If you are short on time and still want to enjoy homemade bread from scratch, slow cooker no knead bread is a great solution. This delicious rustic loaf can be yours with only minutes of prep!
I love to make no-knead bread when I want to bake a loaf but don’t have the time for all that kneading and watching the oven.
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What is no knead bread
Have you come across no knead bread before?
It is a way to avoid the tedious and sometimes lengthy kneading step when you are making yeasted bread.
Instead of kneading you leave the dough to rise for much longer than normal, and the gluten strands develop during this process instead of through the process of kneading.
Combining this with baking the bread in the slow cooker or crockpot means the whole bread making process is pretty hands off!
That’s why I love making this slow cooker no knead bread, it is great when you are short on time.
This easy no knead bread recipe is perfect to prepare the night before so you can enjoy homemade bread the next day with very little hands on time!
Preparation the day before
The only preparatory step needed is to mix together the ingredients to a dough and leave to prove in a bowl overnight. That’s it!
The next morning, I shape the dough into a boule shape (round), dredge with flour, put it in the slow cooker pot on baking paper and leave to bake for a couple of hours.
Turn it over about 30 minutes from the end to ensure the top is not soft and doughy. See the step by step instructions below with pictures too.
All the taste of a homebaked loaf of bread but without all the hassle!
As long as you can remember to make the dough up the day before you want it, and can spare 5 minutes to do that, that’s all you need to do.
Ingredients
You only need these four ingredients!
- bread flour
- yeast
- salt
- water
Which flour to use
This rustic loaf was made using a Wessex cobber bread flour from Wessex Mill that I picked up at the local farm shop, which is a malted flour similar to granary flour.
It contains malted wheat flakes and the loaf produced has a nice malty nutty flavour. You can see it has a nice light brown colour.
You can certainly also use a normal strong white or brown flour instead, for a smoother more uniform loaf.
Do make sure you choose a a strong flour made for making bread with though. That’s what you will need for this slow cooker no knead bread recipe.
Step by step instructions
Step 1. In a large bowl place your flour, yeast and salt. Make sure you put the yeast and salt in on different sides of the bowl (salt kills yeast).
Step 2. Add lukewarm water.
Step 3. Mix together util it forms a dough. Remember, you don’t need to knead it!
Step 4. Bring the dough together into a ball. Now cover it with clingfilm and leave overnight. I left mine from 3pm to the next morning as it was during a cold spell. In the summer it would take less time.
Step 5. Next morning, check that the dough has now doubled in size as mine has here, you can now bake it.
Step 6. Take the dough out of the bowl, form it into a ball shape and place on baking paper.
Step 7. Dredge over a little flour and put it in the slow cooker on the baking paper.
Step 8. Place a clean tea towel under the slow cooker lid, put the lid on and fold the edges of the tea towel over the top of the lid.
Cook on high for 2 hours. Check during baking. Turn over and bake for another 30 minutes.
Step 9. Check that the loaf is cooked through by tapping the base and ensuring it sounds hollow. Also check that no areas of the crust still look doughy.
To be totally sure, you can use a Thermapen or similar food thermometer to check the internal temperature (bread needs to reach around 90°C or 190°F).
Keep cooking until you are sure it is fully cooked. Once cooked, remove from the pot, allow to cool. Then slice and enjoy!
More slow cooker bread
If you’ve been bitten by the slow cooker bread bug, then I have plenty more recipes you can try:
- get all the info in my guide to easy slow cooker bread
- mozzarella and herb soda bread
- cinnamon and raisin bread
- tomato and paprika bread
- spinach and feta foccaccia
- cheesy cornbread
There are even more in my Bread archives. Baking in a slow cooker is a hobby of mine so make sure you check out all the amazing things you can bake in your crockpot too.
If you want to branch out with your breadmaking after getting hooked by no knead bread, and try making sourdough, this easy recipe from the Clever Carrot is perfect for beginners.
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Recipe
Slow Cooker No Knead Bread
Ingredients
- 480 g bread flour I used malted
- 1 sachet yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 280 ml tepid water
Equipment
Video
Instructions
- Put the flour in a bowl and add the yeast on one side of the bowl and the salt on the other.480 g bread flour, 1 sachet yeast, 1 tsp salt
- Pour in the water and mix together to form a dough.280 ml tepid water
- Bring the dough together into a ball.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave for 12-16 hours overnight, to prove, in a warm place.
- After the overnight prove, the dough should have doubled in size.
- From the dough into a ball, place on baking paper and dredge with a little flour.
- Place the dough and baking paper into the slow cooker pot. Put the lid on and put a tea towel under the lid, folding up the sides over the top of the lid.
- Cook on high for 2 hours. Turn over and cook for 30 minutes more.
- Check it is cooked through either by tapping to check it sounds hollow, inspecting for doughy areas or using a thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 90 degrees Celsius.
- Remove from the slow cooker, allow to cool, slice and enjoy.
DIANE says
JUST WANT TO ASK, WHY TURN OVER THE DOUGH? I’M SURE IT’S HOT, AND STICKY. REALLY? SHOULD YOU REALLY TURN IT OVER? I FEEL GOOFY ASKING BUT I’M CONFUSED.. THANKS
DIANE says
I MUST SAY I AM INTERESTED IN MAKING THIS BREAD, LOOKS AND SOUNDS EASY., BUT MY QUESTION IS DO YOU ACTUALLY TAKE THE BREAD OUT OF THE CROCK POT AND TURN IT OVER? SOUNDS FUNNY. IF SO AND I HEAR BACK FROM YOU, I WILL DEFINTELY WILL MAKE IT. LOVE THE CROCKPOT AND USE IT ALOT, AND HAVE ALSO MADE DIFFERENT BREADS IN IT, BUT I LIKE THE LOOKS OF THIS ONE. THANK YOU.
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Diane! Great! Yes we turn it over so that the top browns with contact with the slow cooker pot (the top goes to the bottom). It won’t be soft at that point. Let me know how you get on!
Jo Whittingham says
I’ve just put by dough to prove….. I’m wondering, do I need to warm the SC first or do I just put it on when I put the bread in to bake?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Jo, just put it on when you put the bread in.
Sarah Wood says
I would like to make this recipe but what I need to know is I have 2.4L slow cooker. Would the recipe still be the same as in the amount of flour salt, etc and would the timings have to be changed?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Sarah. I’ve only tried this in my large slow cooker and have never used a slow cooker of that size unfortunately. It might be best to halve the ingredients and make a smaller loaf as I am not sure the full recipe will fit. As for timings, they depend on your slow cooker so I would recommend following the tips in the method to see when the bread is cooked through (check for doughy areas, check temp, tap the base etc). I would say it would take at least 1.5 hours but it is best to check and look out for burning.
Camilla Hawkins says
This loaf looks amazing, must look out for that flour and also try baking in my slow cooker!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Camilla it is so easy!
Choclette says
I have made no-knead bread before and I’m always impressed with how well it turns out. Yours is such a simple recipe, yet it looks magnificent and I like the sound of that flour too. Bravo your slow cooker.
Janice says
That looks fantastic, I must give it a try.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Janice, I love how easy it is!
Jane says
This is GENIUS!!! Am so giving it a go right now!
bakingqueen74 says
Marvellous!!
Chica Andaluza says
Looking forward to trying this as I use my slow cooker a lot, but have never used it to make bread!
bakingqueen74 says
Marvellous, please let me know if you try it!