These Einkorn and Spelt Slow Cooker Sourdough Rolls, made with all-purpose einkorn flour and home-milled spelt flour, start with an overnight ferment and finish in the slow cooker. Cooking them in the slow cooker on high results in a tender and flavorful roll.
If you are looking to serve something different for dinner or brunch, these slow-cooker sourdough rolls just might be the ticket.
Einkorn and Spelt Slow Cooker Sourdough Rolls baked in slow cooker and then broiled for 3 minutes to achieve a light and crispy crunch and a lovely browned hue.
I’ve never really been a gadget person but I do find that having the right tools makes the job much easier. As such, I’ve acquired numerous bread-baking tools over the years.
I don’t have a lot of the latest kitchen gadgets, but I do have a slow cooker.
So, when I came across these slow cooker rolls in the November 2021 issue of Eating Well Magazine, I thought, “That’s pretty cool! I should try these.”
I decided to give these rolls a try a few weeks ago. It was a fun experiment!
You don’t even have to turn the oven on (unless you want to brown up the tops) or give the dough a long final proof. After the bulk ferment in the bowl, just shape the rolls and place them in the slow cooker. A couple of hours later, you’ll have some soft and flavorful whole wheat rolls.
Adjusting the baking time to suit your slow cooker
The suggested cooking time is from 2 to 2 ½ hours. I’ve made several different versions of these rolls and each time, I reduced the cooking time. If you aren’t careful, while you’re waiting for the rolls to turn brown around the edges, the rolls could cook too long.
With each batch I made, I noticed the rolls continued to darken a little after removing them from the slow cooker, and when cooked over the 2-hour mark, they got hard while cooling. The flavor was wonderful for each batch, but you had to eat them right away.
White whole wheat slow cooker rolls straight from the slow cooker.
The white whole wheat rolls (in the photo above) were baked for about 2 hours and 15 minutes. They browned around the edges and bottom. They had a great flavor, but the crust became a bit too tough once they cooled.
Converting the rolls to sourdough
The rolls in the magazine article were made with yeast, but I wanted sourdough rolls.
So, in addition to using different types of flour for each bake and adjusting the cooking times, I also experimented with using a levain versus sourdough discard.
Using sourdough discard works as long as your starter hasn’t been sitting in the refrigerator for too long between feedings, and you allow it to warm up to room temperature before adding it to the final dough. It needs to be warm and bubbly to ferment the dough.
When I converted the rolls to using sourdough, I started out using 500 grams of flour in the final dough. However, after making a couple of batches and shaping 14 rolls for one batch, and 12 rolls for the next batch, I decided that was a bit too much dough.
So, for the spelt and einkorn batch, I used 420 grams of flour in the final dough and shaped 12 rolls for the first batch and 10 slightly bigger rolls for the next batch.
Einkorn and Spelt Slow Cooker Rolls without broiling to achieve browning on top. I let them cool before taking the photo to see how they would taste after resting for a while. Baked for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
How to brown the rolls on top
Since these rolls are steamed in the slow cooker, don’t expect to achieve browning on top as you would rolls baked in the oven.
Rolls ready to be removed from the slow cooker
If you want crustier rolls with a lovely browned top, after the rolls have finished cooking in the slow cooker, place them on a baking sheet, brush them with melted butter, and broil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
The broiling produces a lightly crispy crust which adds to the appeal. The flavor tastes great whether you broil them or not, but the crispiness adds to the texture.
If you are a textured eater like me, you’ll probably enjoy the broiling even though it involves turning on the oven.
Keep in mind that broiling happens at a high temperature. Be sure to watch the rolls carefully so they don’t burn.
My favorite batch of Slow Cooker Sourdough Rolls
My favorite version of these sourdough rolls, and the one featured in this post, is made with an overnight levain, shaped into 10 slightly bigger rolls, then cooked in the slow cooker for 2 hours. After removing the rolls from the slow cooker, I placed the rolls on a baking sheet and broiled them in the oven (at 550 degrees F.) for 3 minutes.
Spelt and Einkorn Slow Cooker Rolls Broiled for 3 minutes to achieve browning on top
These rolls are best eaten right out of the slow cooker (cooled slightly), but you can wrap them tightly in plastic and reheat them the next day. They will last for a couple of days and also taste good toasted in the toaster oven.
My Experience Making Slow Cooker Sourdough Rolls
- Yield: 10 rolls 1x
Description
Einkorn and Spelt Slow Cooker Sourdough Rolls, made with all-purpose einkorn flour and home-milled spelt flour, start with an overnight ferment and finish in the slow cooker. Cooking them in the slow cooker on high results in a tender and flavorful roll.
Ingredients
Levain:
- 20 grams (2 Tbsp.) all-purpose Einkorn flour
- 20 grams (2 Tbsp.) whole wheat spelt flour (I used home-milled)
- 45 grams (3 Tbsp.) cold water
- 7–10 grams (1 tsp.) sourdough starter
Dough:
- 205 ml warm milk (I used almond milk)
- 40 grams (scant 2 Tbsp.) honey
- 40 grams (scant 4 Tbsp.) olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 160 grams all-purpose einkorn flour (or regular all-purpose flour)
- 220 grams whole wheat spelt flour (or other whole wheat flour)
- 10 grams sea salt
Instructions
The evening before you plan to make the rolls
- Mix the levain ingredients in a small bowl, cover tightly and let rest at warm room temperature for 8-10 hours overnight.
On baking day
- Line a 5–6-quart slow cooker with a large piece of parchment. You can pleat the edges if necessary to press the paper flat.
- Whisk together the flours in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients with the levain to break it up. Pour the wet ingredients over the flours and mix thoroughly. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough and work into the dough using fet fingers. Add sprinkles of water if necessary to dissolve the salt.
- Cover and let rest for 30 min to 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (about 80 grams each). Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place in a single layer in the slow cooker.
- Cook the rolls on high for 2-2 ½ hours. (2 hours produced the best results in my slow cooker.)
- Transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Notes
If you prefer crustier rolls, after removing from the slow cooker, place the rolls on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Broil until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully.
The rolls are best eaten right out of the slow cooker (or broiler) and cooled slightly, but you can wrap leftovers tightly in plastic and reheat them the next day. They will last for a couple of days. They also taste good toasted in the toaster oven.
After the levain ferments for 8-10 hours at warm room temperature, it can be used right away or covered tightly and placed in the refrigerator overnight.
- Category: Rolls
Happy Baking!
Cathy
Wow that is a revolution! Great looking crumb. Really like this.
Thanks Tanna! This was a fun one.