These 15 Bread Recipes Don't Use Yeast, So You Can Make Them Right Now (2024)

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These 15 Bread Recipes Don't Use Yeast, So You Can Make Them Right Now (1)

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These 15 Bread Recipes Don't Use Yeast, So You Can Make Them Right Now

by Ashley Jones

Whether you've always been the sort of pioneer-like person that likes to bake their own bread or have recently picked up the habit thanks to extra time on your hands, finding a good bread recipe is worth its weight in creamy, golden butter. There are also plenty of bread recipes without yeast that work well during the times you have the urge to bake a loaf, but don't have any of the typical leavening agent on hand.

Using yeast in bread makes it rise. Yeast is actually a fungus that, when mixed with water, works to eat sugar in bread dough to create carbon dioxide bubbles within your bread. Without yeast, traditional bread recipes don't puff up and become all light and fluffy. Some types of bread, like sourdough, don't use yeast at all to purposefully create a more dense loaf. Other recipes use a suitable substitute for yeast (like beer or baking soda and buttermilk) to create air pockets within the bread.

Baking bread can help fill a primitive need for survival during stressful times, and experts say it's beneficial to your physical and mental health because it creates a sense of self-sufficiency. So, it makes sense that you might be searching for ways to create bread with whatever you have on hand right now. Plus, can you think of anything more comforting than a slice of warm, fresh bread straight out of the oven with a pat of melty butter on top? Read on for 15 bread recipes you can make that don't require you to have any yeast at home.

1

Dairy & Egg-Free No Yeast Bread

If you are in dire need of bread and have very few ingredients on hand, this no-yeast bread recipe from Kirbie's Cravings makes the perfect emergency bread from flour, baking soda, salt, water, and vegetable oil. This is also a great recipe for those with dietary restrictions who want to enjoy bread without eggs or dairy.

The blogger recommends baking this rustic bread on a pizza stone in order to get a nice crust on the outside. She also says that you can use melted butter in place of vegetable oil and milk in place of water to create a richer, more fragrant bread if you have those ingredients available.

2

Basic Quick Bread

You probably wouldn't want to use this bread to make a sandwich without toasting it first because the texture is more crumbly like a cake, but if you have a hankering for bread, this quick bread recipe from A Pretty Life In The Suburbs is easy to make and bakes up swiftly.

3

No Yeast Potato Bread

If a thick, chewy bread is what you're looking for, this recipe for no yeast potato bread from Savory Experiments is the perfect one to try. It combines cooked potatoes, milk, oil, eggs, and sugar to create a tasty bread loaf. Plus, if you have any leftover mashed potatoes, this is a great way to not let them go to waste.

4

Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread

Southerners know all too well how tasty a slice of hot cornbread straight from a cast iron skillet can be. Slather it with butter and you have the ultimate comfort food. This recipe for buttermilk skillet cornbread from Bake Love Give is a great way to get your bread fix without using any yeast.

5

2-Ingredient Bread

Can you make bread using only two ingredients? If one of them is ice cream and the other is self-rising flour, then yes. It's like magic! This two-ingredient bread recipe from Simply Bakings is a fun and simple way to create an entire loaf of bread with the absolute bare minimum ingredients. You just have to be willing to give up a few scoops of ice cream to do it.

6

Artisan Sourdough Bread

You may not have yeast, but do you have an active, mature sourdough starter laying around? (Or, can you order one?) If so, you can make this artisan sourdough bread recipe from A Beautiful Plate. Sourdough bread baking takes quite a bit of time and a lot of patience to get all of the steps just right, but the result is absolutely worth it.

7

Easy Garlic Flatbread

If you're in the mood for a Mediterranean-style meal, this yeast-free easy garlic flatbread recipe from Cafe Delites is perfect to try. The addition of garlic powder, olive oil, and Greek yogurt makes these flattened discs of bread extra flavorful.

8

Rye Soda Bread

For a twist on traditional bread, you can use different types of flours to make different variations. This recipe from Brown Eyed Baker uses rye flour to make a hearty soda bread with buttermilk, salt, and baking soda. Slice it up right out of the oven for a warm, toasty treat that is delicious with butter or jam.

9

Irish Potato Bread

This recipe for Irish potato bread from Bunny's Warm Oven is unique not only in that it does not require any yeast, but it calls for potatoes that are boiled and mashed alongside uncooked grated potatoes to provide a different textural experience. Potato bread makes for a hearty bun for burgers or sandwiches because it holds up well against multiple wet ingredients like tomatoes, onions, mustard, and other condiments.

10

Flax Sandwich Bread

This vegan sandwich bread recipe from Power Hungry is also compliant for those following keto and grain-free diets. Flaxseed meal, baking powder, and water combine to make a dense bread loaf that can be sliced and used to make sandwiches, toast, or just eat right out of the oven.

11

Brown Butter Soda Bread

If you've ever cooked with brown butter before (butter that has been cooked over medium heat until it turns a delightful golden brown), you know just how flavorful it can make any dish. The addition of brown butter and oats to this soda bread recipe from Budget Bytes gives it a rich, nutty taste.

12

Olive Oil Bread

This recipe for olive oil bread from the blog I Heart Vegetables is unique in that it calls for the bread to be fried in a skillet instead of baked in the oven. Without using any yeast, the bread will be thick and hearty, and cooking it in a pan will yield a crusty exterior.

