This herbed crock pot bread is soft, fluffy, and incredibly easy to make. No oven needed, no complicated steps, just a simple homemade bread packed with flavor.
Herbed Crock Pot Bread (No Oven Needed)
If you’ve ever wanted to make bread but felt intimidated, this herbed crockpot bread is your new best friend. It’s simple, forgiving, and doesn’t require turning on the oven.
The texture is soft, slightly chewy, and perfect for slicing, dipping, or serving alongside dinner. And the best part? Your slow cooker does all the work.
Why You’ll Love This Crock Pot Bread
- No oven required
- Easy for beginners
- Soft and fluffy texture
- Customizable with herbs and flavors
- Perfect for small kitchens or hot weather
What Does Crock Pot Bread Taste Like
This bread is soft and tender, more like sandwich bread than a crusty artisan loaf. The herbs give it a delicious savory flavor that pairs beautifully with butter, soups, or dips.
Tips For Perfect Crock Pot Bread
- Use warm, not hot, liquid to activate the yeast
- Do not over-flour the dough; it should stay soft
- Line your slow cooker with parchment to prevent sticking
- Keep the lid closed during cooking to trap heat
- Finish under the broiler if you want a golden crust
How To Know When It’s Done
- The top should feel set and dry
- The bottom should be lightly golden
- The bread should sound hollow when tapped
Flavor Variations
- Add garlic powder or roasted garlic
- Mix in shredded cheese
- Use Italian herbs or rosemary
- Add a pinch of chili flakes for heat
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make crockpot bread without yeast?
No, this recipe relies on yeast for structure and texture.
Why is my bread dense?
This usually happens if too much flour is added or the dough is not mixed long enough.
Can I make this bread sweeter?
Yes, you can increase the sugar slightly for a sweeter version.
Do I need to brown the top?
No, but broiling for 1 to 2 minutes will give it a golden finish.
Herbed Crock Pot Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour more may be needed
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 packet instant yeast 2¼ teaspoons
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or rosemary
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, combine warm water (not hot), sugar, and yeast. Stir lightly and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy
- Add flour, honey, olive oil, salt, and herbs
- Using a dough hook, mix on medium speed for 5 to 6 minutes until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms (add a little more flour only if too sticky)
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball or oval (no need for a tight loaf shape)
- Line the slow cooker with parchment paper, making sure the sides are covered
- Place the dough inside and cover with lid
- Cook on HIGH for 75 to 90 minutes, keeping the lid closed the entire time
- Check doneness, bottom should be lightly golden and bread should sound hollow when tapped
- Remove from slow cooker and place under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes if you want a golden top (optional but recommended)
- Let cool slightly before slicing
Notes
- Dough should be soft and slightly sticky, not dry
- Do not open the lid while cooking, as this releases heat
- Place a paper towel under the lid if your slow cooker creates condensation
- Cooking time may vary depending on your slow cooker model
- Broiling at the end improves texture and color
Nutrition
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Easy Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls (Soft, Buttery & No Proofing)
This bread is seriously amazing. If you don’t have a crockpot, you should actually purchase one for the sole purpose of making this bread. I halved the honey, accidentally the first time, and preferred it less sweet. My children and husband said they liked both ways. I used dried rosemary because I was too lazy to go to the store and buy fresh (I just crushed it a little) and I rubbed the top with olive oil before cooking in the crockpot. The broiling is a must in my family’s opinion 🙂 Thank you so much for posting this recipe. My family requests it at least twice a week!
That’s awesome Brianne! thanks so much for your valuable feedback! I’m so glad you and your family like it.
What if I only used 1 teaspoon of salt in batter and no salt on top?
That would work Madelyn
Do you know if this would work with GF all purpose flour?
I don’t think it would be as elastic as regular dough.. But maybe it would still have good flavor
Is there anyway this could be made without a mixer and bread hook?
Of course Nicole, you can knead by hand until dough is elastic
Hi there. This recipe sounds amazing, but I don’t like sugar in bread. Will omitting the honey and sugar be problematic?
Hi Jo! The bread is actually not sweet. They just help develop the yeast. You can omit the sugar, but leave the honey.
