We all know that a good crockpot can save you some serious time in the kitchen, especially on really busy days. But did you know that you can also use your crockpot to make homemade sandwich bread?
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When I first heard of this concept, my mind was blown. To be quite honest, I was actually rather skeptical until I tried it myself. The results were absolutely amazing! The bread came out so soft, even the crust, which was probably the best part.
Why was this the best part? Well, I know I can’t be the only one that has to cut off the crust of sandwich bread just for my child to consume it. FINALLY a bread that I don’t have to remove the crusts from!
Does this all sound too good to be true? Well, let me show you just how easy this is to do. To get started, you will need 1 batch of bread dough (enough to make a one-pound loaf).
This quick and easy recipe will revolutionize your sandwiches! This bread tastes so good, you will never believe it came from your crock-pot!
Crock-Pot Sandwich Bread
This recipe makes 2 loaves. See notes for substitutions.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose OR bread flour
Instructions
- Pour the warm water (make sure the water is warm to the touch) into the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl; sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let this mixture stand for approximately 5 minutes, or until the yeast has dissolved.
- Add the milk, sugar, salt, melted butter and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Stir until combined.
- Add the remaining 4 1/2 cups of flour. Stir the entire mixture for a few minutes.
- Using the dough hook attachment on a standing mixer, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. Or knead the dough by hand on a flat surface that has been sprinkled with flour. If the dough is sticky, add extra flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it is no longer sticky. The dough has been thoroughly kneaded when it is smooth, feels slightly tacky, forms a ball without sagging, and springs back when poked. There is no need to let the bread rise. It will rise and bake all at once, during the slow cooking process.
- This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread, so at this point I separate my dough into 2 equal balls. I put one half in the refrigerator, covered.
- Shape the remaining dough ball into a loaf and place in a loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place the loaf pan into the slow cooker and cover with the lid.
- Set your slow cooker to HIGH and bake for approximately 1-2 ½ hours. Baking times will vary. I check my loaf around the 1 hour mark, then 30 minutes later, then every 15 minutes until it is done. A finished loaf will have an internal temperature of approximately 190°F to 200°F.
- If you wanted a crustier loaf, you can put the loaf under the broiler for a few minutes to brown up the top. Because I was using my bread for sandwich bread, I left it as is.
- Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack, then slice and serve.
- Repeat baking process with refrigerated loaf and freeze after loaf has been cooked.
Notes
You can use up to 50% white whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour) for this bread. If you use regular whole wheat the bread will not rise as well. Please do not use all whole wheat flour for this recipe, you will have dense bread.
I have found that to make lighter, softer 100% whole wheat bread, I need to increase the yeast a bit, because the dough is heavier, and needs the extra “push”. Also, the loaf will be dry if you trade out the white flour for the same amount of 100% whole wheat flour. There’s bran in whole wheat, which absorbs moisture. I found that to have a moist loaf of 100% whole wheat, I must add only enough flour to make a loaf that is kneadable. It must remain slightly sticky. These two techniques have never failed me, to make a superior loaf of wholesome bread.
I tried it and it came out quite well. Next time I’ll broil it a bit to give it a nice color on the top.
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Tried it. It failed bad. Turned brown inside and out. Didnt rise. Crunchy outside but too dense inside. Large oval crocpot. 2hrs plus. Smells like cookies not bread.
I used self raise flour by accident with yeast. Oops. Any idea if that is why ? but it cooked good . Olive oil bottom didnt stick to pan.
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Yes, self-rising flour contains baking powder which causes the yeast to fail.
So can I use self raising and no yeast? I can’t get any all purpose flour
You can use self-raising flour but you need yeast. Self-raising flour contains baking powder. It will not rise. You will have a hockey puck.
from UK. i only have a small slow cooker. I used this recipe, and followed someone’s suggestion of removing the pot insert. I had no loaf tin so I used a small round cake tin and as no insert I used an oblong lid off an old tin caddy to stand the tin on. Result-a beautiful soft perfect loaf, it even formed a nice crust on top and light brown side and bottom. Wow- amazing result!. Going to try to adapt for gluten free for other half. Quick to prepare, and not much attention needed whilst cooking.
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wow. what a terrific hack Lorraine! I’m so glad the loaf turned out amazing. Enjoy!
WOW. Love it.
It did stick in the crockpot but still was great. I am gonna get a pot big enough to hold the loaf pan and in the end my goal is to have loaf bread and not buy it in the stores anymore.
Thanks
Tina
It’s so much better when you make it at home!
I don’t have a loaf pan to fit into my crockpot but I’m gonna give it a try.
If it turns out half as good as it sounds I will buy a bigger crockpot .
Yummy
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Definitely worth it! Plus, you can make huge soups, chilis, and even roast a whole chicken in a Crockpot!
Oh,my goodness this bread is so delicious!!!!! I have always been skeptical of making bread in the crockpot . But wow soo good. I brushed it with butter , rosemary, and pepper. It tastes like foccacia. Great recipe!!
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Can you use any good bread recipes and just the crackpot to cook the bread?
You can cook this bread recipe in a 350F oven, for 25-30 minutes until the bread’s internal temperature reaches 200F.
