Slow Cooker Cheese and Bacon Bread is a fluffy white bread with cheesy bacon topping. Easy to make using simple ingredients this homemade bread is reminiscent of the bakery's bacon and cheese rolls. This no knead, no yeast bread needs only minimal effort yet the whole family will love it and ask you to make it again and again!
Recipes like the Slow Cooker Savoury Mince, Cheeseburger Sausage Rolls, Savoury Mince Pies and the Savoury Mince Pasta are all about savoury delights.
The Slow Cooker Curried Sausages, Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken, Slow Cooker French Onion Beef and the Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops offer easy family meals.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about this slow cooker cheese bread in the points below:
- Quick and easy: know I know you might be thinking 'huh?'. We are talking about slow cooking and she is saying it is quick and easy. Well yes, whilst most slow cooker recipes take a long time, this bread only takes 2 ½ hours to cook! To me that is a pretty quick and easy slow cooker recipe (Here is another one: Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken) Short cook time, still great flavor!
- Set and forget: the best thing about slow cooking right! But you won't. You will put the lid on and then come back to the kitchen again and again not allowed to touch the lid but because the smell of the bread baking draws you back in! Set the timer and try and walk away 😂.
- Simple ingredients: very intentional in the development of this recipe was to keep the ingredients list to a necessary list but not an expansive one. We use 3 ingredients to make the dough and 5 for the cheesy bacon topping. Everything needed is year round available at the local grocery store so you won't have trouble getting your hands on them!
- Bacon and cheese: yup. I know you know what I mean! It needs no explanation.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the slow cooker bacon and cheese bread recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the bread with bacon and cheese recipe calls for:
- Self-raising flour: we need 3 cups self raising flour. Using this helps to keep things simple as it allows the bread to rise naturally without needing to add further ingredients like baking powder.
- Milk: I use skim milk as it is the one I most often have in the fridge. You can do the same or use full fat milk.
- Greek yogurt: This is full fat Greek yogurt. Not plain yogurt. It helps to make the bread nice and fluffy! Greek yogurt bread means no need to add yeast and yet we still get fluffy airy light bread.
- Bacon: 1 cup bacon pieces which are store bought keeps things (like chopping) easy! We simply combine it with the other ingredients for the cheesy bacon topping.
- Cheese: I cheat for this recipe and use 1 cup cheese that is store bought and already grated. It just keeps things as easy as making the bread is. The combination above has parmesan cheese, mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Tomato paste: if you have ever had one of those bakery cheese and bacon rolls or the ones with pineapple you will know why this is included! It adds a delicious twist and makes the topping like a pizza sauce as well as also helping to stick everything together.
- Italian herbs: this combination works very well, adds a lovely herb element to the bread and offers complimentary flavor pairings.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the cheesy savoury loaf. We start by making the bread dough. You will need a large bowl for this initial step .
- Add the dough ingredients to a bowl (Photo 1)
- Stir to combine (Photo 2)
- Add the topping ingredients a seperate bowl (Photo 3)
- Stir to combine (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Slow Cooker Cheese And Bacon Bread
To make the cheese and bacon bread we start by sifting the self-raising flour into a large mixing bowl. Once done add the Greek yogurt and milk.
Use a wooden spoon to stir until the flour is mixed into the wet ingredients. Once done set aside.
Next we make the cheesy bacon topping. To do this add the diced bacon, dried onion, Italian herbs, tomato paste and cheese to a small bowl. Then use a spoon to stir until it is mixed together. Set aside.
- Grease and line (Photo 5)
- Dough into bowl (Photo 6)
- Add topping (Photo 7)
- Place tea towel on top (Photo 8)
Next use cooking spray to grease the base and sides of the slow cooker insert. Then scrunch up 2 sheets of baking paper and use them to cover the base of the slow cooker (one left to right and the other top to bottom). See video if this doesn't make sense.
Next transfer the dough into the slow cooker and gently push it out so that it covers the base. Then add the bacon and cheese mixture and push that across the surface of the bread.
Once done place a clean, dry tea towel over the top of the slow cooker and the glass lid on top.
- Place tea towel and lid on (Photo 9)
Set the temperature to high and the cook time to 2 ½ hours. Let the bread cook for the 1st 2 hours then remove the lid and discard the tea towel.
- Remove lid and cook (Photo 10)
Now cook the bread for a further 30 minutes (lid off). You can test it at the 2 ½ hour mark. If you insert a skewer into the thickest part of the bread it should come out almost clean or with a couple of crumbs.
Then grab the edges of the baking paper, lift the bread up and out and place it on a chopping board.
Slice and get ready to serve!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
I know some people are a butter and bread person and the thought of one without the other is unheard of so I hear you!
For that reason if you want to smother the bread with butter and eat it like that, I won't stop you!
Another way to enjoy the bread is to use a different spread across it. The Chilli Tomato Jam is a great pairing or if you want even more bacon try the Tomato Bacon Jam.
For the photos above below I use store bought chili jam like in the Baked Brie With Red Pepper Jelly, Goat Cheese Log, Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese and the Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly recipes.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley over the top if you please, pair it with soups, dunk it in stews, get your side of bread on however you please.
Try it with ribs like the Greek Ribs, Honey Soy Pork Ribs, Sticky Pork Rashers or the Chicken Ribs.
Pair it with roasts like the Air Fryer Pork Roast or Slow Cooker Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.
Slide is on the side of the Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Rice.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Once the bread has cooked let it cool. Then slice.
