Rosemary Bread in the Slow Cooker

Yesterday’s snowy weather kept Littlest and me home all day. We painted, played games, watched movies… and baked bread in a whole new way – in the slow cooker.  Okay, it’s not a new method but it was one I had never tried before. I was actually feeling pretty skeptical about how the bread would turn out, in the beginning.

Mixing the dough, I kept thinking, “Is this really going to work?” Well, I can tell you with confidence now that, yes, it does work. And now I can see some real advantages to using the slow cooker method: 1) The bread has a softer texture than oven-baked; and 2) doesn’t heat up the kitchen like running the oven for long periods of time.

This is a recipe for Rosemary Bread because I had a package of fresh rosemary in the fridge I needed to use or lose. Really though, you could use whatever herb or combination of herbs you’ve got hanging around.

Rosemary Bread in the Slow Cooker

1 1/3 cups warm water

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, add warm water and yeast. Allow to stand 5-7 minutes, until the yeast begins to bubble.

To the yeast mixture, add olive oil, rosemary, salt, and flour, stirring to combine.

Using a dough hook (or your hands), knead the dough until soft and elastic. Time will vary depending on the kneading method.

Lightly oil your slow cooker and place bread dough in the center of the pot.

Cover and cook on High for approximately 2 1/2 hours.

Remove from the pot and place on a cooling rack.