Monday, August 13, 2012

Artisan Bread in the Crockpot


This actually took place in an earlier heat wave, but I wanted to report on my experiment with making bread in the crockpot.

I used recipes and techniques that I found online (links on my pinterest board here).  Overall, it worked.
 

The bread was a bit flat and more like steamed bread, such as Boston brown bread, than artisanal bread.  I thought I was going to get European boules with no effort or skill.  Sigh. But really, as I should know, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Any bread is excellent with Nutella, iced cafe au lait, and peaches. 


This Nutella is not homemade. 

I have other kitchen projects I want to spend my limited time on, so my family just ate a jar of tasty chemicals.  There wasn't really a savings of money, although I could use local cream when I made Nutella.  I am glad to know how to make nut butter in my food processor with the hazelnuts (although I found out that almonds don't work the same way). 

I guess I am trying to tell you that I am not a slave to thrift.  It's usually fun and satisfying for me to make things, but it's not my god.

I'm getting unpacked from a fun weekend and scrabbling around with school supplies.  Stay tuned!
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8 comments:

  1. DiannaAugust 13, 2012 at 10:28 AM

    That's funny, the loaf I tried in the slow cooker came out pretty well. Possibly because I used far too much dough in my round 4-quart, so the sides forced it to rise more, or perhaps because I used white dough instead of whole-grain? I also finished it off under the broiler because the pasty appearance was not appetizing.

    But yours looks good anyway. It's hard to go wrong with artisan bread dough.

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  2. Sew Blessed Maw [Judy]August 13, 2012 at 10:33 AM

    The bread looks yummy, and when you don't have to turn that oven on ,in this heat..yea,yea!!
    Who can go wrong with nutella.. I buy it too. Delicious. My grandkids love it.
    And adding the peaches.. what a wonderful breakfast..

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  3. simplicityinthemakingAugust 13, 2012 at 1:25 PM

    Never tried this. Last time I made mine in the cast iron dutch over. It turned out okay, but not airy.

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  4. RebeccaAugust 13, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    I"m tellin' ya....Tartine Bread.

    Ps. There is the small matter of the 500 degree oven. Sounds like dirty talk in this weather. Perhaps an outdoor bake oven would be a nice little to-do for Mr. Thrift.

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  5. PollyAugust 14, 2012 at 8:34 AM

    Oh man, Nutella is my dietary kryptonite. I could eat it with a spoon.

    There is a 'natural' nutella--Justin's? Jason's? I can't remember. It's at our grocery store and health food store. But it is pretty $$. I don't think it tastes exactly the same, though it has been a long time since I've had real nutella. I think the real deal is smoother, and a bit more chocolatey. But the Justin's or whatever is still pretty doggone good.

    Yum.

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  6. KatyAugust 14, 2012 at 2:56 PM

    You might have better results if you prop the lid open with a chopstick. I have baked gluten free bread this way with great success (and GF bread is a tricky, tricky thing to bake!)

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  7. MargoAugust 14, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    Mrs. Mordecai, I did put it under the broiler, but maybe I should have done it longer.

    Katy, thanks for the tip!

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  8. Sarah BarryAugust 17, 2012 at 10:00 AM

    So I have wondered if it really worked. This answers my question.

    I like your comment about not being a slave to thrift.

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