Do u preheat the crock pot? Do u bake this starting on low and then on high?
No Arcie, no preheating is needed.
Trying to use less salt for low sodium diet. Would leaving out the salt be a problem or does it need it to bake correctly? Thanks, Lisa
It won’t affect the baking part Lisa but without the salt, the bread will be a bit bland.
Can this be made with whole wheat flour? I really love white but trying to be a bit more healthy…or at least pretend I am. 🙂
Hi Beth, of course, you can. Let me know how it comes out!
How about starting it in the bread machine?
Hi Julia, I honestly never used a bread machine before so I don’t know. If you just want to use it to knead the dough that would work.
Hi Tiffany,
Can’t wait to try this. Did you chop up the rosemary once you took it off the stem?
I do Monique! so it gets more evenly distributed in the dough. Let me know how it comes out!
If I don’t have parchment paper would you recommend spraying the bottom of the crock pot or perhaps placing a silpad on the bottom of the pot? Thanks!
If you don’t have parchment paper you can omit it and spray the crock pot with nonstick spray. I don’t know how it would work with Silpad
Thanks for the quick reply! Getting g ready to throw it in the pot now!
Yum! let me know how it comes out!
What size of crock pot do you recommend?
Shlley 6-8 quarts will work just fine
Thank you! Sorry about the repost!
No problem Shelly! Let me know how it turns out
A 6-8 quart crockpot?
Correct
What size of crockpot do you recommend?
Would you recommend prepping several loaves and then freezing the dough?
Hi Brianna! I honestly am not a huge fan of freezing the raw dough. It can affect the texture and rising times of the finished products. I usually freeze bread right after are ready.
Is the total amount of yeast 2 1/4 tsp? I don’t have packets so I’d have to measure.
correct Stephanie. You can use 2 tsp and it will be fine
Is the amount of sodium in the nutrition label correct? That’s an awful lot of sodium
Mine is in the crock pot now
Hi Linda, not really, it depends on the brand of flour used
Ok thank you. I did have to use a little more flour and cooked about 1 1/2 hours. I put mine under broiler to brown but I left a bit too long. It’s good though
Glad you liked it, Linda! 🙂 It’s funny how using a slow cooker “speeds” up the cooking since there’s no rising needed.
Is the calories per slice?
Around 60 calories per slice
I made this bread today, oh my goodness was it ever delious! I only had dried herbs, it was still good. Next time l’ll add roasted garlic, asiago cheese & not add any sugar. My bread took 2 & 1/2 hrs to bake, once it reached 200 degrees, l put it under the broiler. Thank you for such a great recipe ?
Thanks for your feedback Carolyn! Roasted garlic and asiago cheese sound like an amazing idea to go with this bread. I’ll definitely try it with those!
Not sure what happened. I made the bread as described but the dough is still raw after an hour of baking. I would appreciate some help!
Hi Leah, maybe your slow cooker is an older model. Leave it on for 30 more minutes and see.
Also, the bread comes out pale and came be mistaken for raw. This video might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYmx2_-xt3M
I m a newbie n do not know what went wrong. Bread was as hard as stone.
I used water on the hot side. Substituted honey for maple syrup. Normal cooking oil as i dont olive oil.
Tiffany can u please advise where has gone wrong? Thank you
Hi Jan! I think the water was too hot and it killed the yeast. 🙁 When baking bread, water needs to be warm, not hot, like you would fill a baby’s tub.
This bread Is AMAZING. I made it twice so far with Thyme and again using dried basil and garlic powder this time. Yum! Thank you
Thanks for your feedback Desiree! Dried basil and garlic sound like an awesome combination!
I made this today and it it amazing!!! One question though… how many serving does one loaf contain per the nutrition information listed ?
