How To Bake Bread In A Crock Pot Or Slow Cooker

Baking with a crock pot? You might not believe that this can be done but I am here to say that it can! I have made delicious bread pudding in my crock pot and when the temperatures soar to 100 degrees, it is a wonderful tool to be able to use instead of a conventional oven.

Part of culinary basics is being able to improvise and think of new and innovative ways to create standard dishes - baking with your crock pot is one such cooking technique.

There are many great books on baking in a crock pot on the market. Check some of them out below.

Baking in your crock pot is a wonderful tool to add to your culinary basics arsenal!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs, beaten (or substitute 3/4 cup egg substitute)
• 3-1/2 cups non-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired
• 3 cups bread cubes or soft torn bread or rolls
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins (golden or regular)
• 1 banana, sliced, optional OR
• 2 apples, cubed, optional OR
• 2 peaches, cubed, optional

PREPARATION

1. Spray inside of crock pot insert with cooking spray to avoid sticking and make clean-up easier. I spray a few inches up from the bottom.
2. Combine all ingredients.
3. Gently stir until bread crumbs or cubes are thoroughly moistened.
4. Place mixture in the greased slow cooker.
5. Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Serve hot or cold.
   

There are many, many recipes that you can cook up in your slow cooker or crock pot that are hearty and delicious - here are some of my favorites! I have a wonderful cookbook called Fix It and Forget It and it has most all these recipes in it!

• Tapioca Pudding
• Rice Pudding
• Baked Apples with Raisins
• Caramel Apples
• Fruit Compotes
• Scandinavian Fruit Soup
• Applesauce
• Scalloped Pineapples
• Lemon Pudding Cake
• Cranberry Pudding
• Black and Blue Cobbler
• Pumpkin Pie Pudding
• Apple Crumble
• Apple Cake
• Harvey Wallbanger Cake
• Chocolate Fondue
• Hot Fudge Cake
• Chocolate Pudding Cake
• Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
• Corn Bread
• Lemon Bread
• Gingerbread
• Whole Wheat Bread

I think you get the idea! There are a lot of recipes that are already created or that you can create yourself by using your crock pot! My favorite one was making tapioca pudding - although I have to say we had enough tapioca to feed the city. It was wonderfully delicious though.

Using the crock pot to bake bread is just one more wonderful way to bake in your slow cooker.

Here are some great tips!

• If baking bread, you can use 1, 2 or 3-pound coffee or nut cans - or any metal mold that holds 4, 8 or 12 cups of batter or ingredients (including copper molds)
• Double thickness of paper towels
• Aluminum foil or a small rack that fits inside the crock pot
• For baking breads, you usually will grease the inside of the can or mold (or spray lightly with cooking spray) and then fill the can or mold about half full to allow for rising
• Baking in a crock pot occurs when heat is allowed to circulate around the can or mold so you would either crumble up some aluminum foil to elevate the can off the bottom of the cooker, or place a small wire rack in the bottom of the slow cooker to allow that circulation around the bottom - you want the can or mold about 1 inch off the bottom
• Cover the dough or mixture with a couple layers of paper towel - unless the mold or can has a lid - then apply loosely
• Place the crock pot lid back on the cooker
• Most often, crock pot baking is done on HIGH but check the recipe you are using for specific directions
• Lift off the slow cooker lid to check for doneness - but do not lift too often as it takes roughly 20 minutes for the crock pot to get back to the temperature it was at before the lid was removed!
• Remove the mold or can from the crock pot with pot holders or paper towels
• Trick to removing the finished product after a bit of cooling? Use a can opener to take off the bottom of the can and then slowly, gently push the finished bread or product out the other end with the butt end of the can!

On those days when your oven is full like at the holidays or your kitchen is boiling hot because of the weather - you have another option! Baking in your crock pot or slow cooker.

Check out some of the great cake recipes as well for cooking in your crock pot!

Let creativity be your guide as you can substitute different kinds of bread such as raisin bread or cinnamon bread for a bread pudding recipe.

You can substitute different fruits or berries for different kinds of bread pudding for instance - or add to a tapioca recipe for a delicious twist.

Using your crock pot or slow cooker is a very efficient way to ramp up your culinary basics and the ease with which most foods are created in it makes it a must in my kitchen. I use mine routinely at least 2-3 times per week and baking is just one more way I've found to enjoy it.