Yep, you CAN make an amazing bread without yeast that’s just like proper bread! 5 common ingredients: flour, baking powder, oil, milk and sugar. It’s a no yeast bread based on Damper, a traditional Australian bread historically made by swagmen and drovers over campfire – except we’re using an oven!
Use for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, French Toast – anything you normally make with sandwich bread.
Bread without yeast
This no yeast bread is inspired by the Australian Damper, a traditional bushman’s bread made with flour and water that was cooked over campfires.
Except I’ve brought it into the 21st century to make the crumb fluffier, more tender and tastier, and made it look like sandwich bread rather than a freeform loaf. (Oh, and we cook this in an oven instead of over fire!)
This is THE emergency bread that you make when you don’t have yeast, or you don’t have time to make yeast bread. It has a proper crumb like real bread, rather than being crumbly like muffins which many no-yeast breads are. It’s mixed in a bowl with a wooden spoon – no kneading, no rising. You’ll have this in the oven in mere minutes!
Is it as good as a yeast bread? Yeast gives bread a chew and stretch in a way that bread made without yeast will never have. But this is as darn close as you will get to a yeast bread recipe without using yeast. And it’s off the charts delicious for something that takes 3 minutes to get into the oven!!
What goes into sandwich bread without yeast
Bread lovers might recognise this as a simpler version of Irish Soda Bread. It’s easier because the dough is just mixed up in a bowl (ie no kneading at all) and it doesn’t require buttermilk or baking soda which aren’t pantry staples for everyone.
Here’s all you need to make bread without yeast (let’s pretend I didn’t forget to put the milk in the photo!!!):
Flour – plain/all purpose flour, or switch up to half with wholemeal/wholewheat. Can use self raising in place of flour and baking powder;
Baking powder – this is what gives this bread rise. Skip if using self raising flour, or substitute with baking soda;
Milk – any type, dairy or non dairy, fresh or powder (reconstituted), full or no fat. Can be substituted with water plus 1 tbsp oil or butter;
Oil – Just 1/4 cup gives this bread some much needed moisture. Without it, it’s very dry. Any neutral flavoured oil is fine – canola, vegetable, peanut, grapeseed, rapeseed, sun flower, even a light olive oil;
Sugar – just 1 tablespoon makes quite a difference here to bring out flavour; and
Salt – for seasoning,
No egg. That’s the secret to the real bread-like crumb!
The flour and baking powder in this recipe can be substituted with self raising flour.
How to make bread without yeast
This is just like making your favourite Chocolate Chip Muffins! Mix the dry ingredients, then add the oil and milk. Mix, pour, bake!
Why use a loaf pan? Because the mixture is a very thick batter rather than a kneadable dough (like Friday’s pizza dough or focaccia). So you can’t freeform it like Irish Soda Bread. If you don’t have a loaf pan, make it in a muffin tin – well greased, 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F.
It takes 50 minutes in the oven, so I like to do half the time uncovered to get a lovely golden brown crust, then I cover it the rest of the time (otherwise the crust gets a bit thick and dark).
LOOK at that crust!↓↓↓ It’s tempting to just lift the whole thing off and run away with it! (Swipe the butter while you’re at it)
TIP: Let it cool completely before slicing, otherwise it will be susceptible to crumbling on the edges. On Day 2, it slices 100% perfectly!
Slice it up like normal bread then use it for anything and everything you ordinarily use sandwich bread for. A simple ham sandwich. Or an epic Pastrami or Reuben sandwich. Grilled cheese – or cheesy GARLIC bread. Toast it and slather with jam, Vegemite, peanut butter or whatever you heart desires.
Dunk into soups and stews. You can even make French Toast or Bread and Butter pudding!
Storage
As with all homemade breads, this no yeast bread is at its best on the day it’s made. But even the day after, it’s still very, very good thanks to the touch of oil which keeps the crumb moist. Then on Day 3, a light toasting is all that’s needed to resurrect it.
It also freezes 100% perfectly – which is what I’ve done with the 8+ loaves I’ve made in the past few weeks, trying to nail the recipe. I’m going to be eating this for weeks and weeks – no complaints here!! ~ Nagi x
Watch How To Make It
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Sandwich Bread WITHOUT Yeast! (Dead easy)
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour , plain/all purpose (Note 1)
- 8 tsp baking powder (Note 2)
- 3 tsp white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt (REDUCE to 1 tsp if using table salt, Note 3)
- 2 1/4 cups milk , warmed (any – Note 4)
- 1/4 cup oil , any plain (vegetable, canola, sunflower, rapeseed, grapeseed, light olive oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan).
