http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rival-2-Quart-Slow-Cooker-Stainless-Steel/15166927#Item+Description
Then came a really busy school/work schedule so i was gone for way to long to leave it cooking while i was away, and got home to late to use it once i was home. That pretty much left Sundays as a day when i could use it, but i didn't that much cuz it meant setting it up before church. I mean I've made a roast in it before, and like maybe one other thing since getting it a year ago. Anyways now over summer i have a lot more time (only work, no school) and i saw on Pinterest about baking bread in your crock pot, and it got me intrigued.
Here is the first one i came across:
http://www.inspired-housewife.com/2012/02/28/who-knew-gluten-free-bread-in-a-crock-pot/
I thought it sounded cool, but it said you needed to put your bread pan in the crock pot, and mine is definitely not big enough for that, so i put the idea on hold.
A few days later i came across a post about this site:
In it she uses a 4 qt (almost as small as mine) and places the dough directly in the crock pot. Well not directly, she uses parchment paper to stop it from sticking. I just used non stick spray... Worked great and i didn't have to go out and buy parchment paper, which would not have happened...
Anyways I tried making the bread, and it took a couple loaves to work out the kinks. My crock pot is smaller then the ones in either of the above mentioned methods (its only two quarts). So anyways I think i have finally gotten the hang of this. The trick is to not put too much dough in that it can't cook the top before the bottom is burnt. One of the sites recommends putting the bread in the oven on broil to get a golden top, but to me that defeats the purpose of being easy. I have used a few different recipes (with or without yeast, etc.) and it has worked great with them all. I currently have dough for herb bread that i made and am pulling out of the fridge to make one loaf at a time which i then devour.
So after looking at both of the sites, and trial and error, I make the dough according to whatever recipe i am using. I let it rise the first time, and then punch it down. I take a small piece of the punched down dough (be careful it isn't to big, it will expand more) and put it in a greased crock pot and turn it on high. I put what looked to be a good amount of dough in for my first attempt and then it rose to the top of the crock pot, and the bottom burnt and the top was still very doughy. In my experience if it rises to be just under the halfway point of the crock pot it will be able to cook through well, without any overcooked or undercooked parts. I find that 1-1.5 hours will generally cook the dough through depending on the size. I feel the top of the bread to see if they are done/smell for smoke (the first one i pulled out because of a burnt smell, the top was definitely not done). If there is not to much dough though you will be able to feel the top of the dough is cooked, and when you pull it out the bottom will be golden. I just dump the bread out onto a hand towel or plate when it is done. If it is cooked all the way it shouldn't disfigure the loaf by doing this.Then once the bread cools (haha like i wait) it is ready for you to dig in :) One thing i like about cooking a smaller loaf on high is that it is done sooner (i'm kind of impatient when i can smell the bread baking...).
I love digging into a delicious piece of home made bread. I had major nostalgia when i was eating my first loaf of crock pot bread. I mean flashing back to making bread with my mom, my brother making honey butter, my mom's instructions on how to best cut a warm loaf of bread, deciding on every slice whether i wanted honey butter or homemade jam on that slice.... I could see it all in my head.
That is one of the things that i love about food. It can really bring you back. I mean it's like books in that way. It fills you with nostalgia and gives you a happy feeling. Food does have the advantage of helping you to connect to other people. You usually have nostalgia to moments spent eating the food with others, whereas books are more solitary.
Anyways back to crock pots... I am definitely loving mine. It is so easy and stress free. Definitely recommend getting one. I don't want to buy bread anymore because homemade bread is so much better, and i know have a way to easily make some whenever i want. I am now looking for crock pot recipes for pretty much everything that i want to make (brownies, tilapia, etc.), becasue i have realized that someone has figured out a way to make pretty much anything i want to in a crock pot, and it is so much easier. My little crock pot is easier to clean then big baking pans (our sinks are kinda small). It also helps me to cook in moderation, only enough for me, cuz i will eat a whole tray of brownies if i make them... Yet another bonus is not having to bake at night/heat up the house in the hot summer months. My biggest consternation is that sometimes i want to make more at a time in then i can in the crock pot, yet i don't want to get out the pans and preheat the oven (don't have to do that with the crock pot...) and all that jazz. Its the lazy persons dilemma, which will finally cost more energy over all... Like in chemistry, where i could calculate the approximate equivalence point, and then deliver quickly until nearing that volume when i start delivering slowly, or deliver at a medium rate until i see it is almost at the equivalence point and then go slowly, but possible miss the equivalence point and not have a neat region, which would mean i would have to do it over again...
Another side note: my kneading skills significantly improved after starting cooking bread more often. I used to think i was good at kneading when i helped my mom when i was younger, but either skill fades with time, or i lacked patience or judgment when the first couple times i made bread after moving out...
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