As we’ve said before, come January we start pulling out the slow cooker for some mid-winter comfort foods. But slow cookers can be used for more than roasting and stewing, as this gluten free slow cooker bread demonstrates! This bread is heavy and sweet like a rye bread but I think my favorite thing about it is that it actually GETS BETTER WITH AGE! It’s good on the day you bake it, better the next day, and at its best the day after that. I think it’s the almond flour that keeps it moist and gets better as it slowly absorbs all the flavours. Whatever the reason, it’s not until day four that this bread finally starts to dry out and lose flavour. (I only know this because Geoff and I showed severe restraint while watching a wonderful golden loaf age away on our counter top. Four days was as much as we could take!) If you don’t like having a freezer full of half eaten loaves of gf bread, and you do like a heavy artisan-style loaf that has just a hint of Danish rye flavour, this is the recipe for you!
Scroll down or hit “continue reading” for the recipe.
Looking for gluten free breads? You might like these other recipes from gfandme.com:
gluten free dinner rolls (our lightest and fluffiest rolls)
gluten free crusty bread (our most popular post by far!)
gluten free slow cooker bread
What you’ll need:
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar (divided)
1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (all together)
2 teaspoons quick rise instant yeast (we use Fleischmann’s)
2 tablespoons oil
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup unflavoured powdered whey
TIP: The whey adds browning and lift but does not affect the flavour. Leave it out if you want a dairy free loaf.
What you’ll do:
DO NOT preheat your slow cooker (and whatever you do, DO NOT feed it after midnight 😉 Yes I remember Gremlins).
As always, add the yeast to the warm water along with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Stir to combine and set aside.
In your electric mixer bowl, add the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix together well.
To this, add in the water/yeast mixture and the oil. Beat on low speed to combine. Then beat on high for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically.
There are two methods you can use to bake this bread:
Method 1: You can grease the inside of your slow cooker with oil and turn the batter directly into the cooker to bake. Shape it into a round or oval form and smooth using wet fingers. Slice an X or a few lines (e.g. / / /) across the top to allow for expansion. This method will result in a flat loaf and will produce slices shaped like biscotti.
Method 2: This is the method shown in the photograph. Grease a metal loaf pan well and pour/spoon the batter into it. Again, smooth the top with wet fingers and slice a few lines across the top. Do not press the batter into the pan. It should have some room to expand as it rises. Place the pan in the slow cooker to bake.
Okay, NOW you can turn on your slow cooker! Put the lid on and turn it onto the high setting. To allow steam to escape, wedge the lid up a tiny wee bit by laying a toothpick or some such thing between the edge of the cooker and the lid.
Now walk away for 2 hours. Read a magazine, check out what your friends are up to on facebook, rotate your tires, but whatever you do DO NOT LIFT THE LID WHILE THE BREAD IS COOKING
When you return, you will have a beautiful loaf of gluten free slow cooker bread. Remove it from the cooker and place on wire rack to cool. When it’s warm it has that rice flour taste, but this disappears when cool.
As I said in the preamble, this bread gets better with age. Store on the counter, wrapped tightly for up to 4 days.
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photo credit: gfandme.com
Gluten free recipes from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
We have folks with tree nut allergies as well as gluten. What can we do instead of Almond flour? Coconut, or just 1/4c more of brown rice? Also, can ground flaxseed replace the teff? Haven’t seen that locally and I’d hate to order a bag for such a small amount. Thanks!
Hi Laura. I think coconut flour would dry out the bread but you could certainly use more rice. It just may not have the the same aging properties. And I think ground flax seed would work wonderfully. Teff is expensive but we love it – especially in breads. If you try the bread without the almond flour, please let me know how it turns out.
I am highly allergic to rice, do you know a combination I can use that cuts out the rice flour? I haven’t found any good bread recipes yet and it is one of my biggest struggle .
I would try replacing the rice with quinoa or one of the bean flours. Just be sure to let the bread completely cool before eating. The bean flours can make things taste bitter when they are still warm. Good luck!
Can you replace the oat flour with anything? my son is sensitive to any grain!!
You could replace it with more rice or even half rice and half almond. Its really just there for nutrition and to add some lift. If you try it, please let me know how it works.
Hi. I just love the look of your breads. They make my mouth water. I’m going to give this one a go, although I have to avoid yeast so it won’t rise, but I’m sure the taste will be there.
Thanks and please let me know how it turns out. Always like to make gfandme’s recipes open to more folks with different food intolerances.