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. Well, this recipe for using the Crock Pot does just that.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt I used non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 3.5 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a bowl combine your warm water, sugar and yeast. I used a fork to break up any clumps of yeast. You'll want to let it bloom for 5-10 minutes. Remember, you want it to be frothy and bubbly so you know fermentation is happening.
- Once bloomed, add your vegetable oil and Greek yogurt and stir.
- Combine the salt and flour in a mixing bowl.
- Combine the yogurt mix in with the flour and salt.
- 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 45-90 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 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.
- 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. Cover 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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 446mgPotassium: 86mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values, if included with the recipe, are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability/substitution and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!