This slow cooker pumpkin apple bread is a lovely autumn bake, made with roasted pumpkin, fresh apple, sultanas and warming cinnamon. This homemade yeasted loaf is full of seasonal flavour and is perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or as an afternoon treat.
Baking bread in a slow cooker is a great way to try something a little different, especially when you want to make the most of your slow cooker. The dough is left to rise before being cooked on high, with the option of finishing the loaf in the oven for a more golden crust.
If you have leftover pumpkin from another recipe, this pumpkin apple bread is a delicious way to use it up. Enjoy a slice spread with butter, or serve it alongside a bowl of homemade soup for a simple lunch.
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Recipe inspiration
Autumn is here, and Halloween is on the way, and I have been making use of pumpkin in my baking in both my slow cooker pumpkin apple bread loaf and a pumpkin pie. Going pumpkin crazy!
I adore the mellow flavour of pumpkin, and used it here in my lightly spiced fruit loaf (not a cake, but a yeasted bread) and also in a traditional American pumpkin pie this week.
The pumpkin pie was made using tinned pumpkin puree (Libby’s brand, I got it in the World Foods section of my local supermarket) using a traditional American recipe also containing condensed milk.
If you want to try it, the recipe I use for the pumpkin pie filling is here on allrecipes.com. I made a sweet shortcrust pastry case, which I blind baked first, before adding the filling.
The finished pumpkin pie was delicious and went down well on Halloween. The spices made it a really deep colour with delicious autumnal flavours.
OK, back to the bread!
Why you’ll love this slow cooker pumpkin apple bread
- Full of autumn flavours: Roasted pumpkin, fresh apple, sultanas and cinnamon make this a lovely seasonal bake.
- A different way to bake bread: Use your slow cooker to make a homemade yeasted loaf without relying entirely on your oven.
- A great way to use leftover pumpkin: If you have roasted pumpkin for another recipe, this is a delicious way to use some up.
- Lovely with a cuppa: Enjoy a slice with butter as an afternoon treat or alongside your morning coffee.
- Fruit-filled and gently spiced: The apple and sultanas add fruity sweetness, while cinnamon brings warmth to every slice.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of everyday baking ingredients to make this slow cooker pumpkin apple bread.
- Strong white bread flour – this type of flour is needed for a traditional yeasted loaf.
- Yeast – helps the dough rise and gives the bread its characteristic texture.
- Salt – balances the flavour of the bread.
- Water – brings the dough together. Weighing the water helps you achieve a consistent result.
- Roasted pumpkin – adds colour, moisture and a delicate pumpkin flavour. Allow it to cool before mixing it into the dough. I grate or chop the roasted pumpkin and stir in a little light brown sugar to sweeten it.
- Apple – adds fruity flavour and natural sweetness. Soften the chopped apple as directed in the recipe before adding it.
- Sultanas – add little bursts of sweetness throughout the loaf. Coating them in cinnamon helps distribute the spice.
For the best results, measure your ingredients carefully and follow the quantities in the recipe card below.
Method
- Put the flour in a bowl, then add the yeast on one side, and the salt on the other.
- Pour in the water and mix by hand until it forms a dough.
- Knead for ten minutes until smooth and elastic, then put the dough in a bowl and cover, leaving it to rise for an hour.
- Mix the roasted pumpkin, apple and sultanas into the dough. If it seems too moist, add a little more flour. Knead the dough again until elastic.
- Leave the dough to rise again, for another hour.
- Transfer the dough to your lined slow cooker pot. Note: I used a large oval slow cooker to bake this loaf, 5.7 litre. A 3.5 litre slow cooker will not be big enough.
- Bake on high in the slow cooker for approx 2-3 hrs. Use a tea towel under the lid to stop condensation dripping onto the dough.
- If desired, transfer the loaf to a hot oven for 5-10 minutes to brown the top. This is optional. You can keep the cooking in the slow cooker and flip the loaf over to brown the top and bottom crusts.
