Slow cooker bread

Make an easy loaf with this slow cooker bread recipe. This simple project is perfect for beginners and uses strong wholemeal or white flour

Ingredients

500g strong wholemeal flour or strong white flour (or a mix of flours, see tip), plus extra for dusting
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1tsp fine sea salt

STEP 1
Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Measure 350ml warm water and pour most of it into the well. Mix the flour and water together with your fingers or a wooden spoon until combined into a slightly wet, pillowy, workable dough – add a splash more water if necessary.
STEP 2
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 mins until smooth and elastic. This can also be done in a tabletop mixer with a dough hook.
STEP 3
Shape the dough into a large, tight ball and sit the ball on a square of baking parchment. Use the parchment to lift the dough into your slow cooker, cover and set the slow cooker to high. Leave for 2 hrs.
STEP 4
Lift the bread out using the parchment. The bottom should be crusty and the top should be springy, not soft. (If you have a digital cooking thermometer, the middle of the loaf should be 90C.) If it isn’t ready, return to the slow cooker for 15 mins and test again – it could take up to 2 hrs 30 mins.
STEP 5
The bread won’t get a significant crust or golden colour in the slow cooker. Once cooked, you can leave it to cool, or put in the oven at 240C/220C fan/gas 9 for 5-10 mins to get some colour.