No Yeast Bread Recipe (Oven/Crockpot)
This easy, no yeast bread recipe calls for baking soda and baking powder and requires NO rising time! It tastes like an Irish soda bread but with added flavors such as Parmesan and rosemary. It is dense, soft, and moist inside, and we can cook it either in the oven or in the crockpot/slow cooker.
Servings 8
Calories381 kcal
Cost $ 0.50 per slice
Equipment
- oven
- crockpot
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus extra to flour surface. Use a gluten-free flour if you are celiac (see other substitutions on the notes)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar (OPTIONAL if you prefer a bread that is savory only. I like mine with sugar because it tastes like a dinner roll)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (OPTIONAL)
- 1 sprig rosemary chopped (OPTIONAL)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup buttermilk (see substitutions on the notes) , plus extra to brush
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. If you’d desired, stir in Parmesan and rosemary. Whisk egg on the side of the bowl and combine with softened butter. It will be crumbly at first. Then quickly stir in buttermilk, mixing just enough to form a homogeneous dough.
- Transfer to a lightly floured surface and quickly knead for 5 to 8 times maximum. Shape into a flat round or oval shape! Score an X on the top center (about ¼-inch deep if baking or ⅓-inch deep if cooking bread in the slow cooker). Transfer right away to either a baking sheet or cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper, or to a lined slow cooker.
- IF COOKING IN THE CROCKPOT: Brush bread with buttermilk and cook on high for 2 ½ hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a browned crust, brush crockpot bread with olive oil or melted butter and then broil bread on the middle rack of the oven on top of a lined baking sheet for 3-5 minutes or until lightly brown.
- IF BAKING: Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top has browned. For a moist and softer crust, brush bread with extra buttermilk before baking and also every 20 minutes while baking.
Recipe Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Although traditional Irish soda bread takes only 4 ingredients-- flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt-- our recipe has some added ingredients that make it richer and more flavorful.
- Flour – we used all-purpose flour which makes the crumb more tender, although you can use a whole wheat flour to make it more wholesome and nuttier. If you prefer to use self-rising flour instead, which already contains salt and baking powder, you can skip the salt and baking powder for this recipe.
- Buttermilk – this is the secret ingredient for moist bread! The acidity in buttermilk (acid) reacts with the baking soda (base), helping the dough to rise. But for this to work well the baking process should be almost immediate. Don’t have buttermilk at home? No worries! Mix a cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon/lime juice and let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes or until it thickens. Or mix ¾ cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt with ½ cup of milk.
- Mix dough and take it to the oven/crockpot within 3-5 minutes max-- Once buttermilk has been mixed with baking soda, knead the dough quickly, shape into a loaf, score an X on top, and bake or place in the slow cooker right away. Aim for 3-5 minutes, otherwise dough won’t rise as it should.
- Don’t over-work the dough! Or you will make your bread dry with a less soft crumb. What that means is, knead the dough less than 10 times, or just enough to mix the ingredients.
- Don’t go heavy on the flour. Make sure your working surface to knead the dough is lightly floured. Using too much flour will make the crumb dry.
- Shape bread in to a flat ball. This will ensure that the center will cook through without overcooking the ends.
- Score the top of the dough with an “X” that is about ¼-inch deep (oven) to ⅓-inch deep (slow cooker) right before baking/cooking. That way, the center of the loaf will bake through.
- Bake this yeast-free bread on a baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet (this method will make the crust crispier). Or, cook bread in the crockpot lined with parchment paper.
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 434IU | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 3mg
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