There are all sorts of creative ways to make bread without yeast. You might ask, “Why would I want to know how to make bread without yeast?” Maybe for the sake of preparedness – simply knowing how to make due without yeast…
This is very basic ‘bread’, but it works, and it’s edible.
Here’s how to make it:
The final product is pictured above. I have previously posted the recipe in an article titled, “How To Make Basic Bread From Dough Without Yeast”, however I thought I would add more pictures in this post, along with more details, as well as a request for you to share your own creations and recipes for bread (with no yeast).
This is an edible bread from basic ingredients that have a good shelf life without the requirement for refrigeration or without yeast. The results are not going to be the traditional fluffy bread you’re used to, but it’s not too bad… Surprisingly (given the ingredients) the bread has a consistency crossing between actual traditional bread and a biscuit. Certainly not a light and fluffy bread, but it’s not a brick either.
Bread Ingredients & Shelf Life
Flour. Unopened bags of white flour will generally stay fresh up to one year. As the flour gets older it will eventually develop a bad taste, and then go rancid. For a shelf life up to ‘decades’, store ‘wheat berries’ (not having been milled yet). When it’s time to make bread, you will need to mill the wheat into flour – with a flour mill.
Baking Powder. First of all, I prefer ‘aluminum free’ baking powder for health safety (aluminum is thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s). The shelf life of unopened baking powder is generally indefinite, depending on the storage environment (which needs to be dry so moisture won’t penetrate its packaging over time). Once you open a container of baking powder its potency starts to diminish (from moisture in the air). So if you keep your ‘working’ baking powder in a sealed dry container, its effectiveness ‘should’ last for quite a long time. It’s the opening and closing and then reopening and closing that allows more and more moisture to be absorbed into the baking powder over time which eventually reduces its effectiveness. With that said, their ‘best-by’ dates are generally one year within its original hard-pressed cardboard packaging.
Oil. The recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil. Pretty much all oils have a general shelf life of about one year – although cool and dark storage conditions will extend that. Eventually, oil will go rancid. You keep store oil in a freezer for longer shelf life.
Water. You either have it, or you don’t…
Bread Recipe (no yeast)
1. Add to a bowl 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Begin to mix while adding 1/3 cup of oil (extra virgin olive oil).
3. Continue to mix while adding 3/4 cup of warm water. I start with a wooden spoon and finish working the dough with my hands. If necessary, continue to add more water a little at a time until the mixture holds together and will roll into a ball while barely sticky. If it becomes too soupy, just add a bit more flour. Etc..
(You can be creative and add pretty much anything to the dough for an enhanced bread – maybe some herbs, nuts, whatever floats your boat)
4. Grease an oven-proof dish (8″ x 4″ bread loaf pan, for example) and flatten the dough into the dish. Then flip the dough to get oil/grease on both sides of bread.
5. If you have foil, cover tightly (holds in the moisture). Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Then check it. I like to sprinkle some sea-salt on top at this point. You will likely need to continue cooking for another 10 to 20 minutes – just check for a golden top, and it should spring back when touched. I uncover the foil after 30 minutes to assist baking a golden top. Your times may vary depending on your oven and its temperature calibration.
That’s it! Simple. Next time you might add two or three tablespoons of sugar for sweetness…
Note: The bread dough appears to double in size throughout the baking process.
Note: Approximately 2,000 total calories (1,365 flour, 635 oil)
If you’re looking for Sourdough, here’s an article on that:
Sourdough Starter Recipe Without Yeast From Scratch
Classic Sourdoughs: A Home Baker’s Handbook
FAQs
Soda Bread
This sturdy breakfast bread comes together and relies on baking soda as a leavener. You can swap out the walnuts and dried currants with any chopped nuts, seeds and dried fruit you have in your pantry.
What can I use instead of yeast in bread? ›
You can substitute yeast with equal parts lemon juice and baking soda. So if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of yeast, you can use half a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Keep in mind that the bread will not need the typical proofing time and the dough will begin rising right away.
Can you raise bread without yeast? ›
Instead of using yeast to make the bread rise, quick breads rely on other leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder to get height. "Quick breads, like banana bread, zucchini bread, and cornbread are delicious and easy alternatives to yeast-based bread and can satisfy cravings in a pinch," says Tyler Lee.
How did people make bread without yeast? ›
Sourdough makes the bread leaven without yeast, even though yeast makes the process faster and stronger. In leavening rye bread, sour root, or heavy seed, is traditionally used instead of yeast. At that time, the rise of the dough is based on fermentation.
Is all sourdough bread yeast free? ›
Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, which means it doesn't use commercial yeast to rise. Instead, it uses a 'starter' – a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria – to rise. This also produces the tangy flavour and slightly chewy texture you'll find in sourdough.
Does all sourdough bread have yeast? ›
Other natural ingredients can be added but genuine sourdough bread making does not involve the use of baker's yeast, chemical raising agents, so-called processing aids or other additives.
Can you make homemade yeast? ›
Combine flour and spring water in a medium bowl; stir well. Cover loosely with a cloth and let sit on a kitchen counter for 2 to 3 days, or until bubbly. To use and feed your starter; take out the amount needed for your recipe and then replace that amount with equal parts flour and spring water.
Which is healthier baking powder or yeast? ›
Yeast has more nutrients, but some may be allergic to it. The others are just types of salts with baking powder being a combination.
What does yogurt do to dough? ›
Yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt holds the dough together and ensures a tender texture.
How did they make bread in the old days without yeast? ›
The most common source of leavening in antiquity was to retain a piece of dough (with sugar and water in) from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples".
For health conscious consumers yeast free bread has many benefits and is recommended for people suffering from Diabetes, Candida and other digestive problems. Eating most types of regular bread creates sugar in our body's when our body breaks down the bread into carbohydrates and simple sugars.
Does Ezekiel bread have yeast? ›
Ezekiel bread ingredients typically include the following: organic sprouted wheat, filtered water, organic malted barley, organic sprouted rye, organic sprouted barley, organic sprouted oats, organic sprouted millet, organic sprouted corn, organic sprouted brown rice, fresh yeast, organic wheat gluten and sea salt.
What did the pioneers use instead of yeast? ›
Pioneers used both corn meal and wheat flours for bread. They baked bread in cast iron bake kettles set in the coals of the open hearth. Pearlash, eggs, saleratus, an early chemical leavening preceding baking soda, and home-created yeast starters were used to leaven bread.
How did ancient people get yeast for bread? ›
Researchers speculate that a mixture of flour meal and water was left longer than usual on a warm day and the yeasts that occur in natural contaminants of the flour caused it to ferment before baking. Bread was the most important part of the ancient Egyptian diet.
How did pioneers get yeast for bread? ›
Besides brewer`s yeast, homemakers in the 19th Century used specially brewed ferments to make yeast. The basis for most of these ferments was a mash of grain, flour or boiled potatoes. Hops were often included to prevent sourness. Salt-rising bread was made from a starter of milk, cornmeal and, sometimes, potatoes.
Does all white bread have yeast? ›
White bread and whole grain breads, including whole wheat bread, are made with flour, water, and yeast, but minimal fermentation.
Does rye bread have yeast? ›
The simplest form is made with rye flour, water, salt, and naturally occurring yeast.
Does pumpernickel bread have yeast? ›
The loaves are baked in covered pans to keep the moisture inside, which prevents a discernible crust from forming. For American pumpernickel bread, like this recipe, a combination of milled wheat and rye flour is used, as is commercial yeast, producing a springy loaf with a much more open crumb.