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If you’ve gotten into bread baking even the tiniest bit, you know that it usually involves a very hot oven. That’s the draw of slow cooker bread – you don’t have to heat up your kitchen and yet you still get a reliably delicious loaf of homemade bread (in this case stuffed with Jalapeño Cheddar flavor) every time!
This is an easy yeasted bread but it does involve a little bit of kneading, which you can absolutely do by hand if you don’t happen to have a mixer with a dough hook. Once you’ve created a smooth ball of dough from your flour, yeast, sugar, water, and oil, you add plenty of pickled jalapeños and shredded cheddar…
… and then gently stir it all together.
After giving the dough a chance to rest and rise, you place it in a slow cooker lined with parchment paper and then hang some paper towels over the top before putting the lid on. This helps absorb any extra liquid and keeps the loaf from coming out soggy.
This bread takes between two and three hours in the slow cooker and it turns out a soft loaf. Slow cooker bread never turns out the crusty exterior you get in an oven, but if you desire a little bit of crunch you can put the cooked loaf under your broiler for a little bit to brown up.
This is a loaf that’s moist but not dense and so full of flavor. The pickled jalapeños aren’t overly spicy at all and they’re balanced by the cheddar and the tender crumb of the bread. It’s perfect snacking bread but it’s especially great with a bowl of chili!
Slow Cooker Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
Yield(s): Serves 6
15m prep time
3h cook time
3h inactive
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry active yeast
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeño rings, drained and patted dry
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Preparation
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (or a large bowl), mix water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until mixture becomes bubbly, about 5 minutes.
- Once yeast has become bubbly, add salt, olive oil, and flour. Using a dough hook, mix on medium speed for 5-6 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. (If you don’t have an electric mixer, knead dough by hand.)
- Add jalapeños and cheddar and mix gently until incorporated. (You can also knead these in using your hands.) Dust top with flour and cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let rest in a warm area until dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a ball.
- Line slow cooker with parchment paper and place dough inside. Drape paper towels over the top of the slow cooker before putting the lid on. This will absorb any moisture to keep it from dripping on the bread.
- Turn slow cooker on high and cook until bread feels slightly firm to the touch and is golden brown on the bottom, 2-3 hours. Remove from crockpot and place under broiler in oven for 2-3 minutes if crispier crust is desired.
- Let cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Lazy Suzan.