I didn’t add number of servings because it depends on what you’re using for: sandwiches, by itself, slices, etc. But I would guess 6-8 servings
Thanks! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It seemed so easy and actually it was, until it came time to bake it. I had my IP out and thought I would try to do it on the slow cooker function…on the Power Pressure Cooker, it says “low temp”. Then I couldn’t figure out if it should be pressurized or not and realized that I would be cooking without water…and instructions say to have at least 1 cup of water for all recipes. So I took it out and put it into my slow cooker, set on high for one hour. When I checked it, it was not cooked as the top indented when I stuck my fingers into the dough. I needed it for dinner and so put it in a 375 deg oven to cook for 1/2 hour. It was quite beautiful and the family really loved it. The only thing was that there was a layer about 1/4″ thick that seemed like it was compressed dough.at the bottom of the loaf. At first I thought it was caused by the switching of cooking devices but I noticed that in your pic, there seems to be a thin layer that looked similar to mine, at the bottom of the loaf. But the rest of the loaf had a great texture, dense but soft and flavorful even though I left out all the herbs and made a plain bread. I am anxious to try the bread with rosemary and garlic. This time, I will make sure I have at least 2 hours for cooking and cooling time.. Thanks again.
Hi Diane! Thanks for your feedback. I actually cooked it in a slow cooker, not the IP function of the IP. For future reference, when using the IP to slow cook, you do not need to add the cup of water since the machine does not need to come to pressure.
Attached is a video that I filmed with my husband for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYmx2_-xt3M&t=1s
This is my go to recipe for bread to go with supper. I love that it doesn’t take all afternoon to make. I did leave out the herbs because of my kids’ pickiness. Maybe sometime I’ll try adding garlic to it for more of a garlic bread.
Thanks for your feedback Neisha! You can also add cheese, make them sweeter, etc. The idea is to adapt them to your families tastes and preferences
I really like how quick the recipe sounds to make.
Have you ever just baked it in the oven in a loaf pan?
If so, how long & what temperature?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
I’ve never since I love this shape. I am wondering the crust it would create…
If a round loaf is desired, you can bake a loaf in a round cake pan or springform, or even a cast iron pan. A dough that is sturdy enough can be shaped into a ball and go on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the pan/sheet with cornmeal for a toasted cornmeal bottom that releases well. The crust will depend on the pan and the humidity in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
I have never tried a slowcooker bread, but will try this soon. I am very curious!
thanks for the info Margaret!
I can’t wait to try this recipe but I noticed that my crock pot is a four quart. Do you think that size would work for this recipe or would it be too tall or large. Thank you.
I’m sure it would work Carolyn!
Ever tried this as a sourdough recipe?
This one in particular no because sourdough recipes have a large amount of liquid and proofing times. Maybe I’ll play a little with the recipe and let you know
Can I leave out the honey? I really want to make this, but my husband can’t have honey.
Of course!
My mom doesn’t eat oils. Can I use something else to substitute for the olive oil?
Yes, applesauce (it would make your bread kind of sweet) – Or any other fat that is allowed in your mom’s diet (i.e: coconut oil, melted butter, etc)
Thanks for a great recipe. I love how simple it is to make. I know it will be even better next time.
You’re welcome Shabs! next time add some cheese, spices,etc
I made this bread, left out the herbs and used chopped garlic instead! Turned out great, then I wondered if I could make it in a loaf pan, so I kind of “changed” things a bit, used milk instead of water and brown sugar rather than honey, left out the other sugar, let it rise once, then punched down, kneaded for a couple of minutes, shaped, in the pan in in the pot. 2 Hours later, a beautiful loaf of bread. Then took it on step further, because I had a few minutes extra, let it rise twice, punched down, kneaded for may 2-3 in, shaped, into the bread pan and into the pot again. 2 hours later, a picture perfect loaf, rivals anything I’ve one the “old fashioned” way!! This is the ONLY recipe I will use for bread now. There are almost unlimited variations for this, both savory and sweet, will try everything I can think of!! Thank you.
WOW Sue!! love your creativity!! I’ll definitely try your variations. Thanks for sharing!
