How to make perfect bread in an Instant pot
It is a complete guide to make bread in an instant pot. The instant pot bread can not get any better than this. This bread is fluffy and light with a crispy crust. A step by step detailed recipe that explains how to make bread using pressure cook and bake mode in instant pot.
Equipment
- Instant Pot ( preferably Duo Evo Plus)
- Air Fryer Lid (or Instant Pot Duo Crisp & Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 310 g All-purpose Flour (2 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon Active dry Yeast Or Sourdough starter- 70 g
- 1 teaspoon Sugar (if using active dry yeast for leavening)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Butter (optional) (melted for brushing the baked loaf/rolls)
- 1 cup Water (240 g)
Instructions
Preparing the leavening agent:
- Activate the active dry yeast by mixing in warm water (100-110 0F) with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Set aside. It should become foamy and frothy in 5-10 minutes.
- Feed the sourdough starter 3-5 hours in advance. Make sure that the starter is ripe by the time you start to knead the dough.
Preparing the dough
- Combine all the wet and dry ingredients in a big bowl. Using the back of a wooden spatula, combine them until the dough comes together. Use hands towards the end if needed. Make sure that there are no patches of dry flour in the dough. Cover with cling wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Stretching and folding
- Now, wet a hand to stretch the dough. Take your hand under the dough and stretch it upwards, now tuck it under the dough on the opposite side. Repeat 4-5 times. Then, cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Come back after 15 minutes and repeat the same process. You should do it 4 times at the interval of 15 minutes, to get smooth dough.
Bulk rising the dough
- Grease the instant pot interior, place the dough inside and close the lid. Proof till the dough doubles in size.
- Method 1: Yogurt mode- Ferment- Custom temperature- 95 0F.
- Select the custom temperature setting on Yogurt mode and set the temperature somewhere between 85-95 0F for 1-2 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Active dry yeast dough will double up much faster than the sourdough. My yeast dough doubled in 50 minutes, and the sourdough one took about 2 hours.
- Method 2: Bake mode-Proofing option- Select time for 2 hours for sourdough and 1 hour for yeast bread. Also, do not place the dough directly in the pot. Instead, put it in a bowl and place the bowl in the IP.
- Method 3: Sous Vide Mode - Custom temperature – 90 0F. Do not put the dough directly in the pot.
- Method 4: Cold rise overnight in the fridge for best flavor.
- Method 5: Kitchen counter or oven with the light turned ON.
Shaping
- Shape the dough either into rolls or a single boule. For making rolls divide the dough into 7 equal parts and make them into smooth rolls. Place the rolls in a suitable container, depending on how you plan to bake them. (Read the suitable baking container in notes)
Proofing
- Let the dough overproof, much more than you would ideally do in the case of oven-baked bread. Choose the method that best suits you from the bulk rise section.( Also, read the proofing section of the post for more clarity)
Bake the bread
- Method 1: Select BAKE mode – custom- High temperature-30 minutes.
- Method 2: Pour ¾th cup of water in the pot and place the closed container with the shaped bread directly in it. ( Make sure there is no scope of water getting into the container.) Select Pressure cook at High temp. for 30 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally. Use a meat or candy thermometer to check if the bread is fully baked. The center of the bread should measure 180-195 0F.
Browning or crusting the Instant pot bread
- Replace the lid with the air fryer lid. (do not forget to empty and dry the pot if you pressure cook the bread) Select the broil mode and set the temperature to 400 0F for 12 minutes. ( If you make a boule, it may take longer.)
- Alternately bake the bread in the oven, at 420 0F for 12-15 minutes, until a golden-brown crust is formed. Take out of the oven, and brush with melted butter.
Cooling and slicing
- Transfer the bread onto the cooling rack and let the bread cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- Smaller bread bakes better and faster. That is why I recommend making rolls. If making a boule, choose to make smaller boules.
- It's a lean bread and crust will nothing but crispy. Steam gelatinizes the sugars in the flour and forms a crust on the surface. On broiling in an air fryer or oven, the crust becomes nice and crisp. If you do not like such crust, brush the crust with melted butter as soon as it comes out. Alternately you can also add 2 tablespoon of melted butter to the recipe if do not like a crispy crust.
- While proofing the shaped dough, try to over-proof the dough. Unlike the conventional oven, the instant pot does not give a natural spring to the bread. IP is pre-heating with the bread inside it. So, our best bet is to over-proof the dough to achieve a light and fluffy bread with an open crumb.
- A suitable baking container will depend on how you plan to shape the bread and on the mode of baking you use. If you are using, pressure cooker mode, you need a deep pan, bowl, or box, preferably with a tight lid. It should be deep enough to give ample space for the bread to rise without any hindrance while baking. If your baking container does not have a lid, cover it tightly with foil, to ensure that no steam or water can get inside the container.
- If you are using the bake mode, you can use any baking pan, that will fit in your instant pot.
- Oven-crusted bread is somewhat better than air fryer-crusted bread. Simply because, air fryer only crisps the bread from the top surface, whereas the overall surface is browned in the oven. But you can choose either of the two ways.
Nutrition facts
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal
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