How To Make Bread Without Yeast

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If You Can Mix A Few Ingredients Together – You Can Learn How To Make Bread Without Yeast.

You can learn how to make bread without yeast easily. Mixing a few ingredients together is much easier than making leavened bread. Bread which includes yeast requires lots of kneading and proving to get the yeast and gluten to react.

Bread made with yeast also takes a considerable time to make. It must be kneaded and set aside in a warm place to prove a couple of times. Finally after this you get to the baking part.

If you have a yeast sensitivity but don’t want to give up eating bread completely, this article will show you how to make bread without yeast. You’ll still able to enjoy some of your favorite snacks and meals.

Many stores nowadays offer gluten free breads but it’s a little harder to find yeast free breads. So understanding how to make them easily and quickly at home is a lifesaver.

A yeast sensitivity meant giving up bread and I also reduced my excess carbohydrate and gluten intake. Overall this was a good thing and quitting bread wasn’t too difficult for me. But I found I really missed the odd slice of toast. Now I can once again I enjoy a slab of toasted yeast free bread with eggs for breakfast. This gets my day off to a great start.

Commercially made white bread is not good

How to make bread without yeastIn general, we eat way too much factory made, pre-sliced commercial white bread. It’s just not great for health. As a highly refined product, it has an effect on blood sugar similar to eating sugar. In other words…. not good! Blood sugar rises rapidly followed by a crash due to the refined carbohydrates.

If you’ve read my posts on adrenal fatigue, you’ll know that it’s much better to eat a diet which helps to keep your blood sugar stable. This avoids insulin spikes and overworking the adrenals.

However, whilst giving up yeast, gluten and excess carbs was great for my overall health, there were times when I missed a slice of bread, particularly as breakfast toast or to eat with a bowl of soup.

Smashed avocado or mashed sardines aren’t quite the same on a cracker. You really need that toasted bread to turn these healthy foods into a substantial and filling breakfast or brunch meal.

Yeast Free Breads Are Not A New Fad.

Unleavened breads have been used by various cultures around the world for millennia, and this type of bread is one of the first ‘prepared’ foods. Some types of unleavened breads include:

  • Corn Tortillas – From Mexico and South America
  • Roti – A griddle flat bread from India
  • Matzo – Originating from Egypt and more like a cracker than bread.
  • Pita – With its useful ‘pocket’ is a popular Middle Eastern favorite.

No doubt if you have been avoiding raised yeast breads you will have already tried some of these popular flat breads.

Flat breads whilst tasty don’t really have the qualities that make them good for a sandwich or more particularly, for making toast. I like flat breads used as they are traditionally used, as part of an Indian meal or with hummus, felafel  and all the great Middle Eastern ingredients that combine beautifully together.

Why It’s Important To Use Something To Make Yeast Free Bread Rise.

The ingredient that gives bread that great rise and bubbly texture is yeast. Yeast is a microscopic fungus which releases carbon dioxide during the proving process that helps the bread dough rise before baking.

How to make bread without yeastThe combination of gluten with the yeast makes a well leavened and chewy textured bread. If you aim to make this type of bread without using yeast you’ll be disappointed as it’s just very difficult to get this same texture in bread without yeast.

So you need to adjust your expectations a little as to the type of bread you’ll be able to make without using yeast.

What we are aiming to make here, is not a flatbread, but not a fully risen holey bread with a chewy texture either. Something in between works great as bread you can eat as is but it’s also fantastic toasted.

You need to use something to get your bread to rise a bit without yeast or it will end up being heavy with the characteristics of a brick and absolutely no resemblance to a familiar loaf of bread.

Some of you might already have had this horrible experience.  It’s not good I know I have, and the entire heavy brick like ‘object’ ended up in the garbage bin.

To avoid this nasty experience and complete waste of time, effort and money, it’s good to know some ingredients that can be used to help bread (and cakes and muffins) achieve a bit of a lift.

Firstly you can buy Double Acting Baking Powder which typically contains a few ingredients such as :

  • Sodium Bicarbonate – which is used as a base.
  • Monocalcium Phosphate – which provides an acid that reacts with Sodium Bicarbonate when it’s a wet dough creating CO2 gas bubbles.
  • Sodium Aluminium Sulfate – another acid which extends the leavening process and reacts with Sodium Bicarbonate when wet and also when heated.
  • Cornstarch – which is a filler.

How to make bread without yeastIf you plan on using a commercial Baking Powder it’s best to

avoid those which contain aluminium in the ingredients.

Another and potentially healthier way to get this bubbly reaction without using Baking Powder is to use Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) and add an acidic medium like Yogurt, Apple Cider Vinegar, Freshly squeezed lemon juice or Buttermilk.

 

 

The effect won’t be as strong as using Double Acting Baking Powder, but these ingredients have been used for many years as a traditional way to leaven baked goods.

 

 

As additions to bread recipes these acids can give a slightly sour flavor to bread which you need to give the missing sourness you normally get from using yeast.

Now for some recipe ideas……

Herbed Flax Focaccia Bread

This is a great recipe for Herbed Flax Focaccia Bread which I use a lot. I find it really versatile and the flavor works well with savory and sweet foods. Like focaccia, it doesn’t rise a lot, but I find a slice is a great size to fit perfectly in the toaster.

This recipe is quick, easy and great to serve straight from the oven. Made from golden flax seed meal it’s also gluten free and very healthful. The recipe uses baking powder, buy one that is aluminium free.

 

Herbed Flax Focaccia

  • 2 cups golden flax seed meal
  • 1 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 1 tbs baking powder (gluten and aluminium free)
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary and oregano
  • 5 medium eggs beaten (free range organic)
  • 1/2 cup water
  1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
  2. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix well.
  3. Allow the batter to rest for about 3 minutes.
  4. Line a 10 x 15″ tray with baking paper.
  5. Pour the batter into the baking tray and spread evenly. It should be about 1/2″ thick.
  6. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven for about 20 minutes until it springs back slightly.
  7. Cut into 12 slices and store in the fridge.

Irish Soda Spelt Bread – Teresa Cutter

This recipe is from Teresa Cutter, The Healthy Chef and is a dense bread that works well with both sweet and savory toppings.

Irish soda bread has always been a store cupboard staple that can be whipped up very quickly without using yeast.

Wholemeal Spelt is high in fiber and has a low G.I., however it does contain gluten, so if you need a gluten free bread you may want to use the Herbed Flax Focaccia bread instead.

Spelt flour is readily available in health food stores and many supermarkets. The raising agents used for this bread are baking soda and lemon juice, and it does rise pretty well.

Yeast Free Quinoa Bread – Simply Quinoa

Another great yeast free bread recipe is this one from Simply Quinoa.
It’s also gluten free, makes a good sandwich bread and toasts well.

Quinoa is a pretty heavy grain so some heavy-duty raising agents are used in this recipe, a combination of baking powder, baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

Putting it all together

So there you have it, the run down on how to make bread without yeast and suggestions on substitute raising agents. Try the recipe suggestions here and let me know what you think of them by leaving a comment below.

 

 

 

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comments

  1. Wow, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Since I can’t imagine life without bread, I keep eating it – very often, to be honest. I just love its bubbly texture and its taste. But now that I have read your post, I will definitely make yeast free bread from now on instead of buying the factory made. Thank you for sharing this post, it is very informative.

    Reply
    • Hi Ruya Thanks for your comments, it’s great you found the article interesting. Eating bread often kind of becomes a habit I think due to the convenience. Changing up the types of bread you eat can add variety and offer better nutrition. Good luck with trying some yeast free types.

      Reply

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