This is the only bread I have been making for months. It is fantastic!!! L
I was curious and tried this today. I love baking bread but avoid it in the hot summer months. I used white whole wheat flour for half of my flour amount–I don’t have vital gluten on hand but it turned out fine. A bit more dense than it would have if I had made a traditional oven loaf, but no one here was complaining. :) This is a nice bread-baking option for when you want to avoid heating up your kitchen or if you want bread but don’t have time to mess with two risings and shaping your loaf. It would be helpful to put the loaf pan size in the recipe.
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Hi there! I just wanted to say, I’ve done this recipe at least a dozen times and every time it’s come out WONDERFULLY! I even went back home and showed my mom that I could bake a fresh loaf of bread in the crock pot, and I think it was the first time she was ever impressed with my cooking skills! I love adding fresh rosemary from the garden, chopped up finely, to the loaf.
I’ve done it with whole wheat flour and all purpose and each time it comes out great.
Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!
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I’m so glad you were able to impress your mom! That’s a kitchen success!
For the second loaf, if you freeze it – do you thaw in the fridge overnight? Should it be room temp before putting into the crock pot? And if it’s just refrigerated, should you leave the dough out until it reaches room temp before putting into the crock pot?
Janet, you have two options: at the refrigeration point, the bread will do a slow rise while the first loaf cooks. After the first loaf cooks, then you insert the risen loaf into the crockpot. Bread is frozen after it’s been cooked, cooled, and sliced. The other option is to freeze the first half of the dough. You allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge and then bake in crockpot as directed.
can you use powder milk a sub for milk out of jug and how much coconut oil do you add
you can use milk powder plus water to create liquid milk. Then use it 1:1.
Thank you so much. I just made this bread and it turned out great. I love making bread but stop during the hot Summer months. Now I can continue to have fresh homemade bread with out heating the whole house. I did sub honey instead of sugar. I can’t wait to try a whole wheat version.
do you think this would work with Rhodes frozen bread loaves, thawed?
I do not know if this will work for that. This is a recipe for homemade bread. Sorry!
So excited to try this but I’m having trouble finding a bread pan small enough to fit in my crock pot. Any chance you have an alternative for cooking in the oven?
Crystal, this recipe is developed specifically for a slow rise in the crockpot. Here is a whole wheat bread recipe in the oven.
I made this 2 days ago came out excellent. It is a great sandwich bread and better tosasted. I toasted 2 slices in butter and garlic in a pan , for my cheese burger and it was to die for. Making 2 more loaves today to freeze.
I can only imagine how delicious this bread is toasted with butter and garlic! wow. Enjoy!
Mine did not turn out at all. Did not rise at all and is just a lump of concrete. Oh well it was worth a try.
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I’m sorry yours did not come out! Did you make any substitutions?
I used a loaf pan but mine didn’t rise very much. Doesn’t look like the picture. Could I have done something wrong with me yeast?
Can you explain the vital gluten? I am wanting to make my bread at home but its usually just not that great:/
Ashley, this recipe needs a little more gluten (a protein in bread) to “lift” in such a low heat in the crockpot. It’s inexpensive and you’ll find it right next to the yeast at the grocery. This is a beginners bread recipe. You can do it! :)
What size loaf pan do you use?
8.5 inches by 4.5 inches
I made this recipe last night and then continued my second loaf this morning. It’s nice for a easy bread. Mine came out a little dense but this is my very first time making bread with yeast. I expect to get better as I go.
This recipe is misleading though. My concern before I started was that the bread would not look like the pictures coming out of a slow cooker, and of course mine did not. It looked like a big round loaf of bread (slow cooker shape). It’s not really ideal for sandwich bread, unless you are making paninis.
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Amber, did you use a loaf pan liner inside your crockpot? If you did, it should not have taken up the shape of the crockpot and turned out exactly like a loaf of bread. I can imagine it spreading and coming out slightly denser.
I did not use a liner. I will try that next time. Thank you!
Do you think that I could use coconut oil instead of butter and soy milk instead of dairy to make vegan bread? I’m dairy free.
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I’ve never tried it, but it should work (in theory).
How long can you leave the dough for the second loaf in the fridge?
You can leave the second dough ball overnight or freeze up to 3 months.
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Interesting idea. Do you add water to the crock pot or just the loaf pan in the dry crock?
just the loaf pan as the directions say.
By the way, this bread looks absolutely heavenly. I can smell the warm soft steamy goodness.
I wonder if gluten free flour mix could be substituted for the APF… Has anyone tried this?
I have not tried it -YET. My go to flour is Cup4Cup and it’s what I plan on using to test this recipe.
Have you ever tried this recipe with whole wheat flour? It would probably need some wheat gluten added to the recipe to help it rise. Might have to try that this afternoon. Thanks for sharing!
Jen, I just revised the recipe’s notes.
Jen V, Can you let me know if you are successful making this with all whole wheat or white whole wheat flour and how much vital gluten you had to add please? Thanks
Nicole, you’ll need 1 teaspoon vital gluten per 1 cup whole wheat flour.
Do you think substitutions could be made to make it vegan? Like coconut oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of milk?
I have not tested this with non dairy milk. Coconut oil will work.
Do you think I could use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour instead of all purpose?
Jessica, check out the revised recipe notes.