Slow Cooker Sourdough Bread
A simple, no-knead sourdough bread recipe that you can make in your slow cooker. No need to worry about turning on your oven during the hotter months of the year!
I am so excited to share this slow-cooker sourdough bread recipe! Now you can make sourdough bread all year long without turning on your oven.
Because the bread is cooked in a slow cooker, the crust turns out softer and lighter than when it's baked in the oven. We offer a solution in the tips for success section for browning the crust.
Sample baking schedule
- 8 PM: Feed sourdough starter.
- 8 AM: Mix dough, cover and rest for 1 hour.
- 9 AM: First set of stretches and folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- 9:30 AM: Second set of stretches and folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- 10 AM: Third set of stretches and folds. Cover and rest for 2 hours.
- 12 PM: Shape dough, cover and rest 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- 1:30 PM: Place dough in slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour.
- 2:30 PM: Place towel between the lid and slow cooker. Cook for one more hour.
Step-by-step instructions
This recipe is very similar to our country loaf sourdough bread, but with a few adjustments to make it in the slow cooker. Let's dive into the details!
Step 1
Make sure to feed your sourdough starter 12 hours before mixing the dough so that it is active and bubbly.
Step 2
Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits and the dough looks like a shaggy mass.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest on the counter for 1 hour.
Step 3
Perform 3 sets of stretches and folds 30 minutes apart. While the dough is still in the bowl, pick up one side with a wet hand to perform a set. Pull it up and over itself.
Turn the bowl and repeat this action on four sides of the dough until the bowl has formed a full circle. Cover the dough and allow it to ferment at room temperature for 1 ½ - 2 hours.
Step 4
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to form it into a loose ball. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Final shape the dough and transfer it to a lined banneton, seam-side up.
Step 5
Cover the banneton with a piece of plastic and let rest on the counter for 1 - ½ hours.
Step 6
Lightly spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and place it in the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker onto the HIGH setting and allow it to cook for 1 hour.
This is what the dough will look like after 1 hour in the slow cooker.
Step 7
Remove the lid, place a clean kitchen towel over the top of the slow cooker, and put the lid back on. Cook for one additional hour on HIGH.
Step 8
Check the internal temperature of the bread using a digital food thermometer. It is done when it registers at least 200°F (93°C). Remove the bread from the slow cooker and cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours before cutting.
How to Store
Store the bread at room temperature in a bread bag wrapped in a kitchen towel or beeswax wrap. You can also store the bread, sliced-side down, on a cutting board with a cake stand top covering it. Do not refrigerate.
Full loaves or individual slices wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and inserted into a freezer-safe container can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Tips for Success
- Kitchen temperature is an important factor in determining the rising time for your dough. We test our recipes in a 68°F (20°C) kitchen so that you can adjust your rising times accordingly. In colder kitchens, you will need more rising time, and in warmer kitchens, you will need less.
- If you'd like to make this bread with only bread flour, make the following adjustments: 4 cups + 2 tablespoons (500 g) of bread flour and 1 ⅓ cups + 1 teaspoon (325 g) of water.
- If you'd like the crust to be darker, place it under your oven broiler to brown it to your desired color after it has finished cooking in the slow cooker.
- If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the scoop and level technique to measure flour. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Then, use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
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Slow Cooker Sourdough Bread
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) water
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 ⅓ cups + 2 tablespoons (350 g) water
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) whole wheat flour
- 3 ¾ cups (450 g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed Your Sourdough Starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- Mix Dough Ingredients: Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits and the dough looks like a shaggy mass. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest on the counter for 1 hour.
- Stretch and fold: Perform three sets of stretches and folds, 30 minutes apart. To perform a set, while the dough is still in the bowl, pick up one side with a wet hand. Pull it up and over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action on four sides of the dough until the bowl has come full circle. Cover the dough and allow to ferment at room temperature according to the following temperatures. 68 - 70°F (20 - 21°C) 2 - 2 ½ hours72 - 75°F (22 - 24°C) 1- 1 ½ hoursThe dough is ready for shaping when it has risen about 20-30% and has bubbles around the edges of the bowl.
