Making bread without yeast or baking powder
Do you always need yeast or baking powder to make bread? No. It is possible to make a bread without yeast or baking powder. It is one of the ancient ways of making breads because yeast was not produced then.
So, how does it work? Simply put, once you mix the flour and the water, the final product is what’s known as a sourdough. It is as a result of fermentation that takes place once your mixture picks up enough natural bacteria from the atmosphere. And, at this point, you won’t need other additions and you will be ready to make your bread.
Note: Breads produced this way, without yeast or baking powder, have a far superior flavor compared to the commercially produced.
HOWEVER, making your own sourdough takes a few days, but the result is worth the wait.
And, apart from the above method, the sourdough process, there are many, quicker, and simple ways of making bred without yeast or baking powder.
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This article aims to show you how to make bread without yeast or baking powder and here are a few recipes that you can follow:
Unleavened bread (Egg Matzah);
We know the unleavened food from different cultures. This bread is flat and quick to make. It is still delicious, and most people love to eat it. One can also serve this bread in many ways.
The ingredients you need to make this bread include;
- ½ cup of honey
- 1 cup of cold water
- ¼ cup of vegetable oil
- One egg
- ½-1 teaspoon of salt
- 4-5 cups of all-purpose flour
Instructions;
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Use a parchment paper to line two baking sheets. You can also use a nonstick cooking spray or aluminum foil.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, salt, water, egg, and honey and stir them to mix them evenly. Instead of the standard vegetable oil, you can use melted butter or canola oil. Before mixing the ingredients, break the egg by pressing the yolk with the mixing spoon. It will make it easier for the yolk to blend into the rest of the mixture.
- To the other ingredients, add a cup of flour at a time. Ensure to mix well to incorporate the flour thoroughly. After blending in at least 4 cups of flour, knead the flour until it forms a stiff and elastic dough.
- With your hands, divide into two halves the dough. Then separate them to form quarters and then again into three equal balls. You can also consider separating the mixture in three or four portions and cut them to size after rolling the dough flat.
- Roll out each ball using a floured rolling pin. Before handling the dough, the hands should have some flour, cooking spray or oil.
- Poke even holes on the surface of each portion of dough using a regular fork. Do not leave more than 1-inch space in between rows. If the mixture is in large pieces, use a sharp knife to divide them into about 12 evenly sized rectangles.
- Place the portions of dough on the baking sheets and then sit them in a preheated oven. Bake until it is golden brown around the edges and the surface. Ensure it does not cook for too long otherwise, it will become hard and unpleasant.
- Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool. It is best to enjoy it while fresh. Store the food in a plastic bag for some days.
Lavash Bread
It is a flatbread popular in Turkey and Iran. For the best results, always ensure to roll the dough out thinly.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
The ingredients include;
- 2/3 cup of water
- One teaspoon of salt
- One teaspoon of caster sugar
- One egg white and two beaten
- 30g of melted butter
- Two tablespoons of sesame seeds
- 2 ½ cups of plain flour
Instructions for making Lavash bread
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Stir together salt, flour, and sugar in a large bowl. Then add water, the melted butter, and one egg white. Mix them well to make a stiff dough. For 5 minutes, knead until the mixture is smooth.
- Divide the dough into ten balls and roll each on a surface with some flour until it is paper-thin. You can place them on a baking tray without oil. Then brush them with egg white and also sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- You can bake them in batches in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until it is brown.
Cloud Bread
It is a low carb, gluten-free, and grain-free bread. It is light and fluffy, almost cloud-like. It uses only four ingredients, but one can still add herbs and spices to add flavor. You can consider adding bagel seasonings or shredded cheese on top. You can also add onion powder or garlic powder to the mixture before baking. The main ingredients are eggs and cream cheese. To create the bread structure, separate the eggs, and whisk the whites. The bread must sit overnight before eating to allow it to soften. The food can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
The cloud bread ingredients are
- ¼ teaspoons of salt
- ¼ teaspoons of tartar
- Three tablespoons of softened cream cheese
- Three eggs, separated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 149 degrees Celsius and then lining with parchment paper two baking sheets.
- Whisk the cheese, salt and egg yolks in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add cream of tartar with egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer, and beat them until the eggs form stiff peaks.
- Fold the egg yolk mixture into egg whites and mix them well until no egg white streaks remain. Don’t use a mixer as it may remove the air whipped in by the egg whites.
- Divide the mixture using a large spoon into 12 even circles on the ready baking sheets. Bake until the surface turns golden brown. Then place the pieces of bread on a wire rack for them to cool.
- Once cool, seal them overnight on the counter. The bread will become soft and bread-like.
Bottom Line
When looking to make a tasty treat for the family, you can consider some of the above recipes. You don’t have to forgo the whole idea of making a bread simply because you don’t have or don’t take yeast or baking powder.
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