Crock Pot Sourdough Bread with Greek Yogurt and No Starter

One of the most popular posts on this blog is our recipe for homemade sourdough bread. Also popular: how to make sourdough starter. But a lot of people — myself included — find making and using a starter a challenge. That’s why Bill does that part of the job. He’s adept at feeding and nurturing a starter. Me? I just want an easy way to make sourdough bread. Unlike other sourdough bread recipes, this one bakes in the Crock Pot.

Easy Sourdough Crockpot Bread with Greek Yogurt and No Starter

The whole reason that sourdough tastes as good as it does is because of the chemical reactions in the active starter. You’ve got fermentation going on, in a good way, that gives the bread that tang. Also, getting your active sourdough starter just right takes time so you can’t just make a loaf whenever your want. You have to pre plan with your starter.

So, if you’re impatient like I am and don’t want to make starter from scratch or wait for it to warm up to room temperature so you can use it but you still want that delicious sourdough bread taste, check this out: by using yeast and Greek yogurt, and then baking your bread in the slow cooker, you get the same great result. Plus, if your kitchen is like mine, then you have plain Greek yogurt already in the refrigerator and at least one packet of yeast in the pantry. That means that when you decide to make this recipe, you don’t have to make a special trip to the supermarket or order in groceries. I’m betting you have everything you need.

I know our readers love our Crock Pot recipes and I think it is going to kind of blow your mind when you discover you can bake bread in a slow cooker. It’s kind of like learning you can make air fryer biscuits. I mean, biscuits baked in the air fryer? Also mind blowing.

Anyway, this is a delicious sourdough bread that is soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Keep in mind: the ceramic crock of your slow cooker replaces the Dutch oven you might use when making a traditional loaf of homemade bread.

Blooming versus Proofing

One of the steps you’re going to take when making this recipe is called blooming. This refers specifically to the activation of dry yeast before it is added to the dough. In this process, you’ll mix dry yeast with warm water and sugar. Then you’ll allow it to sit for a short period — usually 5 to 10 minutes— until it becomes frothy. This step ensures that the yeast is alive and ready to ferment the dough.

Also, you need to do this blooming because, remember, we’re not using sourdough starter for this bread. This blooming step of active dry yeast replaces the starter.

Now, when I first learned about blooming, I thought it was the same as proofing dough. You know, the process where you let the dough rise over time, usually in a bowl covered with a moist towel. Yes, proofing does involve activating yeast and whatnot, but it is later in the pre baking process.

Specifically, proofing is the process of allowing the dough to rise after it has been mixed and kneaded. During proofing, the yeast ferments the sugars in the dough, which produces carbon dioxide gas. That’s what allows the dough to expand and rise.

Some bakers proof dough twice. The first rise, sometimes called bulk fermentation, happens after kneading. Then, the second rise or second proof occurs after you’ve shaped your ball of dough. Anyway, in this recipe you’ll first bloom and then you will proof so the dough can rise.

Slow Cooker Sourdough Bread Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt I used nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1.5 teaspoon salt

Step-by-Step Instructions

In a bowl combine your warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir well so everything dissolves. I used a fork to break up any clumps of yeast.

You’ll want to let it bloom, as described earlier, for 5-10 minutes. Remember, you want it to be frothy and bubbly so you know fermentation is happening. This is what my measuring cup looked like during blooming. Notice how much the mixture rose in just 10 minutes.

Once bloomed, add your vegetable oil and Greek yogurt and stir. You may need to transfer everything from a measuring cup — if you did it like I did — into a large mixing bowl so it doesn’t spill over. This makes sense since in the next step, you’ll want to combine the salt and flour in a mixing bowl anyway. Combine the yogurt mix in with it. If necessary, use your hands to form the dough. Do your best to get it into ball form. The dough will be very wet. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm area to rise for 45 to 90 minutes.

I’ve expanded the rise time to 90 minutes if you’re making this during cold weather. The last time I worked on the recipe, it was about 12 F outside and even with sun streaming in the windows, my kitchen was cold. So I left the dough for half the time to rise and, finally, it doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size it is ready to cook in the slow cooker. Line your slow cooker with a piece of parchment paper. Now it’s time to get the dough ball ready to go into the Crock Pot. You have two options for doing that. Both, though, involve using a floured surface so the dough ball doesn’t stick to everything.

This dough tends to be very sticky. Here are some tips for preventing dough from sticking to your hands.

One, you can just roll your dough into a loaf shape and place in the slow cooker. Or, two, you can use your hands to shape it into a rectangle and then fold each long side in. Then you’ll roll it into a ball. This is how traditional sourdough is shaped. You can score the top if you like. Truth is, it will not keep its design but will give it more of a sourdough look. So this is more for your own aesthetics than anything else.

Place your loaf in the slow cooker. Place the lid on the Crock Pot and cook on high setting for two hours. Note: if your slow cooker is like mine, a high setting only has two time options — four or six hours. So for a recipe that will be slow cooking for less time, I’ll set a timer on my phone so it doesn’t overbake or burn.

After two hours, remove the cover, grasp the corners of the parchment paper and remove the loaf. Let it cool on a cooling rack until the exterior is no longer hot to the touch. Slice, serve and enjoy.

Notes

To be honest, when your two hours are done, you may come over to the crock after two hours and think you did something wrong. I know I did because the top was still a lighter color and hadn’t browned. But once I pulled the parchment paper out and flipped the loaf over, the other side of the bread looked more like what I expected sourdough bread to look like. It had the crunchy crust I expected.

Also, the first time I tried this recipe, I used the same Crock Pot I use for cooking dinners. Turns out, it was too big and the bread baked unevenly. So the next time I downsized to our four-quart slow cooker, also the Crock Pot brand. Anyway, that size was much better for baking the bread evenly. I suppose you could simply double the bread recipe and cook it in the bigger crock. But with only two of us at home right now, it seemed like a waste.

I used Greek yogurt because that’s what we eat and I had on hand in the refrigerator. However, you can easily use plain yogurt or regular yogurt if that’s what you have on hand. I’m guessing even sour cream would work. I’ll often swap sour cream with Greek yogurt.

This recipe calls for vegetable oil. If the only vegetable oil you have is olive oil, go ahead and use it. Make sure to keep a little bit leftover so you can dip your quick homemade crusty bread in it later on.

When making sourdough bread recipes or even sourdough pizza dough, we’ve used bread flour, whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. They all work.