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No Yeast Bread

No Yeast Bread

This no yeast bread recipe creates a crusty, buttery loaf with flour, baking soda, buttermilk, honey, and melted butter. The quick bread no yeast method skips rising time, while the baking soda bread technique creates a dependable loaf for beginners. You can serve this easy homemade bread with soup, stew, butter, or jam, then freeze the extra slices for later. This quick homemade bread without yeast gives you a warm loaf when the grocery store feels impossible.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 1 servings
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 and 1/4 cups (531g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled) plus more for hands and surface
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup; 60g) unsalted butter melted
  • 2 Tablespoons honey (43g) or granulated sugar (25g)
  • 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk plus 1 Tablespoon for brushing the dough
  • optional: 1 Tablespoon whole oats and/or a sprinkle of coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt for topping

Equipment

  • large mixing bowl
  • Cast iron skillet
  • Sharp knife
  • Wire rack

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). There are options for the baking pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, use a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, or grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or pie dish. Set aside. Feel free to pre-heat the skillet in the oven too, though that’s not necessary.
  2. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Whisk the melted butter and honey/sugar together. Pour into the flour mixture and toss to combine. (The mixture won’t fully combine yet since there’s so little wet ingredients and so much flour.) In 2-3 additions, pour in the buttermilk mixing for 15-20 seconds after each addition. After all of the buttermilk has been added, mix gently to form a shaggy, stiff, and slightly moist dough. If you used honey, there could be little specks of honey/butter in spots. That’s ok! Those will be extra flavorful specks in your bread.
  4. Pour the shaggy dough and any flour crumbles that haven’t been incorporated onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball and flatten into a (approximately) 7-8 inch disc as best you can (make it about 2 inches tall). If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
  5. Transfer the disc to the prepared skillet/pan. Brush the whole loaf with 1 Tablespoon buttermilk. Using a very sharp knife, score a 3/4 inch deep X into the top. (Without scoring, the bread can’t bake properly in the center.) Sprinkle optional oats and/or coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt on top of the loaf.
  6. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through bake time to protect the crust from over-browning before the center has a chance to cook.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 5 minutes before slicing. For best taste, though, let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. If you made a plain loaf, the slices are delicious spread with honey butter or your desired spreads. Slices taste wonderful toasted, too!
  8. Cover and store bread at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing: Freeze baked, cooled bread for up to 3 months, either whole or sliced. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then reheat as desired.
Buttermilk: Cold buttermilk works best and is essential for the bread’s flavor, texture, and rise. For a substitute, mix 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to make 1¾ cups. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.
Flour Options: Bread flour can replace all-purpose flour 1:1. For whole wheat, use half all-purpose and half whole wheat for a lighter loaf. Gluten-free flours have not been tested.
Optional Add-Ins: Add up to your preferred combination of fresh herbs, Parmesan or other cheese, black pepper, jalapeño, Italian seasoning, garlic, dried fruit, cinnamon, or an extra tablespoon of sugar or honey.
Best Pan: A sheet pan works best for an evenly baked, flatter loaf. Avoid using a loaf pan, which may leave the center underbaked.