I just love this recipe! First couple of times I made this, I did use the crock pot, but it really spread out a lot, so I decided to “contain” the dough and put it in a regular bread pan, which worked excellent. But…of course I couldn’t leave well enough aloe!! I have an old recipe that uses brown sugar, so the honey was substituted for brown sugar and that was the only sugar I used. Doubled the amount to make 2 loaves, and decided to see what would happen if I let it rise. Mixed the dough in a large bowl and formed into a ball, let it rise about 20 minutes, punched and kneaded, no more than 3-4 min, dough was sticky and added a bit of flour to be able to handle, covered and let it rise once more about 20 min. Did a final punch, kneading, again very briefly, forms, into glass pans and baked at 350 for about 25 minutes. The results were absolutely fantastic. This loaf was as great as any of the long rise time breads, fine grained, full loaves! This was simple enough that my 10 year old grandson made a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread and it turned out perfect!!! So, he now has his “tweaked” copy of the recipe and my daughter has a copy also. Thanks so much for give us something that is not only easy to work with, fast to make, no matter how you do it and tasted wonderful. I’m back to baking all my bread again! Oh, have also used this dough to make meat filled turn overs and they are so great, make up batches with the bierock filling, sausage/pepper/onion filling and chopped ham/cheese filling, bake, freeze and instant meals! This is like the answer to all yeast dough wishes, great job Tiffany!!!!!!!
Thank you Susan for your lovely comment! I will try your suggestions with the meat-filled bread. Happy Holidays!
**Meant…substituted brown sugar for hone, not the other way around.!!
I’m not clear on on thing. When you let dough rise in Instant Pot,what lid do you use. Thanks
The regular lid of the IP Trish.
Holy cow, this is so good! I’m baking and eating my way through covid-19 quarantine, and I tried this a few times now, all successfully. The first time, I made it as written sans fresh herbs. So soft, so perfect. A tad salty. The next time, I tried a frugal version, using just honey, no additional sugar, and half the salt. If Wonderbread could be a dinner roll, this would be it. The third time I made it, I got lazy and mixed the water, yeast, salt, and honey all together to activate. I also forgot the oil and added it after the dough was pretty elastic. It flopped around a bit and gave us some laughs. Skipped broiling. Texture was still soft but slightly chewier. Still tasted amazing, especially with some peanut butter and jam, Thanks for a delightful, effortless, delicious bread that we will enjoy for years to come!
You’re very welcome Nikki! thanks for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I have a 2 qt small crock pot. Would it work in this? Should I adjust amounts?
yes, half the recipe
You say this technique using a crockpot will work with any recipe?? I have a multigrain recipe that I’m partial to that I’d like to try. Will it work with that too?
Hi Jeanette. Some recipes will work and some may not. Depends a lot on the texture and crumb you are trying to achieve
Do I have to use the Spices?I don’t have any in my home and don’t want to run out to the store. What other things can I put in there for taste?
Of course not Linda! add whatever you like/have 🙂
Excellent bread!!! So easy! I did find that I needed 3 cups flour and baked for 2 hrs. Made a plain loaf & used Italian seasoning in other loaf. Both were great! Family loved it! I will definitely be making this weekly!!!
I am so glad you liked it Becky!
HI! Tried this bread for the 1st time. It’s really good. Just wondering how we should store it. Qny suggestions?
Room temperature covered or wrapped in foil
If I cut the recipe in half, do I still cook for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours?
No, it would be overcooked, try 50 minutes and see
I tried this a few weeks ago. Put in basil and garlic powder. I LOVED it. Just as good for toast the next day!!! Doing your rolls today. Thanks!
Awesome! love your additions of herbs! thanks for sharing!
Have you ever doubled this recipe? I’m wondering how that could work and guessing I’d have to cook it longer? Love this bread and make it often!
Hi Stacey! I haven’t doubled it since I am afraid that when it grows, the dough will touch the lid and condensate. I will work if you have a big crock pot
What is the texture of the dough supposed to be like after kneading in the mixer? The first time I made this, it seemed too sticky, so I added enough flour for it to form a dough ball in the mixer. That ended up being quite a lot and it was still very sticky and tough to shape. Just made it again and had the same problem. Loved the soft texture though – thank you!
Hi Melissa, knead until the dough doesn’t seem sticky and the gluten has developed. You can also add 1 or 2 tb extra of flour
Im looking forward to trying this bread recipe. How would I cook this using the “slow cook” function of the instant pot? I use my IP regularly and have it easily accessible. Thanks!
I haven’t tried that function yet Gina. But it must be the same premise.
Such good bread! Going into the kitchen right now
Awesome!!
Is a crock pot the same as a slow cooker.? Please
yes