Bread is probably one of the oldest staple foods to have ever existed. It takes a lot of time to bake a delicious piece of bread- but the preparation and the wait are always worth it for the smell and feeling a freshly baked loaf of bread can bring.
After all, nothing could ever beat a steaming hot loaf of bread that’s fresh from the over, wouldn’t you agree?
Unfortunately, baking is not for everyone. One thing is that not everyone has the equipment to do it, we are talking about the pricey modern ovens.
Another thing is that not everyone has the time it takes to spend baking bread at home.
These are just some reasons why people choose to just buy a freshly baked loaf at bakeries instead of baking it themselves.
Little did we all know, most people already have a tool at home that’s just perfect for bread baking.
Surprisingly, one tiny piece of equipment that’s a Godsend for baking bread is a slow cooker.
We learned this all thanks to one kitchen-savvy woman named Danielle Luttrell. She had a brilliant idea and came up with a recipe to make a homemade bread using a slow cooker.
She posted the recipe online that eventually became viral, and pretty soon, it helped a lot of troubled moms with baking in the comfort of their homes.
Here are the ingredients.
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- 2 cups of warm milk
- 2 tablespoons of melted UNSALTED butter
- 1–3 tablespoons of sugar (add more for a sweeter bread)
- 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast (this is on the conservative side)
- 6 cups of whole wheat flour (or 3 cups whole wheat & 3 cups all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
Note: The measurements indicated in each ingredient is the ideal for a regular-sized slow cooker.
Directions:
- Get a big mixing bowl or any decent container that is large enough. Stir the 1/2 cup of warm water, 1–3 tablespoons of sugar (depends on the sweetness level that you like), and the 3 tablespoons of yeast. Wait for 5 minutes until you see froth forming on top.
- While waiting, warm 2 cups of milk and 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.
- Once the first two steps are done, add the milk and butter with the yeast mixture.
- Using a standing mixer, slowly add the 6 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Mix them all together and knead the dough. (Feel free to use a dough hook after most of the flour is mixed in, then finish off by hand-kneading for roughly 5 minutes.)
- Line your slow cooker with parchment paper and shape the dough into a nice ball, then place in the slow cooker and let it rise. (This will happen as the activity from the yeast and the temperature of the room warm the dough.)
- Set the slow cooker temp to High and the timer for about 2 to 2.5 hours. After the time has passed, begin checking the loaf every 7-10 minutes until the top has a sponge-like consistency but still springs back and there’s no moisture on top. The bottom and sides should have a nice golden-brown color.
- If you want a crunchier top-crust, stick the loaf under the broiler for a few minutes- just make sure to keep an eye on it as it can easily burn.
With the limited resources that we have at home, ideas like this will surely help. It’s a very easy bread recipe if I may say, it will definitely not eat much of your time or your money- especially if you are working or busy at home.
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