not have that golden brown crunchy crust that the oven is known for. You can run the loaf under the broiler or use a mini blow torch to achieve that same hard crust if you desire.
This slow cooker bread method would be AMAZING for soft dinner rolls! Here’s my favorite dinner roll recipe if you want to give it a try.
The shape of your slow cooker will make a difference. Use a machine whose capacity is twice the size of your unbaked dough. I have this slow cooker.
Because slow cooker temperatures vary, don’t leave the house on your first attempt at making bread in the slow cooker. You’ll need to time your slow cooker to see how long it takes your bread to reach the appropriate temperature. Once you’ve successfully made a loaf, you’ll be able to set it and forget it.
Handle the bread as little as possible while baking. Opening and closing the lid and testing for temperature can damage the loaf, so your first loaf may be a bit on the ugly side while you figure out the best timing for your slow cooker. Once you’ve got the details figured out, you’re good to go. (And even ugly bread tastes good!)
I hear it’s possible to bake the bread in the slow cooker in a loaf pan…but I haven’t tried it myself and therefore can’t vouch for it. And if you have a smaller slow cooker, your loaf pan probably won’t fit anyway unless you use mini loaf pans. You can also line the slow cooker with parchment paper for easier cleanup.

SLOW COOKER BREAD RECIPES

Since these recipes all have two rises, they’re perfect candidates to convert into slow cooker bread recipes!

Homemade half loaf of slow cooker bread and slices on a cutting board.

CROCK POT BREAD FAQS

Can you bake bread in slow cooker?

Yes! I’m so glad we were able to try this experiment!

Can a slow cooker be used for proofing bread?

This crockpot bread method combines the second rise (or proof) with the baking time. Because a slow cooker takes some time to get to the cooking temperature, it works to proof the bread.

Should you bake bread low and slow?

It works for this slow cooker bread! Use a bread recipe with two rises and follow the steps in this post to bake it low and slow.

MORE YUMMY HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES

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