Rice Cooker Bread Recipes (2024)

All right, after a couple weeks’ worth of baking I’ve got a few recipes under my belt that I think are pretty awesome. Most of them are very similar to A Modern Girl’s and Knifing Forking Spooning’s original cheesy jalapeno bread recipe (minus the jalapenos), but since details can matter I thought I’d post all the recipes here for anyone who wants to give them a try.

Bake on, ovenless comrades, bake on!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You need a Japanese-style rice cooker to make these recipes. I’ve never cooked with a non-Japanese rice cooker, but I’ve heard that they work pretty differently from Japanese ones. And of course if you have an oven, well, it’s probably way easier to make them in an oven (and you can make a lot more bread at one time). But if you’re without an oven, or if you just don’t want to turn your kitchen into a sauna in the summer, a rice cooker is a great baking tool.

Rosemary Bread (adapted from A Modern Girl)

• 2.5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1.5 teaspoons sugar (plus a pinch for the yeast)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water (for the yeast)
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Directions

1. Put the yeast into a bowl with a a pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup warm water (as in hot to the touch but not so hot that it burns your fingers). Mix gently together and let sit for 10 minutes until it has thickened and bubbles have appeared.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, rosemary, and sugar in a separate bowl (not the rice cooker bowl) and mix to combine. Then add the milk, yeast mixture, olive oil, and butter. Mix gently with a spoon until you can’t mix it anymore, then use your hands to knead and shape it into a ball.

1. Turn on the rice cooker’s warming function (保温), plop the ball of dough in the rice cooker bowl, cover with a paper towel, and let rise for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
2. When the dough has risen, remove it from the rice cooker (watch out for the hot sides of the pan) and tip it out onto a dry surface. Punch it down and knead it again, forming it into a ball as you did the first time. Put it back in the rice cooker on warm and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled in size once again (about another hour).

1. Turn the rice cooker on as if you were going to cook plain white rice (this should cook your bread for about 40 minutes).
2. After the timer sounds, remove the bread from the pan by flipping it upside down onto a cutting board (again, mind the hot pan). Replace the bread in the rice cooker, upside down, and cook for another 40 minutes.
3. Remove and let cool slightly before enjoying!

Rosemary Olive Bread

Exactly the same as the above rosemary bread, but just add 2 tablespoons of chopped green olives during step 2.

Pizza Bread

Again, same as above, but add the following during step 2:

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped or torn into pieces, let them break up and spread throughout the dough)
• 6 thin slices of salami, chopped into small pieces
• 2-3 tsp dried oregano
• 2-3 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 cup finely grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Also, during step 6 sprinkle a little bit of grated Parmesan and mozzarella on top of the bread just before you close the lid of the rice cooker.

Whole Wheat Bread

Same as above, but use 1.5 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose (white) flour, and add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and 1 1/2 tablespoons honey during step 2.

Banana Bread (adapted from A Modern Girl)

• 1 1/2 cups enriched white flour
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas (they should be pretty brown on the outside)
• 1/3 cups softened butter
• 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• A little bit of butter to grease the rice cooker pot
• Optional: Walnuts, fruit, etc. to taste

Directions

1. Use a paper towel to lightly grease the inside of the rice cooker pot with butter and set aside.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt).
3. Add the bananas, butter, milk, and egg and mix until thick and creamy.
4. If you’re planning on adding any optional ingredients, stir them in.
5. Pour the batter into the pot and start the cooker on the “plain white rice” setting. 40 minutes was enough for me, but times may vary.
6. When the top looks cooked and an inserted fork comes out clean (hopefully after just one rice cycle), the bread is done. Being mindful of the hot pot, remove it from the rice cooker and flip the final product out onto a plate. Allow to cool before slicing.

Cheddar Dill Cornbread

Just follow this recipe from Ina Garten, pop the batter in the rice cooker and select the “plain white rice” setting to bake it for about 40 minutes. Again, that was enough for me, but you might need to flip it and cook it a bit longer if it’s not quite done.

Happy baking!