- Grease a 22 x 13 cm / 9 x 5" loaf pan, then line with parchment/baking paper with overhang (to lift out).
- Mix dry: Place flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl, mix to combine.
- Add wet: Make a well in the centre, pour in oil and milk. Mix until flour is fully incorporated – batter will be thick but stirrable.
- Fill pan: Scrape into loaf pan, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl clean and smooth the surface.
- Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with foil.
- Return to oven. Turn oven DOWN to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan), bake 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then use excess paper to lift out and transfer to cooling rack.
- Cool completely before slicing – 45 minutes+. It IS more delicate than yeast breads (can't change science!) but slices far better than the usual "cake like" no yeast breads. Slices perfectly on Day 2 and beyond.
- Use for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, french toast, bread and butter pudding – anything you use "real" sandwich bread for!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Video Bomber. I cut him from the video edits 😂
OMG! So easy, so tasty (even though I forgot the salt and overheated the preheat for batch 1).
I love how your recipes are scalable.
I shrunk it down to 6 slices / 225g flour because my little mixing bowl holds about 350g in total.
I used silicone mini ‘pans’ and the muffin timing worked perfectly.
Even my JRT-cross, Boo, licked her chops and she’s a real fussy Madam.
Batch 2 is in the oven now and I’ll probably do another bake tomorrow for my stay-at-home VE Day picnic in the front yard.
Thank you so much Nagi.
Scritches to darling Dozer.
I’m so glad you got it to work Jackie, that’s awesome! N x
Hi Nagi, this recipe looks so easy! Could you tell me if you think it would work for bread rolls or buns?
Thank again 🙂
Hi Ash, It’s a bit sticky for rolls – but you can make it in muffin tins! N x
Thanks Nagi,
I will try a small batch today
Ash xx
Made the bread this morning for breakfast. Absolutely delicious, kids had toast with peanut butter and jam.
Nice!! N x
Hi Nagi!!🥰😁
I’m a longtime follower of yours & your blog is always the first one i recommenced to my friends if they need recipe ideas.
I’m a pro baker/pastry player/cook & I love that we both love very flavorful food! Your oven fried chicken techniques have changed my life bcuz I’m not into frying at home for health reasons & bcuz of the mess it creates.
I know this has nothing to do with your bread recipe but I recently made a new friend online from Trinidad & I thought it would be a good idea to share my intro into Trini food.
My background is Filipina & Black Puerto Rican (Caribbean) so I love how a lot of their food is similar to ours. One thing i found out that was really interesting is that they have a strong Indian influence.
I’m going to make Trini Style Stewed Chicken with Caribbean Corn Dumplings tomorrow & I’ll let you know how it goes. I’d highly recommend that you take a look at their food recipes or all Caribbean recipes. I think you’d love our use of herb pastes.
I apologize for not reaching out in the past year. I had a traumatic experience in 2019 & I’m currently dealing with a pregnancy & health scare.
Thanks for all of the recipes over the years & for loving food as much as I do! Cheers from the SF Bay Area! Stay safe & blessed!😊🤲🏽💜💕
Never made bread before but this is so good and simple to make, it didn’t look quite like yours 🙂 it seemed to rise too high down the centre but tasted so good will definitely be making again
thanks Nagi
Nagi, I am going to try to make this bread very soon. I have joined many cooking websites and read many recipes, but I think that you have the easiest, simple, and best recipes ever. Thank you so much.
You’re so welcome Jack!!! N x
As usual you’re adorable and spot on with your recipes!
Aww shucks! Thanks Lisa! N x
Hi Nagi, You’ve posted this just in time for me as I was about to go out to the supermarket for some bread for hubby. Then saw this and I’ve got it in process already. Glad we’re out of the stock piling season as it was giving me the irk’s!
Also glad that you and your family are OK as where would we be without you – “up Ship creek”!
Hate those photo bombs, but Dozer is SO CUTE he could photo bomb me any time. Ha! Ha!
