Looking for homemade bread recipes without yeast?
You’ve come to the right place!
We’ll take a look at some tasty and delectable variations of classic and traditional bread recipes…
All with the notable distinction of being yeast-free.
Done properly, you will find the breads you could make to be every bit as flavorful, delectable, and impressive-looking as the finest bread you could buy anywhere.
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Why No Yeast Bread?
For thousands of years, bread makers have traditionally relied on yeast to make their bread rise. Yeast interacts with the sugars present in the flour, producing carbon dioxide bubbles that give bread its characteristic airy consistency and texture.
Of course, yeast recipes will require time, heat, and a bit of kneading in order for the leavening process to take place. This is when the bubbles develop in the batter, later to become air bubbles in the bread during the baking process.
As experienced bakers know, baking bread with yeast can be a tedious and long drawn-out process. Those who wish to avoid this altogether may therefore opt for a no-yeast recipe that can be completed in a fraction of the time.
But saving time and effort is only one of the reasons why you may want to consider no-yeast bread. Most people can handle some yeast in their diets without any problem. However, there are instances wherein the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria in the body are thrown out of whack. When this happens, you may experience yeast overgrowth.
Yeast overgrowth can manifest itself in many different ways. Those particularly susceptible may have an allergic reaction, with yeast infections being especially common. Others may experience bloating, excessive belching, gassiness, indigestion, and host of other digestive issues. Some people even experience rashes, recurring headaches, and overwhelming fatigue.
Whether or not you are prone to these issues, there are many good reasons to try your hand at baking no-yeast bread. They are quick to make as mentioned previously, and they can be just as tasty as bread baked via conventional means. Best of all, most recipes–including the ones outlined below–utilize only ingredients that you already have at home.
In most cases, baking powder is used in place of yeast in order to initiate the leavening action. This is actually a more efficient and convenient way to bake bread, as baking powder sets off the necessary chemical reaction much quicker than if you used yeast.
Now let’s take a look at some recipes.
Homemade Bread Recipes Without Yeast
Quick Bake No-Yeast Bread
If you like soda bread, you’re gonna love this recipe!
It’s a quick baking, no-yeast recipe that is a slightly tweaked variation of soda bread.
Instead of bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk, this recipe relies on baking powder and regular milk.
The quick-leavening action of baking powder shortens the baking process, as you don’t need to wait for the dough to rise before popping it into the oven. You also don’t have to knead the dough to form gluten, as the recipe doesn’t include bread flour.
Best of all, the ingredients are all readily available in most homes, so you can quickly whip up a batch any time the urge strikes you!
Ingredients
500 grams cake all-purpose or cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
310 milliliters plain milk
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 375° F. Place a heavy flat baking pan or a baking stone in the oven.
Combine all the dry ingredients together. Pour in the milk, and mix it in to form dough.
Knead for a few minutes until you get an even consistency.
Form the dough into a disc no more than 1.5” thick. It is important to not make it any thicker than this in order to ensure that the bread is cooked thoroughly in the middle.
Score the top of the dough before placing it in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes or more until the crust is a nice pale brown. You will know the bread is ready when it gives off a hollow sound when tapped.
Easy Quick Bread
Quick breads are exactly what you would expect them to be: quick baking breads that require minimal prep time. This no-yeast recipe can be sweet or savory, depending on your preference. In fact, you can use this as a foundation for a huge array of different types of breads.
Ingredients
For savory quick bread
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 ½ cups buttermilk (plain milk may also be used)
6 tablespoon canola oil (you may also use other types of cooking oil)
Herbs, spices or any ingredients you wish
For sweet quick bread
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 ½ cups buttermilk (plain milk may be used instead)
6 tablespoons canola oil (any other oil may be used)
1 ½ cups brown sugar (you may also use granulated sugar solely or in combination with brown sugar)
½ tablespoon vanilla
Any other ingredients you wish
Instructions
Turn your oven on and preheat to 350° F.
Line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper or coat lightly with cooking spray. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
Whisk the flour in a large bowl along with salt, baking powder, and all the other spices and dry ingredients you wish.
Take another bowl and whisk the milk, eggs, and oil, together. If you are making sweet quick bread, mix in the sugar and other flavoring liquids as well.
Pour the milk and eggs mix into the flour, and mix thoroughly until well combined. If you are making sweet quick bread, only mix the ingredients together enough for the flour to be absorbed. This will prevent the bread from becoming too tough.
If you are making savory quick bread on the other hand, you will want to mix the ingredients together for a little while longer. Savory breads actually benefit from some firmness, so you could safely increase the mixing time to one minute in order to produce gluten.
Add in any other ingredients that you wish to use in your recipe.
Pour the resulting batter into the loaf pan, and place it in the oven. Bake at a temperature of 350° F for 40 minutes. After that time, insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. You’ll know it’s ready when you see only moist crumbs when you pull the toothpick out.
No-Yeast Brown Sugar Bread
Fans of brown bread will especially love this flavorful no-yeast recipe!
It takes only five minutes to prepare all the ingredients.
A further 40 minutes in the oven, and you will be rewarded with rich-tasting bread that you and your family will enjoy down to the last crumb!
Ingredients
2 cups brown sugar
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cup milk
2/3 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
Take six small loaf pans and coat lightly with butter, oil, or shortening.
Preheat your oven to 350° F.
Mix the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and oil together.
Add the dry ingredients into the milk and eggs mixture until it just slightly moistened.
Pour the resulting batter into the loaf pans, leaving about an inch of space from the top to give the bread enough room to rise. You may sprinkle more sugar on the top of each loaf if you wish.
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
No-Yeast Cinnamon Bread
This no-yeast cinnamon bread is just as enticing to look at as it is tasty. This recipe is good for several loaves, so it is a great choice for holiday gifts!
Ingredients
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups milk (buttermilk is best)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
For topping:
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
Cinnamon sugar for dusting the pans
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350° F.
Take two large loaf pans or three medium-sized pans and grease lightly. Sprinkle them with cinnamon-sugar.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, oil, and sugar together thoroughly.
Add the eggs and vanilla into the wet mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients into the mix and combine well.
Mix ½ cup sugar and two tablespoons of cinnamon in a bowl. This will be used to top the batter and for swirling.
Divide the batter equally between the loaf pans. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the loaves, leaving some for topping.
Swirl the cinnamon-sugar mixture through the batter with a knife. When done, sprinkle the rest of the mixture on top.
Place the pans in the oven and bake for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the pans. You will know the bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the loaves come out clean.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Loosen the bread from the edges of the pan with a knife before transferring it onto a rack for further cooling.
Final Thoughts
These are only some of the many no-yeast bread recipes you can try. There are many more out there, spanning the range from the simple to the complex, from the savory to the sweet. As you will find out from frequent experimentation, no-yeast bread can be just as flavorful as other types of bread. With these recipes, you will hopefully be encouraged to try making no-yeast bread at home, and possibly even come up with your own unique variations.