One of the benefits of baking bread in the summer is that it’s usually warm enough to get a good rise.
There’s no turning on the oven just to make sure it’s hot enough for the yeast to do its job.
But once the bread has risen, most recipes call for dozens of minutes of baking in an oven that seems to heat the whole house. This is the price to pay for fresh bread.
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Unless the bread is baked in a slow cooker. This old-fashioned kitchen appliance is the real star of the show with this honey wheat bread.
I love all kinds of fun kitchen gadgets, but again and again go back to the slow cooker. When highs are over 90 for a week in a row, we scour cookbooks for slow cooker options. Sure, it’s great to come home to a slow cooker full of soup in February, but it’s just as amazing in July.
Baking bread in the slow cooker takes a bit longer than the oven, and depending on the model, there’s usually not such precise temperature control.
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This bread took about 90 minutes on high to reach an internal temperature of 190. This time will vary depending on the size and functionality of each slow cooker.
The bread doesn’t need to be risen twice, like many breads, so even though it takes longer to bake, the overall process is actually faster than a traditional bread recipe because it spends slow cooker blender for a short rise and then on cooking without having to be punched.
Since the slow cooker does not brown bread the same way an oven does, it is very important to check the temperature of the bread before removing it from the slow cooker.
To get a golden crust — which isn’t necessary, but makes the bread prettier — go straight from the slow cooker to the broiler. Using the broiler for a few minutes doesn’t heat the whole house the same way as using the oven to cook – the broiler doesn’t even heat the whole oven.
In this application, it is enough to toast the top a little to give it the expected color.
The best part about this bread isn’t how it’s baked, it’s how it tastes when baked. I love a good honey wheat combo and this bread is everything.
There’s a little more all-purpose flour than whole-wheat flour in the mix, but still enough whole-wheat to give it that rustic flavor. The crumb is soft and tight.
I’ve almost exclusively eaten slices with a little butter spread, but it would be really good with peanut butter or even homemade jam.
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Slow Cooker Honey Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour.
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (also called quick rise).
- 1 teaspoon of salt.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 3 tablespoons of honey.
- 1 1/4 cup warm water.
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the flours, baking powder and salt. Then add olive oil, honey and lukewarm water. Mix on low speed or by hand until the dough comes together and begins to pull away from the bowl.
- Knead the bread dough for six to eight minutes or until the dough is less sticky. This can be done by hand on a floured surface or in the stand mixer. This dough should be soft, but firm enough to knead. If the dough is too sticky or soft, add all-purpose flour one tablespoon at a time. If it’s too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time.
- Place the dough in the middle of a piece of parchment paper large enough to line the slow cooker. Then place the parchment paper with the dough in the slow cooker and cover with a lid.
- Turn the slow cooker to warm and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Then, set the slow cooker to high and cook for 90 minutes to two hours, until the bread has a crust and a thermometer inserted into the bread registers 190.
- Set the grill to high. Using the parchment paper, transfer the bread to a baking sheet. Cut off the excess parchment. Bake for three to five minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Let cool for about 15 minutes, then slice.
Recipe by 31 Daily at https://www.31daily.com/rustic-slow-cooker-honey-whole-wheat-bread/.
