While a Crock Pot seems like the last appliance a person would use for baking bread, I’ve recently discovered how delicious Crock Pot breads can be. Batter breads, Boston Brown Bread, and even sour dough breads can all be cooked in a Crock Pot with very tasty results.
Recipe for Crock Pot sourdough bread.
You probably have your own family favorite recipe which I’m sure would do quite well in the Crock Pot. I use a traditional Sourdough French Bread recipe myself, which is cut by two-thirds to fit neatly in my Crock Pot. This recipe calls for the following ingredients and instructions:
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup starter
2 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cups flour – more or less
1/4 tsp soda
Combine water, the 2 cups of flour, starter, salt and sugar. Mix well. Place in a glass bowl and leave on the kitchen counter overnight until the sponge has doubled in size (at least 18 hours). Mix soda in 1/2 cup of flour, beat into dough until stiff. Turn dough onto floured board and knead, adding more flour as needed. Knead until smooth and the dough isn’t able to absorb any more flour.
Shape the loaf into a 6″ round. Place on a greased 7″ (or less) ramekin or spring form pan. Let rise 3-4 hours until nearly doubled.
Cooking instructions
Steaming your shaped sourdough is super simple. All it takes is a round metal trivet, some boiling water, a sharp knife, and these steps:
1. Place the trivet inside the crock.
2. Set the temperature to “Low” and slowly pour in boiling water to a depth of 3/4 inches.
3. Use the knife to cut a couple of diagonal lines or a cross through the upper layer of dough.
4. Center the ramekin on the trivet.
5. Place the lid on the Crock Pot and let bread steam 3 1/2 hours.
While baking sourdough bread in a Crock Pot does take time, the slow steaming results in a softer crust, larger air pockets, and chewier texture which is hard to achieve in a regular oven. Another bonus; steamed Crock Pot bread can remain in the crock (for up to 30 minutes) until dinner is ready to be served.