- Carefully remove the loaf from your slow cooker and leave to cool on a rack.
- Once cool, slice the bread and spread butter on it, and serve with soup or for a snack with a cup of tea.
Oven Method
If you would like to use the oven instead of your slow cooker to bake this loaf, bake for approx 45 mins to an hour at 180℃ / 350℉.
Test if the bread is fully baked by tapping it on the bottom. If it sounds hollow then it is done.
Recipe Tips
- Let the roasted ingredients cool – hot pumpkin or apple could affect the yeast and make the dough harder to handle.
- Watch the moisture – pumpkin and apple both contain water, so the dough may feel wetter than a plain bread dough. Add extra flour gradually if necessary.
- Give the dough time to rise – use the visual rise of the dough as a guide rather than relying entirely on the clock. On a warm day it may rise quickly, or slowly on a cold day.
- Line the slow cooker – baking paper helps prevent the bread from sticking and makes it easier to lift the loaf out.
- Prevent condensation – follow a suitable slow cooker baking method to keep water from dripping onto the bread.
- Check the loaf regularly – slow cookers vary in temperature, so use the suggested cooking time as a guide.
- Allow the bread to cool – cooling before slicing helps the crumb set and makes the loaf easier to cut neatly.
Storage
Allow the loaf to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. For the best texture and flavour, enjoy the bread fresh.
To freeze for later, slice the bread once cool and freeze the slices in a suitable freezer-safe container or bag, separating them if needed so you can take out individual portions.
Related
If you enjoyed making this loaf why not try one of my other slow cooker bread recipes.
Or try one of my other slow cooker recipes with pumpkin:
Recipe
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Bread
Ingredients
- 500 g (3 cups + 2 tbsp) strong white flour
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 280 g (1 cups + 3 tbsp) water weighed in a jug
- 100 g (¾ cup) roasted pumpkin grated, with a little light brown sugar stirred in
- 1 eating apple chopped and coated in cinnamon, roasted for ten mins to soften
- 1 handful of cinnamon coated sultanas
Instructions
- Put the flour in a bowl, then add the yeast on one side, and the salt on the other.500 g / 3 cups + 2 tbsp strong white flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp salt
- Pour in the water and mix by hand until it forms a dough.280 g / 1 cups + 3 tbsp water
- Knead the dough for ten mins until smooth and elastic, then put in a bowl and cover, leaving it to rise for an hour.
- Mix the roasted pumpkin, apple and sultanas into the dough. If it seems too moist, add a little more flour, a little at. time. Knead the dough again until elastic.100 g / ¾ cup roasted pumpkin, 1 eating apple, 1 handful of cinnamon coated sultanas
- Leave the dough to rise again, for another hour.
- Bake on high in the slow cooker for approx 2-3 hrs, until fully cooked through.
- Flip the loaf over in the slow cooker to brown the top and bottom.Optional: To brown the crust in the oven, bake for 5-10 minutes at 180°C. Test if the bread is fully baked by tapping it on the bottom. If it sounds hollow then it is done.
Notes
- Let the roasted ingredients cool – hot pumpkin or apple could affect the yeast and make the dough harder to handle.
- Watch the moisture – pumpkin and apple both contain water, so the dough may feel wetter than a plain bread dough. Add extra flour gradually if necessary.
- Give the dough time to rise – use the visual rise of the dough as a guide rather than relying entirely on the clock. On a warm day it may rise quickly, or slowly on a cold day.
- Line the slow cooker – baking paper helps prevent the bread from sticking and makes it easier to lift the loaf out.
- Prevent condensation – follow a suitable slow cooker baking method to keep water from dripping onto the bread.
- Check the loaf regularly – slow cookers vary in temperature, so use the suggested cooking time as a guide.
- Allow the bread to cool – cooling before slicing helps the crumb set and makes the loaf easier to cut neatly.
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