- Shaping: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to form it into a loose ball. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Lightly flour the surface of the dough ball and use a bench scraper to turn it over. Final shape the dough by pulling the side nearest yourself up and towards the center of the dough. Repeat on all fours sides of the dough. Flip the dough over, seam-side down, and use your hands to twist the dough on the counter. Cup the dough with your hands and gently pull it towards yourself to create a tight skin on the outside. Flour the outside of the dough ball. Flour the inside of a banneton and place the dough ball into the banneton, seam-side up. Cover the bowl with a large plastic bag and let rest on the counter for 1 - ½ hours.
- Slow Cook: Lightly spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and place it into the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker onto the HIGH setting and allow to slow cook for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid, place a clean kitchen towel over the the top of the slow cooker and place the lid back on. Cook for 1 additional hour on HIGH.
- Cool: Check the internal temperature of the bread using a digital food thermometer. It is done when it registers at least 200°F (93°C). Remove the bread from the slow cooker and cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours before cutting. (If you would like a darker crust, place the bread under the oven broiler until it reaches desired color.)
NOTES
- This recipe can be made with all bread flour. To adjust, use 4 cups + 2 tablespoons (500 g) of bread flour and 1 ⅓ cups + 1 teaspoon (325 g) of water. (Take note the the bread will be a very light color.)
- Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
- Take care to be gentle with the dough during the stretch and fold process. Only stretch the dough until it starts to tighten and no more. These 3 sets should take 1.5 hours to complete.
- Store your bread at room temperature, wrapped in a kitchen towel or beeswax wrap. You can also store the bread, slice down, on a cutting board with a cake stand top covering the bread. It is not recommended to store sourdough bread in the fridge as it will become hard.
- Freeze full loaves or individual slices wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and inserted into a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can. The first hour that the bread is in the slow cooker it is essentially proving, meaning that it is still rising at a higher ambient temperature. This is why this slow cooker sourdough bread's second rising time is shorter.
Your slow cooker, Yay! You can also use a roasting pan, a bread loaf pan, or bake it directly on a baking stone in the oven. (Use our sourdough country loaf instructions.)
You can use a mixing bowl lined with a tea towel if you don't have a banneton.
The dough continues to rise while it's in the slow cooker and will spread slightly. The bread will not have the "oven spring" that you get when you bake sourdough bread in the oven ,so expect it not to be as tall either.
love the lighter crust on my sourdough. Good flavor however I would like a bit more of a sour flavor. I will attempt to refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours in order to get more flavor.
Thank you for this creative method for making sourdough bread! I wanted to comment for those who try this using the slow cooker function on their Instant Pot, as I did. I followed the recipe to the letter, and after the two hours in the Instant Pot, using slow cooker set on "high", the loaf wasn't cooked through. It registered about 173 degrees. So I popped on the air fryer lid for my Instant Pot and set it to 400 degrees on air fry. I air fried the loaf for 10 minutes on one side, then flipped the loaf upside down and went another 10 minutes on the other side. Note that I took out the parchment paper before air frying and just had the loaf loose in the Instant Pot. It worked perfectly! This fully cooked the loaf and it was brown and just the right amount of crispy crust. There may some difference in performance between the Instant Pot slow cooker function and a dedicated slow cooker. But this worked for me and I hope it will for any Instant Pot users too. Thanks again!
Great recipe instructions clear made a great loaf of bread
I make this recipe all the time I like the softer crusts
I usually go up to after the resting for 20mins I shape put into a Banton then straight into the fridge till the next day and from fridge straight into the slow cooker
Makes wonderful bread
I made this bread last summer and it was delicious without heating up the kitchen with the oven. Thank you for this wonderful life saving recipe! Even though there’s no need to score for steam to escape, could you still do a shallow decorative score pattern?
This is such a great recipe, thank you! I have been making it in my 6 qt slow cooker but it seems to have developed a hot spot so one corner of the bread is getting too dark and hard. Is it possible to split this recipe in half and make it in a 3 qt for a smaller loaf?
What is the capacity of the slow cooker used in this recipe ?
A 6 or 7 quart will be fine.
Have you tried using the crock pot to make rye bread? Would the recipe amounts be the same as the recipe you used? or can I make the recipe I have and just cook it in the crock pot?
Hi Margaret, we are testing out a sourdough rye bread recipe!
I got a sourdough starter off a friend and followed this recipie. Wow! It came out so good! Thankyou! I'm sure going to be making some more of your recipes.
Could you cook this in a loaf tin in your slow cooker?
Yes you can if it fits inside of the liner.