Slow-Cooker Whole Wheat Bread
When you crave a fresh loaf of bread but don't want to turn on the oven, this is the perfect solution. Slow cookers keep bread dough warm and moist as it rises, then bakes it to perfection. The one thing missing from crockpot bread is a browned crust, but with whole wheat flour, it is not noticeable.
Servings: 10; Prep time: 3 hours, 30 minutes; 20 minutes active
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
Nutritional Information
180 calories, 1 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 240 mg. sodium, 38 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. fiber, 6 g. protein
DirectioNS
Place a piece of parchment paper in the cooker, covering the bottom and at least part way up the sides.
1. In a large bowl, stir the water, yeast and honey. Let the yeast bubble a little bit, it should be foamy in about five minutes. Add the flours and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is stiff, then switch to kneading with your hand. In the bowl or on a lightly floured counter, knead the dough for about five minutes.
2. Form the dough into a round ball and place in the slow cooker on the parchment paper. Cover and let stand for 1 hour to rise.
3. Turn the cooker on high and cook for 2 hours. Use an instant read thermometer to test the temperature of the middle of the loaf, it is baked through at 180-200⁰F If the loaf has not reached that temperature, cover and cook for another 15 minutes, until it reaches 180⁰F.
4. Use the parchment to lift the finished loaf out of the cooker, and cool on a rack.
