Rustic Whole Grain Bread (in the Crock Pot!)

So I was searching around the Internet and happened to come across the concept of making bread in the crock pot.  I was like no way! but it's possible! And to make it even better- it's easy!  Now a disclaimer here: this bread is not like store bought bread- considering the process of making bread the correct way involves rising, or even double rising, lots of kneading, special ovens etc.  So this bread was a bit on the small size, it didn't rise too much, it also is a bit dense.  This bread is a whole wheat/grain bread so that could be why it is like that. But...

Regardless, for a healthy bread that you make at home with no oven (aka no hot house), no kneading and no rising it is pretty awesome.  Toast it up for breakfast or I even sliced it as thin as I could for sandwiches.

Perfect for making bread in the summer and basically fool proof. So go and try it tonight!!!  I am going to experiment with different doughs to see different results. 

Oh and sometimes the bread doesn't get that crispy texture on the outside- this one kind of did, but I wanted more- so just pop under the broiler for a couple minutes to get that nice brown crust.  But be careful handling the dough out of the crock pot- it will be hot.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of (boiling) water
• 1/2 cup of bulgar (cracked wheat)
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups of bread flour
• 1 packet of active dry yeast (or 3 tsp of instant yeast)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 cup of whole wheat flour (or 1/2 of wheat flour and 1/2 of rolled oats)
• 1/4 cup of flax seeds* (or any seed/nut you have- like sesame, poppy, walnut etc)
• 1/2 cup of silken tofu (or you could use yogurt or cottage cheese)
• 1/4 cup of honey (or a about 2-3 tbsp of sugar)
• 2 tbsp of oil (I use canola)
• 1 egg

Directions

1. In your crock pot line the bottom with some parchment paper and sprinkle with a bit of flour.
2. In a small pot bring the cup of water to boil and add the bulgar- then shut off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes.
3. Add all your dry ingredients into one large bowl (bread flour, yeast, salt, wheat flour, seeds) and mix.
4. In another small bowl add your wet ingredients- tofu, honey, oil and egg- beat the until the mixture is combined well.
5. Drain bulgar (but reserve excess water if possible, I needed a bit more liquid for the mixture later for it to come together, so I figured use the left over water from bulgar- but you may not need it, or you could just use regular water)
6. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just comes together a bit, then add the drained bulgar.
7. Mix until it becomes a dough.  I had to knead it until it became dough (but just until it came together). (This is where you might need a bit more of that water or if it is too sticky/wet add more flour).
8. Form it into a ball shape and put into your crock pot on top of the parchment paper.
9. Close up your crock pot and put on high for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  They say the internal temp should be at least 200 degrees F.  You can tell when it is done- the crust will be firm and the dough will hold its shape. 
10. Carefully remove with mits or a towel and let cool before slicing.  Let it cool on a cooling rack otherwise the bottom of the bread will get soggy.
11. As I mentioned before if you want a crispy crust just put under the broiler for a couple minutes- just keep an eye on it.

Enjoy!

* Here's the low down on flax seeds- if you can find them for a good price get them- if not, it's not the end of the world but here's what's so good about them:

• High in calories.  Most calories are fat calories (which are common in nuts and seeds)
• Super high in iron, calcium, protein, fiber and vitamin E
• Excellent source of health-benefiting nutrients, dietary fiber, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for optimum health.
• The seeds are packed with many important B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates
• Furthermore, flax seed is rich source of minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium
• Flax seed is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid. It is also one of the top vegetable sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. One spoonful of flax seed oil provides about 8 g of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Helps lower LDL or “bad cholesterol” and increase HDL or “good cholesterol” levels in the blood. 

{http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2}
{http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/flax-seed.html}