Need emergency no yeast bread in a hurry? Shop run out? This no yeast, no rise loaf that anyone can bake is the answer. All you need is four store cupboard ingredients. Egg free recipe.
Emergency No Yeast Bread
Emergency no yeast bread is variation on a soda bread: it uses plain milk and baking powder rather than buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda. I think that this bread is far better than soda bread – as I find soda bread can taste bitter and you are more likely to have baking powder than baking soda in the cupboard.
Because baking powder is a quick-acting leavening agent you don’t need to allow time for it to rise before baking.
The recipe also doesn’t use strong bread flour, as there’s no need to knead the dough to develop the gluten.
The ingredients flour, plain milk, baking powder and salt are all everyday basics found in your fridge and store cupboard, which means you can easily make a fresh loaf whenever you need one.
This recipe was first published in 2011, and has been popular ever since.
How to Make Emergency Bread
It is really easy and straightforward to make a loaf of emergency no yeast bread.
Step 1: Gather your ingredients. Heat the oven to 190°C Fan (210C regular) / 375°F /Gas Mark 6.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder) in a large bowl.
Step 3: Add the milk, and bring the dough together – mix the ingredients until they come together into dough. It’s easiest to do this with your hands rather than a wooden spoon. Turn the dough out onto your worksurface, and give it a quick knead to make sure the milk is evenly distributed. It doesn’t need a long kneading.
Step 4: Form into a flat loaf – no more than about 1½”/3cm thick. Important! It mustn’t be too thick otherwise it won’t rise or bake through properly. Then score the top in a deep cross.
This is the dough before it goes in the oven. As you can see, it’s formed into a round pancake, about 1½” (3cm) thick, and deeply scored with a cross across the top.
Step 5: Place on a floured baking sheet, then put in the oven and cook for about 35 minutes. The loaf will still be quite pale once cooked. Don’t expect, or wait for it to be golden brown.
Step 6: Check it is cooked – flip it off the baking sheet and give it a tap, if it is done it will sound hollow.
Because the loaf doesn’t have much time to rise, it will never achieve a particularly light texture.
This no yeast bread recipe will always result in a hearty, rustic loaf that’s best enjoyed fresh from the oven and dripping with lashings of butter.
Can I Make a Vegan No Yeast Loaf?
Absolutely yes! Use your favourite soy or nut milk, and add one tablespoon of lemon juice just before mixing the dough.
Can I Make Emergency No Yeast Bread with Gluten Free Flour?
This recipe doesn’t work with gluten free wheat flour, so I’m afraid not. Sorry! We are working on it though, so watch this space!
I’m Out of Milk! What Can I Do?
You can use a 50:50 mixture of yogurt and water instead. Mix the two well together before adding to the flour. Or you can make up some powdered milk, as per the packet instructions, and use that.
Use water instead of milk
If you don’t have milk, yogurt, or milk powder you can make this bread with water and half a tablespoon of vegetable oil, or a knob of melted butter, margarine or baking spread. The milk makes it fluffer, lighter and softer, but at a pinch water and oil will do.
Can I Freeze Emergency No Yeast Bread?
Yes – this no yeast bread freezes well – I like to slice it, wrap in a plastic bag, freeze, then toast from frozen.
Can I make Emergency No Yeast Bread using cup measures?
Yes! Don’t mix cups and metric measurements, but 3 1/3 cups of flour, 10 fl oz of milk and the same amounts of baking powder and salt – 2 tsp and 1 tsp respectively will work.
For more bread without the yeast try our emergency pizza? No yeast, no knead, tasty, easy and delicious! Or our easy rotis.
Emergency No Yeast Bread
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour (regular cake or all purpose flour not bread or wholewheat / wholegrain)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 310 ml milk (or water with a spoon of oil or melted butter)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C Fan (210C (regular) / 375°F / GM 6. Place a baking stone or heavy baking sheet in the oven to heat.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk, and bring the dough together by stirring the ingredients until the milk is mixed with with flour and forms a dough. It's easiest to do this with your hands rather than a wooden spoon.
- Turn the dough out onto your work surface and knead briefly until the dough has a uniform consistency.
- Shape the dough into a round disc about an inch to an inch and a half (about 3cm) thick and deeply score the top with an X. This is important! Don't make a round ball of dough as it won't cook in the middle.
- Bake on the hot stone or baking sheet at for about 35 minutes until pale brown and sounding hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Notes
- Important! We cannot stress enough that the dough needs to be a flat pancake - not more than 1.5" (3cm) deep when it goes into the oven, or it will not cook properly in the middle.
