Can I Cook Bread In A Slow Cooker

We all know that trips to the supermarket have become even less enjoyable – and possible – recently. Many items are missing from the shelves; making everything all that little bit harder.

If you're struggling to get hold of bread at the moment, did you ever think of making it yourself? Admittedly, the idea of making bread from scratch can seem a little daunting, but not if you make it in your slow cooker!

This is the easiest homemade bread you'll ever make.

Makes: 6 - 8

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 mins

Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins

envelope active dry yeast

1 tbsp.

sugar

360 ml

luke-warm water

450 g

plain flour

2 tbsp.

extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp.

salt

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Line a slow cooker with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine yeast and sugar. Add water and stir until combined. Add flour, olive oil and salt and stir until combined and a shaggy dough begins to form.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it becomes smooth and soft, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a ball, then place in slow cooker. Cook on high until golden on the bottom and cooked through, about 2 hours. (The internal temperature should be about 90°C but bread won't be golden on top.) Carefully remove bread from slow cooker.
To crisp up the crust, transfer bread to a baking tray and grill until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

8 Best Slow Cookers For The Easiest Yet Gourmet Dinners

Best Slow Cooker

Crock-Pot SCCPRC507B-060 Slow Cooker

Our top-scoring slow cooker is a simple but classic model that can feed up to six people thanks to its removable (and dishwasher-safe!) 4.7-litre ceramic pot. Our testers also rated its integrated timer that will automatically switch settings so that your food stays warm even after the cooking is done.

On test, the curries, soups and stews were *chefs kiss*. All three scored highly and the meat and veg were cooked just so. The only mark against its name is the lack of auto cook function, but if that's not a feature you're after, this will serve you well.

Key Specs
Capacity: 4.7 litre
Pot: Ceramic
Lid: Glass
Number of heat settings: 2

Best Multi-Cooker

Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker OP500UK

This multi-cooker isn't cheap, but if you want to treat yourself, then it shouldn't disappoint; it moonlights as everything from an airfryer to a dehydrator to a breadmaker. The slow cooking was as good as a dedicated model, too.

In testing, it retained an exceptional 99.27% of our dishes moisture, with even and tasty results – just make sure any meat is fully submerged as we did find that the odd bit of beef became dry where it wasn't covered in sauce.

It's intuitive to use, comes with a recipe book filled with interesting inspo and stayed cool during cooking. It's not lean – although arguably you're saving kitchen space having multiple bits of kit in one – but if you have room in your cupboard, it's a mean cooking machine.

Key Specs
Capacity: 7.5 litre
Pot: Aluminium
Lid: Pressure lid
Number of settings: 9

Best For Feeding Friends

Russell Hobbs 24180 Chalkboard Slow Cooker

Whether you use the chalkboard exterior of this slow cooker as a menu, or invite your pals to decorate it, this slow cooker is certain to bring some fun to any get-together. The 3.5-litre pot fits plenty of food in and whipped up a particularly decent chicken curry on test.

Our testers found that the lid did shake when our cooking got a-bubbling, and water collected a tad in the rim, but the stylish matte black finish would look chic on any countertop. Overall, it makes for a reliable sous-chef.

Key Specs
Capacity: 3.5 litre
Pot: Ceramic
Lid: Glass
Number of heat settings: 3

Best On A Budget

Judge Slow Cooker 1.5L

If you mainly cook for yourself or one other, firstly a slow cooker is the perfect way to whip up delicious meals without feeling like you've spent hours cooking only for the food to vanish in an instant, and second, this budget slow cooker is the one to go for.

The rich beef gravy and scrumptiously thick soup were particular standouts on test and the 1.5-litre design will tuck away nicely in most kitchens. It doesn't have an indicator light and it did spit from time to time when we opened the lid, but we'd say the very appealing price point negates these niggles.

Key Specs
Capacity: 1.5 litres
Pot: Ceramic
Lid: Glass
Number of heat settings: 3

Best For Risotto

Sage Risotto Plus Slow/ Multi Cooker

Inject a bit of la dolce vita into your cooking with this multi-cooker that specialises in making risotto easy. It sautés and steams veggies nicely too, all while impressing on the slow cooker front. It was a high-scorer on test, cooking our meals of choice mouthwateringly.

The exterior kept its cool with no temperature change recorded on the handles, and it was energy efficient too. Its instructions weren't the most detailed but it definitely deserves some bonus points for its sleek design.

Key Specs
Capacity: 3.7 litre
Pot: Aluminium
Lid: Glass
Number of settings: 7

Best Sous Vide Slow Cooker

Russell Hobbs Sous Vide Slow Cooker 25630

From Italy to France, this slow cooker is all about cooking sous-vide aka in a vacuum. All you have to do is pop your food in a pouch – which unfortunately you have to buy separately – and then place it in a temperature-controlled water bath, locking in all the juicy flavours.

It holds its own as a traditional slow cooker too and its 6.5-litre capacity is just what's needed if you like to cater for a crowd. The electronic control panel allows you to easily monitor your cooking and you can manually adjust the cooking duration and temperature. Oh, and the food was top notch. Bon appetite!

Key Specs
Capacity: 6.5 litre
Pot: Ceramic
Lid: Tempered glass
Number of settings: 5

Best For Pressure Cooking

Sage The Fast Slow Pro Slow Cooker

This slow cooker-meets-pressure cooker is a premium machine that was first developed with Heston Blumenthal, and it shows. The serious bit of kit has a great range of pre-sets that let you cook a range of foods to the highest of standards.

It's energy efficient, has a nifty keep warm function and you can save your own settings. The hinged lid is a bit fiddly and it's not small – but with a 6-litre capacity, that's to be expected. We'd give it a Michelin star for sure.

Key Specs
Capacity: 6 litre
Pot: Ceramic
Lid: Stainless steel
Number of heat settings: 3

Best-Looking Slow Cooker

Salter Rose Gold Edition 3.5 Litre Slow Cooker

Cute and compact, this is a winner if you're tight on space or don't want to annoy your flatmates with yet another kitchen appliance. The 3.5-litre pot means you can still cook up a decent feast, and in testing it was easy to use, energy efficient and retained moisture well.

For extra recipe info, it's worth checking out the selection on the Salter website, but don't expect much from the instructions. The pot had a tendency to move when we stirred, too, but it's a fab machine for faff-free chef-ing.

Key Specs
Capacity: 3.5 litre
Pot: Ceramic
Lid: Glass
Number of heat settings: 3

Lauren Miyashiro Food Director Lauren Miyashiro is a contributing recipe developer at Delish, and our former Food Director.

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