When trying to avoid sodium in your diet, bread buying can become an extremely difficult task, as most bread bought in stores is typically heavy in sodium. The best means of circumventing this issue is by buying your own bread machine.
Bread machines are easy to use, requiring minimal baking expertise, and there is little to no mess to worry about afterward. However, operating the bread machine isn’t the issue when it comes to producing sodium-free bread – it’s the lack of sodium-free recipes available online or in cookbooks that poses a problem.
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To help you out, we’ve compiled this list of the best classic low sodium bread machine recipes to help you get started on your bread-making journey. So without further ado, let’s get to it!
Low Sodium Whole Wheat Bread
Follow this low-sodium recipe for a delicious whole wheat bread with a cracked crust that helps make it perfect for soups.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp of Saf-instant yeast, bread machine yeast, or rapid rise yeast
- ¾ cup of dried or lukewarm buttermilk
- 2½ cups of whole wheat
- ¾ cup of lukewarm water
- ¼ tsp of ascorbic acid
- 2 tsp of coconut oil, melted butter, or vegetable oil
- 2 tsp of honey
- 1 egg
- 2¼ cups of whole wheat flour
Instructions
In the machine pan, blend the yeast, the buttermilk, the water, and the ascorbic acid. Switch the bread machine to ‘Quick dough’. Once the ingredients are mixed well, close the lid on the machine, and allow it to sit for either 2½ hours if left out on the kitchen table or 12 hours if put in the fridge.
After the dough has set, add the coconut oil/butter/vegetable oil, the egg, and the honey, and mix them all together. Once blended, add the whole wheat flour, and mix it all again.
After this, switch the dough machine settings to the basic dough cycle or equivalent, and keep an eye on it to make sure that it is forming well.
When the bread machine has kneaded and thoroughly mixed the ingredients, take the dough out and place it in the rising bucket. Next, secure the lid and allow the dough to rise to double its original size. Do not allow for the bread to rise any higher than this. Unlike white bread, wheat bread is incapable of stretching out any further.
Once the dough has risen, transport it onto a baking mat. With oiled hands, apply pressure to the bread and compress it while pulling the outside to the middle. After this, cut the dough into three small portions and form these into balls. Cover these dough balls and leave them for 15 minutes.
You can either allow for these 3 loaves to bake in the bread machine or in the oven at 350°F for roughly 25 minutes.
Low Sodium White Bread Recipe
This recipe allows you to create a white bread loaf that is flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. Plus, it does not have very much sodium in it.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp of unsalted butter
- 3 tsp of no-sodium baking powder
- 2 tsp of yeast for bread machine
- 3¼ cups of white bread flour
- 2 tsp of sugar
- 1½ tsp of vital wheat gluten
- 1½ cup of water
- 2 tsp of vegetable oil
Instructions
Mix all the dry ingredients together except for the yeast. Preferably, do this by hand in a mixing bowl. This will allow for sufficient air to be contributed to the mix.
Once mixed well, pour the water and the vegetable oil into the bread pan before adding the whisked ingredients.
When the dough is settled, cut a small divot into the surface and fill this divot with the bread machine yeast.
Add flour to the top of the mix and spread it out across the surface area, including to the four corners of the bread pan. Add and spread half a tablespoon of the salt-free butter after this.
Slide the pan into place inside the bread machine. Next, lock it and cover it with the lid. Switch the dial to the basic bread option, which may also be labeled ‘medium crust cycle’. Let it bake for 3 hours and 15 minutes on this setting.
Once baked and ready, remove the pan with oven mitts on! Turn the pan upside down and shimmy it to release the bread neatly.
Before slicing, it is recommended for the bread to stand either on a board or on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Buttermilk Dill Bread
Dill bread is very moist, and this low-sodium recipe bakes the perfect loaf every time.
Ingredients
- 2½ tsp of yeast for bread machine
- ⅛ tsp of white pepper
- 3 cups of bread flour
- ⅛ tsp of coarse sea salt
- 1½ tsp of dill weed
- 2 tsp of sugar
- 2 tsp of soft unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups of warmed buttermilk (approximately 80°F)
Instructions
Instead of using buttermilk, you could also use regular milk mixed with vinegar and/or lemon juice.
Put all the above ingredients into the bread pan and spread it out evenly. Slide the pan into the bread machine, shut the lid, and lock it.
Switch the dial to the basic bread option or medium crust cycle. If you have the option on your bread machine, you can also choose a particular loaf size and crust color.
Follow the baking process while checking the bread regularly to make sure it is forming well. Add flour or water (between 1 and 2 tablespoons) if necessary. Leave the bread to bake for however long the settings require.
Once ready, slide the bread out and, with oven mitts on, turn the bread pan upside down and shake it until the bread falls out. Gently handle the bread and place it onto a wire rack or board to let it cool down for 30 or so minutes before cutting.
Final Words
The three recipes provided in this article will hopefully give you a start on experimenting with low-sodium bread baking with the help of a bread machine. We recommend trying the whole wheat bread first, as it is delicious, hearty, straightforward to make, and will leave you wanting to bake some more!