Leftover bread can be kept in a sealed, airtight container. It needs to be refrigerated and consumed within 2-3 days.
How to Freeze
In my opinion this bread is best cooked and consumed or the leftovers reheated and eaten. Freezing it would take away the fluffy bread texture and leave us with a drier more dense bread. I don't recommend freezing the bread.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Garlic powder: if you want to add even more flavor to the bacon topping you can add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Dried herbs: you can use Italian seasoning like I am or an individual dried herb like parsley, thyme, oregano or basil.
- Tomato paste: want more? Double it to 4 tablespoons.
- Cheese: I like to use a store bought cheese blend (keeps things easy). You can do the same with combinations including cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, pecorino romano or grate your own cheese and use that. Melty cheese works best as it also helps to 'stick' the bacon mix to the top of the loaf.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- No yeast: this bread naturally rises as it cooks due to the self-raising flour. We don't need or want to add yeast or baking powder to the dough.
- No knead: one of the reasons why I love making this bread is because you don't get sticky hands! We use a wooden spoon to stir the dough together and then there is no need to knead it separately.
- Bacon: we don't cook the bacon before adding it to the slow cooker. There is absolutely no need to do this.
- Grease and line: you will notice that I both grease and line the slow cooker insert. I grease with cooking oil (spray) then I line with 2 overlapping layers of baking paper. This ensures that the dough doesn't stick to the base or the sides of the bowl. The method lets the bread rise and cook, be removed from the slow cooker easily and leaves barely any clean up.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make bread in the slow cooker.
Using the right combination of ingredients such as combining self-raising flour with Greek yogurt will allow you to create a dough that does not need to be kneaded.
It takes 2 ½ hours for bread to cook in the slow cooker. 2 hours with the lid on and ½ hour with the lid off. This is using high temperature.
😍 More Easy Family Recipes
Are you a sweet tooth or more savoury person? Or do you love a bit of both? Here are some more ideas that if you love this bread recipe you will likely like the flavour profiles of these too:
- More bread: French Onion Cob Loaf, Spinach Cob Loaf Dip, Bacon And Cheese Cob Loaf.
- More bacon: Cream Cheese Bacon Dip, Bacon And Corn Fritters, Cheese and Bacon Pinwheels.
- More cheese: Baked Feta With Honey, Honey Pecan Cream Cheese, Honey Walnut Cream Cheese.
- More slow cooker: Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup, Slow Cooker Dahl, Slow Cooker Leek And Potato Soup, Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry, Massaman Lamb Shanks, Slow Cooker Pork Belly.
It is time to get our slow cooker cheese and bacon bread on my friend! You can also find all of my slow cooker recipes or family recipes in one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Cheese And Bacon Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 3 cups self-raising flour sifted, Note 1
- 1 cup Greek yogurt Note 2
- 1 ⅓ cups milk Note 3
Topping
- 1 cup diced bacon raw, Note 4
- 1 cup cheese Note 5
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste Note 6
- 1 tablespoon dried onion Note 7
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning Note 8
Instructions
- Dough: sift the self-raising flour into a large bowl then add the Greek yogurt and milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir till the flour is consistently mixed in and then set aside.
- Topping: add the bacon, dried onion, tomato paste, Italian herbs and cheese to a small bowl and use a spoon to consistently combine.
- Slow cooker insert: spray the base and sides of the slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Then measure the length of the slow cooker with baking paper and tear that length from the roll x2. Scrunch the paper in your hand and then use it to line the base of the slow cooker in 2 directions (left to right and top to bottom).
- Cook: transfer the dough into the slow cooker and gently push to spread across the base of the baking paper. Then spoon the bacon cheese mixture into the slow cooker and spread it out across the raw dough. Place a clean, dry tea towel over the top of the slow cooker insert and then put the lid on top of this. Cook for 2 hours on high, then remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes. Once the cook time is up remove the lid and grab the baking paper up and out of the slow cooker.
- To serve: sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley over the bread, slice into pieces and serve with butter and or chili jam.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Self raising flour: we do want to sift the flour. This helps to ensure that the texture of the bread will be light and fluffy and not dense.
- Note 2 - Greek yogurt: I use full fat Greek yogurt. This is different to plain yogurt. It will be labelled 'Greek yogurt' or 'Greek style yogurt'. It is very thick and creamy.
- Note 3 - Milk: I use skim milk. But you can use full cream if you wish to.
- Note 4 - Bacon: we use store bought diced bacon for convenience. We don't cook it 1st. We simply add it to the topping mixture and it will cook in the slow cooker. It becomes a little hard and crispy too, it is so good!
- Note 5 - Cheese: I use a store bought bag of grated cheese to keep things easy! The combination seen here is a combination of mozzarella cheese, parmesan and cheddar.
- Note 6 - Tomato paste: you can double this if you wish to ie make it 4 tablespoons.
- Note 7 - Dried onion: this will be in the herbs and spices aisle. It is dried onion flakes which is different to onion powder. It saves time and tears but not peeling and cutting an onion which is also a wet ingredient which has the potential to make the top of the bread soggy.
- Note 8 - Italian seasoning: dried Italian herbs or seasoning gives us a flavor boost. You can also use either dried basil, parsley, thyme or oregano if you want to stick to one dried herb or only have individual herbs and not the combination.
Toni Melton says
Yum! I am trying this Asap.
Adrianne says
Hope you enjoy it Toni 😊.
Eileen Smith says
Came out great!
Adrianne says
Thanks Eileen!