Easy No Yeast Bread
It surprises many people to discover that you can make perfectly delicious bread without yeast, using common household ingredients.
Yeast is, after all, a rising agent, and most kitchens have a jar or packet of another rising agent tucked away somewhere – baking powder! The active ingredient in baking powder, sodium bicarbonate or baking soda makes an excellent loaf of bread if you can’t get your hands on any yeast.
The Irish and the Australians have been making bread like this for well over 150 years, with Irish Soda Bread or Damper respectively. Both of these types of bread use baking soda or powder instead of yeast, which means they can be prepared quickly, without an additional rising time. Perfect for cooking over the campfire or in a communal oven.
A lot of people ask me what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder. The answer is very straightforward:
Baking Soda / Sodium Bicarbonate / (NaHCO3) / Natron: a chemical raising agent which reacts with an acid to create air bubbles in cooked food.
Baking Powder: is a mixture of Baking Soda and an acid such as cream of tartar as well as a little cornstarch to stop the ingredients reacting before use. Because this mixture already has an acid included, it is not necessary to add any acid to the recipe to activate the baking powder.
Right, science lesson over and back to the cooking! This is such an easy recipe, ideal for beginner bread bakers. You simply stir the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into a loaf tin and bake until risen and golden.
This bread is a little more fragile than yeast-based sandwich bread, but it is perfectly good for sandwiches or toast, freezes well, and tastes great!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use self-raising flour to make No Yeast Bread?
Absolutely! Different countries add different amounts of baking powder to their self-raising flour. Try it without adding any baking powder, and if it seems a little flat, add a teaspoon or two of baking powder to the mixture next time.
Can I use wholemeal or other types of flour to make this bread?
Yes, though I would recommend replacing no more than half of the flour with wholemeal or other flours as the result can be very dense without the lifting power of yeast.
Can I make this Easy No Yeast Bread gluten-free?
I haven’t tried yet, but I believe cassava flour makes an excellent alternative to wheat-based flours. If you experiment, let me know!
Can I make this bread with baking soda instead of baking powder?
Yes! Baking soda is considerably more powerful than baking powder so you can reduce the amount by around half. With both rising agents if they are old or have been stored in a damp place they will not be as effective as a new packet.
If you can get yeast, why not try one of my most popular recipes No-Knead Multigrain Bread?
EASY NO YEAST BREAD
Easy No Yeast Bread
If you’ve run out of yeast you can still make a delicious loaf of bread with common household ingredients. Easy No Yeast Bread uses baking powder to create a beautifully risen loaf of bread in just over an hour.
Ingredients
- 750 g plain flour
- 20 g baking powder
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 200 ml milk
- 75 ml oil
- 2 tsp vinegar
optional:
- 2 Tbsp oats or seeds for topping
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6 and line a loaf tin with baking paper. Place a small saucepan of hot water in the oven.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you are making by hand) stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Pour in 400ml of water, the milk, oil and vinegar, then mix using the dough hook attachment or a big spoon until smooth and well combined.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin, use a wet spoon to smooth the top, then cut a deep line into the middle of the loaf lengthways, this will help it to split evenly. If using, sprinkle over 2-3 Tbsp of oats or seeds and press gently so that they stick to the dough.
- Bake the loaf in the middle of the preheated oven for 75 minutes until the bread is risen and well browned.
- Remove the bread from the oven and lift out of the tin using the baking paper to assist. Give it a tap on the bottom, it should sound a bit like a drum, if not, return it to the oven for a further 10 minutes. There is no need to put it back in the tin, place it directly on the oven rack.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before peeling off the paper. Allow to cool completely on a rack before cutting. Cutting the bread before it has cooled will result in a gummy texture, so try to resist the temptation!
- Slice and serve, this bread is best used within 2-3 days.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 492mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g
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Hi, this looks great! Though i have a few questions. First, what’s the dimensions of the loaf pan used in the recipe, I’m guessing 9×5 inch pan will be too small? Second, the ingredients section doesn’t say water but do I need to add the 400ml water?
Hi Yash! Thank you so much for writing! I use a standard euro size loaf pan which is around 30cm (12in.)long, so you’ll either need to do two smaller loaf pans or take a size up. Yes, definitely add the water, I’ll add it into the ingredients section – thank you for catching that! J.
Wow wasn’t expecting such a fast reply, thank you 🙏 I have an old pan similar size, can’t wait to try the recipe 😊
My pleasure! I bet that pan will do, it’s a fairly forgiving recipe. My favourite easy bread recipe is actually this one – it’s super easy and very tasty!