13

5-Ingredient Beer Bread

With one bowl and five simple ingredients, you can make this beer bread recipe from Half Baked Harvest and enjoy a fresh loaf of bread within the hour. If you have flour, baking powder, salt, beer, and honey at home, you have everything you need to create a delectable bread that actually does get a bit fluffy thanks to the yeast in the beer.

14

Savory Sweet Potato Bread

A twist on classic potato bread, this recipe for savory sweet potato bread from Kiip Fit is a tasty way to use up any sweet potatoes you were able to snag on your last grocery run. Whole grain flour, flaxseed meal, and olive oil also pump up the healthy factor of this bread and make it vegan-friendly.

15

No Knead 3-Ingredient Beer Bread

This recipe for beer bread from The Seasoned Mom uses only three ingredients — beer, self-rising flour, and sugar. The blogger recommends using beer that is room temperature, and says you can use any beer that you have on hand to create this slightly sweet bread that doesn't require any kneading to create the light, soft texture.

These 15 Bread Recipes Don't Use Yeast, So You Can Make Them Right Now (2024)

FAQs

What breads are made without yeast? ›

6 Easy Breads You Can Bake Without Yeast
  • Vegan and Dairy-Free Pita Bread. ...
  • Vegan and Dairy-Free Biscuits. ...
  • Popovers. ...
  • Soda Bread. ...
  • Quick Bread. ...
  • Wheat-Free, Vegan and Dairy-Free Flatbread.

What makes bread rise without yeast? ›

Baking Soda

It helps breads rise and gives them their light and airy texture. Unlike yeast, baking soda needs an acid to activate it. By adding an acid to baking soda (such as lemon juice or cream of tartar) a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide and fills your bread with air — much like yeast does.

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".

What happens if you make bread without yeast? ›

Some differences could be that your bread will not rise as tall as you're used to, the flavor is a little different, or the texture may not be exactly the same. However, if you're out of yeast or don't have the time to wait for your bread to rise, these substitutes will undoubtedly get the job done.

Does sourdough have yeast? ›

Instead of using baker's yeast, sourdough bread relies on a starter: a mixture of water and flour that develops a population of wild yeast. This yeast produces lactic acid, the source of sourdough bread's distinctive tangy taste.

Can you get yeast free bread? ›

The alternative to most sugar producing breads is yeast free bread. There are many delicious yeast free breads that are specially manufactured to meet the needs of those following a Candida diet. Because there is no yeast, you avoid the sugar issues.

How did the pioneers make bread without yeast? ›

With No Yeast : The Salt : NPR. Bake Bread Like A Pioneer In Appalachia ... With No Yeast : The Salt Bacteria can make a bread rise and give it a cheesy flavor. That's the secret ingredient in salt rising bread, which dates to the late 1700s in Appalachia, when bakers didn't have yeast on hand.

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.

Why is bread not baked on Wednesday? ›

The color indicates the day of the week the bread was baked. Typically, commercial bread is baked and delivered to grocery stores five days a week. This gives bakeries two days off–Wednesdays and Sundays. The color system helps the store staff as they rotate in the freshest bread and remove the older loaves.

Why are bread makers no longer popular? ›

Some attribute the demise of the bread machine to the fact that cooks were just disappointed by their results. Lara Pizzorno, the author of Bread Machine Baking, chalked it up to food snobs who regarded the machine as “the electric equivalent of The Bridges of Madison County” in a 1996 article in The New York Times.

What bread has no yeast? ›

The world's best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread! Irish bread is unique because it's a 4 ingredient, 5 minute recipe made without yeast but still has a proper crumb just like “real” bread. You don't need to be Irish to make this.

Does yeast expire? ›

Yeast is a living thing, which means that all yeast expires at some point. All yeast has an expiration date, but yeast will expire sooner if not stored properly. Properly stored yeast may last for up to four months beyond the expiration date. Improperly stored yeast may not make it to its expiration date.

What happens if you use dead yeast in bread? ›

A vacuum-sealed bag of yeast stored at high temperatures, however—e.g., in a hot kitchen over the summer, or in a hot warehouse before delivery—will fairly quickly lose its effectiveness. After awhile, if stored improperly, yeast cells will die. And if you use dead (or dying) yeast in your bread, it won't rise.

Is there no yeast in sourdough? ›

The truth is, sourdough starter is full of yeast - it's just a different kind of yeast to commercial yeast. So while sourdough starter is different to commercial yeast, it can get confusing because in essence, sourdough starter is natural, wild yeast.

What foods have no bakers yeast? ›

What can I eat on a yeast-free diet?
  • Rice, rice flour, rice pasta, rice cakes and rice cereals.
  • Corn flour (non-wheat flours too, such as potato, spelt – any without gluten)
  • Chicken (grilled or baked, breaded with alternative flours)
  • Beef.
  • Fish and seafood.
  • Eggs, quiches.
  • Cheese (no mouldy cheeses)
Nov 6, 2019

Do bagels contain yeast? ›

In general, bagels have a very simple formulation. The formula is very similar to simple bread or roll formulas: flour, salt, yeast, and water. What separates the bagel from the rest of the rolls are the flour quality and the processing. Traditional bagels were made with very high-protein, spring wheat flour.

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