Easy Sourdough Crockpot Bread that only takes 3 hours to make. No starter needed! Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and come back to a quick homemade crusty bread!
Simply said, making bread in the crockpot will change your life. So many of you guys have made my 2 Hour Crockpot Bread, makers are usually skeptic in the beginning, but turn into believers at the end. Now I’m here to share my next slow cooker recipe, Sourdough Crockpot Bread – my family cannot get enough of this homemade bread!
Need help making it? Watch my recipe video:
Ingredients
You’ll need a crockpot and these ingredients, which I’m guessing you probably already have in your kitchen!
- Water (warm)
- sugar
- active dry yeast
- salt
- vegetable oil
- all purpose flour
- plain yogurt
Sourdough Bread Without Starter
You might be looking at the ingredients above and think it’s missing something. Ok, so here’s the thing. This bread is kinda cheating. This bread is supposed to be quick and easy, and most sourdough breads are not that. So before you start commenting – this is sourdough tasting bread – without the starter.
What? But how?
The secret ingredient (but not so secret because I’m sharing it) is yogurt. Yup, just good ol sour tasting yogurt makes this bread taste like sourdough, without even having to make a sourdough starter. You guys, I told you, it’s going to change your lives.
How to Bake Homemade Bread
This recipe is easy to make, and even great for bread making beginners.
Add warm water to a large bowl. Add your sugar and stir until it’s dissolved.
Add active dry yeast into bowl and give it a stir again.
Let the yeast sit in the water for 15 minutes. During this time it should turn foamy. I find that letting it sit in a warm spot helps the yeast. If it’s not super warm in my apartment I will let it sit in the microwave for this time (don’t turn the microwave on obviously, it’s just a warm spot for it to sit).
Now add salt, vegetable oil and all purpose flour.
Now the most important ingredient to make this into Sourdough bread, add the plain yogurt!
Mix with hands until everything is combined. If the bread feels too wet, add another 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes and form into a round ball.
Place dough into a bowl that’s been coated with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap.
Sit in a warm spot for 45 minutes to rise, doubling in size. Make sure to check out my tips below on this!
Add parchment paper to your crockpot, letting it go up the sides of it as well. This will prevent the bread from sticking to the sides when it rises. I also spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray to be extra safe.
Add dough on top of parchment paper.
Bake for 2 hours on HIGH. When 2 hours is up, a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread will be waiting for you!
The next step is optional, but highly recommended. If you want a crispy brown top on your bread, then brush some butter on top of your bread. You don’t need much butter here, a little goes a long way.
Now turn your oven on to BROIL. Once the oven is heated up, add your bread on top of a baking sheet, and cook for 1 minute, watching it the entire time. The bread will QUICKLY burn, so watch it very carefully. If it’s not browned after 1 minute, then cook a little longer, but seriously watch it constantly.
And ta-da! Look at this GORGEOUS Sourdough Bread that you made in the crockpot!
Can you rise dough in the oven?
This is a technique I’ve been using because I find that during the Winter months my bread doesn’t rise as well in the Summer.
Turn your oven on to 175-200 degrees and allow it to heat up to that. Turn the oven off (this is really important – make sure the oven is off!) and let it sit for a couple minutes. Now add your bowl of dough (usually with plastic wrap on it) on baking sheet and put it in the oven.
The oven temperature will be low enough to be safe for your bowl, and also warm enough for your bread to rise. This always helps my dough double in size, making a fluffy loaf!
I hope you all love this Sourdough Crockpot Bread as much as my family does! Enjoy!
Love bread? Make sure to check out my Homemade Bread Machine Pizza Dough, Fluffy Rolls and Bread Machine Sweet Hawaiian Rolls!
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Sourdough Crockpot Bread
PrintIngredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
Instructions
- Pour warm water into a large bowl. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Add yeast and stir. Let sit for about 15 minutes until foamy. I find that it works best if you place it in a warm spot.
- Add salt and vegetable oil in bowl and stir.
- Add flour and yogurt and mix with hands until everything is combined. If the bread feels too wet, add another 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Knead the dough for 5 minutes and form into a round ball.
- Place dough in olive oil coated bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Sit in a warm spot for 45 minutes to rise, doubling in size.
- Add parchment paper to your crockpot, letting it go up the sides of it as well. This will prevent the bread from sticking to the sides when it expands. I also spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray to be extra safe.
- Place your dough into slow cooker on top of parchment paper. Close the lid.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
- The next step is optional, but highly recommended. If you want a crispy brown top on your bread, then brush some butter on top of your bread. You don’t need much butter here, a little goes a long way. Now turn your oven on to BROIL. Once the oven is heated up, add your bread on top of a baking sheet, and cook for 1 minute, watching it the entire time. The bread will QUICKLY burn, so watch it very carefully. If it’s not browned after 1 minute, then cook a little longer, but seriously watch it constantly.
- Enjoy!
Deborah Butler says
This is not a sourdough bread recipe. Sourdough bread uses an active sourdough starter as the rising agent, not yeast. Please correct the recipe title.
Pamela Reed says
Thanks for your thoughts Deborah, but for many people this is a great alterative sourdough bread recipe if they don’t have a starter.
Darlene says
I have a silicone bread pan can I put the dough in it inside my crockpot
Barbara says
I made this today. Awesome and delicious!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
Joyce says
Just made this for the 2nd time, modifying the ingredients for a gluten-free loaf. OMG! So quick to put together, and it tastes divine. I used oat flour, oat bran and 1/4 cup flax seeds. I think your recipe is quite “forgiving” and you can get creative with ingredients that you want to use for special dietary reasons etc. Will be making this routinely. Thank you for your always great recipes.
Shirley says
I made this the other night for dinner my family’s loved it. My picky eater even ask for 2nd,she really loved it.
Lynn Loughran says
I made this yesterday, so simple and loved the texture. Never did crock pot bread and turned out perfect. Passed it along to my daughter, who just received a new blender with a dough attachment. Thought it the perfect recipe to use and just dump into the crock pot. How much easier does it get.
Anise says
This was delicious! I don’t have an oven, I live in the Caribbean. I have a small convection countertop oven that is too small to bake bread with. I have sourdough starter, so instead of the yogurt I used starter. Next time I’ll experiment with a round container inside the crockpot to keep its shape. It cooked perfectly and was delicious.
Dale Sigler says
Haven’t tried yet, but will shortly. Two questions tho:
1. Why so much yeast? Most of my bread recipes call for 2 1/2 teaspoons.
2. Can I do this with gluten free flour and xanthem gum? I have a gluten intolerance issue.
Karen says
What size crockpot do you recommend?
Pamela Reed says
I use a 6 quart and it’s perfect.
Tricia says
Can olive oil be substituted for vegetable oil?
KBlondi13 says
I have subbed olive oil as it was all I had on hand and it came out perfectly!
Emily says
I made this twice, and it was so good! I’ve recently discovered that a lot of crockpots have toxic elements to their bowls so I’m trying to start making more things in the oven. Can you adapt this to the oven? Thank you!
Jill says
Made it twice. Recipe is perfect. Delicious bread. Thanks for posting!