Slow Cooking: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

1 tbsp dried yeast (not fast-action dried yeast)

4 tbsp warm water

250ml (9fl oz) lukewarm milk

50g (2oz) jumbo rolled oats

25g (1oz) oatmeal

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp clear honey

1 egg, beaten

25g (1oz) sunflower seeds

425g (15oz) white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

Lightly oil a large deep, non-stick 1kg (2

/

lb) loaf tin and place a trivet, up-turned heatproof saucer or cushion of crumpled foil into the base of the slow cooker dish. Pour in enough cold water to come just below the surface of the trivet, about 200ml/7fl oz.

Place the yeast in a small bowl, add the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes or until frothy. Place the oil, milk, oats, oatmeal, salt, honey, egg and half of the sunflower seeds into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the frothy yeast mixture, then sift in the flour and mix until smooth.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for at least 5–10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as you need it. Roll the dough into a cylinder the same length as the prepared tin and place smooth side up into the tin.

Sprinkle the remaining sunflower seeds over the top of the dough and cover with a large piece of oiled foil, leaving plenty of space for the loaf to rise, but very tightly sealed around the edges.

Place the tin on top of the trivet or foil in the slow cooker, cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for up to 9 hours. Remove the tin from the slow cooker and allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.

Coconut bread

PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 6–9 HOURS

MAKES 1 LARGE LOAF

VEGETARIAN

If you don’t like coconut don’t even think about making this recipe! This is definitely a sweet ‘bread’, not a cake. It’s best cut into slices and then toasted.

75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing

2 eggs

300ml (10fl oz) milk

375g (13oz) plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

250g (9oz) golden caster sugar

150g (5oz) desiccated coconut

Butter a large deep non-stick 1kg (2

/

lb) loaf tin and line the base with parchment paper. Place a trivet or up-turned heatproof saucer into the base of the slow cooker dish. Lightly whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl and set aside.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and coconut and mix well. Gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined; don’t worry if there are some lumps, it’s better not to overmix as this will make the loaf tough. Fold in the cooled melted butter until just blended. Don’t worry about any lumps. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cover with a piece of buttered foil, making a pleat in the centre as you go to allow the loaf to rise. Tie tightly with string to seal it completely.

Place the tin on top of the trivet or saucer in the slow cooker and pour in enough cold water around the outside to just cover the trivet. Cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for up to 9 hours until the loaf is springy to the touch.

Remove the tin and leave to stand for 5 minutes before unwrapping and turning out (you may need to loosen the edges with a sharp knife first) onto a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut into thick slices. Toast and serve with cream cheese and Apricot and Cardamom Jam (see page 155).

Oat and blackberry loaf

PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 6–9 HOURS

MAKES 1 LOAF

VEGETARIAN

This moist flavoursome loaf is not dissimilar to a muffin mixture in texture and taste. It freezes well too – try wrapping individual slices and removing from the freezer as you need them.

150g (5oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

100g (31/2oz) jumbo rolled oats

300ml (10fl oz) boiling water

100g (31/2oz) dark brown soft sugar

75g (3oz) caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

175g (6oz) self-raising flour