Easy Yeast-Free Whole Wheat Molasses Bread
Warm and crusty yeast-free bread! This delicious hardy bread recipe is ready in about an hour! This recipe makes 2 sliceable loaves of delicious whole wheat molasses bread that are packed with flavour. The best part is how quick and easy this recipe is!
Since this bread recipe is made using an easy batter, it is a great kid-friendly recipe to start off with easy bread baking!
What makes bread rise?
The most common way to rise bread is with yeast. Either packaged dried yeast, fresh yeast cakes, or with wild yeast using a sourdough starter.
Using yeast to rise bread can take anywhere from a few hours to a day, which means you have to preplan, at least a few hours in advance, before you need your typical bread loaf when using yeast.
You can actually rise a loaf of bread much the same way you would rise a cake or muffins.
How to make bread rise without yeast?
In the case of this bread recipe, I am using chemical leaveners. Now before you run for the door thinking we are adding a bunch of strange chemicals to our bread, chemical leaveners means baking soda and baking powder.
Baking soda
Baking soda reacts with acid to create carbon dioxide bubbles. Think science class when you added vinegar to baking soda to make a volcano. This is particularly good when you are using it in a recipe with some type of acid in it, like buttermilk, lemon juice, or vinegar.
Baking powder
In the case of baking powder, the acid is already included. Baking powder is a mixture. A dry acid is already present and is activated when the dry powder mixes with wet ingredients. This works well in recipes without added acid like most cookies, biscuits, and waffles.
A lot of times recipes that are using chemical leaveners will call for both. That way the recipe can benefit from the power of both ingredients to rise their baked goods!
How to store yeast-free bread
This type of bread is best fresh the day it is made. However, you can store it for later use. You can treat this type of bread just the same as you would a typical yeasted bread.
At room temperature
To store this yeast free-bread at room temperature
- Wrap the bread or store in a bread bag on the counter top for up to 3 days.
- The longer it is left out the dryer it will become.
- For best results, slice and toast older bread. Serve with butter or your favourite topping.
Fridge
The fridge is not the best place to store bread. It quickly dries out the bread and makes it feel tough.
Freezer
The freezer is a great choice to store bread. To store this bread in the freezer.
- Allow the bread to cool to room temperature.
- Wrap the bread in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To defrost the bread, remove from the freezer, unwrap, and allow to come to room temperature over a few hours, or slice and toast when it is soft enough to cut.
Does yeast free bread taste the same?
This delicious yeast-free bread recipe tastes the same as regular yeasted bread. The texture is the only subtle difference.
This yeast free bread recipe has a less chewy and slightly denser texture. It is kind of like a hybrid between a hardy bread and a cake.
You can use this bread in the same way you would most any bread recipe. These are some of my favourite ways to enjoy this delicious bread!
- Make cold sandwiches
- Use for grilled cheese
- Sliced hot and fresh with butter
- On the side of your favourite soup recipe
Why add molasses to bread
There are many unique qualities that molasses adds to bread or just baking in general
- The most noticeable is the colour. Molasses is very dark in colour, and will quickly change the colour of whatever you are making. Even in small amounts, the dark reddish brown molasses will change your baked good to a gorgeous rich caramel. (Think gingerbread)
- Sweetness. Molasses has a subtly sweet flavour, as it is a byproduct of sugar making.
- Flavour. Molasses has an array of flavour notes that add so much complexity to your baking, from smoky to caramel.
- Moisture. Adding molasses to baked goods helps to provide and retain moisture in the final product. It also adds tenderness and pliability to things like bread and cookies.
Ingredients
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour 300 g
2 cups all-purpose flour 300 g
1 teaspoon baking powder 5 ml
½ teaspoon baking soda 2.5 ml
¼ cup sugar 50 g
1 teaspoon salt 5 ml
½ cup molasses 130 g
2 Tablespoons oil 30 ml
2 ½ cups milk 625 ml
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375 ºF (190 ºC).
- In a large bowl mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt with a whisk.
- In a medium bowl beat the molasses, oil, and milk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat to a smooth batter.
- Grease 2 loaf pans and evenly pour the batter into each pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until the a skewer inserted in the middle of the loaves comes out clean.
Easy Whole Wheat Bread without Yeast
Equipment
- 2 loaf pans
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour 300 g
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 300 g
- 1 tsp baking powder 5 ml
- ½ tsp baking soda 2.5 ml
- ¼ cup sugar 50 g
- 1 tsp salt 5 ml
- ½ cup molasses 130 g
- 2 Tablespoons oil 30 ml
- 2 ½ cups milk 625 ml
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 ºF (190 ºC).
- In a large bowl mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt with a whisk.
- In a medium bowl beat the molasses, oil, and milk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat to a smooth batter.
- Grease 2 loaf pans and evenly pour the batter into each pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until the a skewer inserted in the middle of the loaves comes out clean.
If you like to make bread but don’t want to worry about using yeast, keep going with one of these great recipes! Easiest Baking Soda Biscuits | Vintage Kitchen, Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Biscuits, Rich and Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
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