- If you don't have milk you can make some up with powdered milk, mix up yogurt and water, or use water with a spoon of oil or melted butter or spread.
- This recipe is 5 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion
- Delicious served freshly baked for breakfast with our homemade Seville Orange Marmalade
Or you can try the no yeast bread with my Fat Free Pea and Lettuce Soup or my Leftover Salad Soup.
This recipe was originally posted in March 2011, and updated in November 2017. Here’s the rather rustic loaf from our original post.
Sally - My Custard Pie
I think everyone needs a recipe like this up their sleeves. In fact I might make some emergency bread for when my children come home from school today (as there seems to be nothing else for them to eat in the house!) Enjoyed this slightly different challenge – especially reading everyone elses.
Helen
Hope they enjoy it Sally.
Err on the side of over baking, mine was slightly underdone.
Jane Mitchell
You’ve got to use your loaf!
Claire
Might have to give your emergency bread a go. I usually make a soda bread when I need bread fast.
Helen
I must get to grips with soda bread too.
Love bread, and the feel of working with dough.
Harika
Soft and spogy. Looks very fresh and yummy.
Helen
Love homemade bread, so much better than shop bought.
sarah
Helen, thanks for hosting! It took me out of my normal baking, for sure. :) I think emergency bread is such a useful standby. And thanks for introducing Katie Stewart–she’s new to me today.
Helen
Katie is wonderful, good classic, simple and affordable cooking. I have three of her books. My mother sent me off to University with one of them!
I think that the original TImes Cookery book is due a reissue with photos.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Sounds great, probably even I could manage this?
Helen
You undersell yourself Sarah!
BRAD L BOYER
Thanks for the recipe! I’m making it for the 3rd time tonight. I like to add some rosemary to the mix and olive oil on top. Might try adding chunks of cheese next time
Sarah
Love Shipton Mill, and my other favourite is Bacheldre. I must check out that challenge when I am back on the blog wagon.
Oh, and it’s bollocks that you need strong flour to make bread. Rye flour is extremely low in gluten, yet you can make great sourdough with it. French baguettes are made with soft flour.
It all comes down to what kind of bread you want to make, and there are a lot of other factors involved than just gluten or protein content (not all the protein in flour is gluten).
Helen
That is interesting Sarah,
I have gone back to basics with bread and am doing sordough from scratch series now. Just need to experiment, and read Dan Lepard!
Krithi
Quick bread… wow.. love the (c)rust…
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
Herbs & Flowers in my Platter – Coriander/Cilantro
Helen
So tasty, and much better than shop bought.
Corina
I need to remember this for when my bread machine fails me. I still haven’t managed to complete this challenge but I’m looking out for local flour and hope to get around to it sometime, even if I’m very late.
Helen
Thanks for persisting Corina, I still need to post last months challenge!
I think my dough was slightly too dry, it is a great breakfast loaf, mix, bung in oven, shower and get up whilst it is cooking.
JohannaGGG
what a wonderful looking loaf – I need a good emergency bread like this because some days there is no loaf and no energy for all that yeast palaver!
Helen
It’s a really easy alternative to using yeast, and ideal as a quick loaf.
Lou
Hi Helen – thanks for a great challenge!
Like your emergency bread and I love the picture of the flour explosion – I would never have thought of that but after you had said it, it made me laugh.
Pudding Pie Lane
This bread doesn’t look like you made it in 35 minutes! It looks like it took HOURS. Well done, and fantastically shaped too, yum yum :)
Helen
Thank you. I really enjoy making homemade bread.
Dawn Jones
Could you do this with gluten free flour? My daughter has a gluten intolerance. But loves bread. And shop bought gluten free is so expensive!
Helen
Hi Dawn, we are working on a GF version, but it is not as simple as just using GF flour sadly.
Joanna
What fun! Your loaf looks lovely. A really useful recipe for quick bread.
Helen
I really enjoy making, and of course eating homemade bread.
Camilla @FabFood4All
This is fab Helen, you’ve gone one better than my no-knead loaf, a no rise loaf – must give this a go:-)
Helen
Reducing the time considerably, ideal for time saving.
Kara
I love baking my own bread, nothing beats waking up to the smell of fresh bread in the morning
Helen
The smell of homemade bread is something rather magical.
Julia
I’ve been in a bread making mood for the past 2 weeks :). Gotta try this one – love that there is no yeast needed and it still comes out looking perfect!
Helen
The time saved is such a bonus.