I hope you love it Josephine! Love to know what you think 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I decided to try something with my bread yesterday by adding extra flavour. In the dry ingredients I added 3/4 Tbsp. dried thyme and 1 tsp dried rosemary before mixing. Then added 1/2 tsp “Gourmet Garden” garlic to the milk and oil before warming in the microwave for 90 seconds then poured into dry ingredients, mixing well. As it was baking my kitchen smelt wonderful and I was eager for it to finish baking. Then having to wait the 5 minutes to stand was getting rather tense because the smell was awesome and I was imagining the slathers of butter on the still slightly warm slices.
Cutting into the bread I found the bottom “crust” a bit hard to cut and above that (about 1.5cm) the texture was a bit doughy. I don’t know why this happened, but hoping you could enlighten me as to why. The flavour of the bread with my additions was “WONDERFUL” and I’d like to try this again, but not wanting it to be doughy again. I don’t feel that I over mixed as I mixed as you said “until fully incorporated” I even sifted my dry ingredients. HELP me please,
I am SO trying this! I LOVE soda bread but never have bicarb and I didn’t want to mess it up by using baking powder instead, and now here you are providing me with quantities so I can do this instead. 😀 I’ve been intrigued about damper since reading – and falling in love with – Lillypilly Hill as a kid (still have the book too!)
Can you substitute gluten free flour?
Actually it does work! I just made it using half plain sorghum flour and half all purpose gf mix because you said maybe the dough would be too thick. Stir it up longer than wheat flour and it does thicken up enough to bind. I think I would add a touch more liquid to it because when I was pouring it into the pan, it came out in two sections and then the loaf kinda split horizontally as it baked. More liquid would help to pour it all in one motion and the loaf would stay together better. It is delicious, and a very good recipe. I didn’t change anything except added about 3/4 t of psyllium husk. If your all purpose mix doesn’t have a gum in it, you may need to add that too. Overall, I was quite pleased! Thanks!!
Not for this one, sorry Kristin. I haven’t tried but because it’s such a thick batter, I am pretty sure it won’t work (I’d ordinarily try….but right now, I’m just being a bit more careful with recipe testing re: trying not to go out for grocery shopping as much!!) N x
Hi Nagi
This bread is truly amazing. I made it as soon as I read your e mail. Absolutely DELICIOUS. I didn’t notice the bit about turning down the oven after 30 minutes, so took it out 5 minutes early and it is so good. Had some with jam, yum. So easy.
THANK YOU
I’m so glad you love it Angela, that’s grea to hear!! N x
Will this work in an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan?
Thanks in advance! Love your recipes. Xoxo to Dozer!
Yep definitely! N x
Recipe states 9 X 5 loaf pan
Why would I delete your mac and cheese recipe from yesterday?? Perfect comfort food.
😂 Now bread + Mac & Cheese = ultimate food!!! N x
Thanks for amazing delicious n yummy recipes
You’re so welcome Lallie!! N x
I am going to go make this right now!
I’d love to know what you think once you try it Cindy! N x
I still can’t believe how easy and quick this was. The bread was delicious. I truly posted that comment and went straight to the kitchen to make it. We had sandwiches made with the fresh homemade bread for lunch. I can hardly wait for toast in the morning! Thank you so much, Nagi. I’ll be making this many times.
Made this and it’s fabulous and sooooo easy! It’s a game changer. Sent it to all my family. Thank you Nagi.
You’re so welcome Carol!!!! ❤️
Wondering the same thing..!
I have some left over buttermilk? Also some white whole wheat flour – would either or both be ok. Love your blog!!!
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried with buttermilk sorry – it may be slightly too heavy here. I talk about flour subs in the recipe notes too 🙂 N x
I LOVE IT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR RECIPES 😍
Ms. Nagi is it possible to do this with wheat flour, sorry for the stupid question. ( xoxo for sweet Dozer)
Hi Anjelykuh, I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x
Thank you for the reply..sorry I did see it in the notes after i had already sent the message and I did not know how to cancel it……Stay Safe and again thank you for all the delicious recipes.
Could you make this as rounds or rolls if you didn’t have a loaf pan?
Hi Marcia, the dough is a little sticky to make rolls – but you can make muffins out of it (directions in the notes) N x
Only one problem, I can’t get plain flour in UK. It’s like yeast; hen’s teeth!
Really?! Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon! N x