AuthorSteve Nubie
Breads made without yeast are often referred to as soda breads or cake breads. The reason is that they use either baking powder or baking soda in place of the yeast. You’ll also see eggs and milk often added as an ingredient to enhance the texture and the rise of the bread. These breads will not rise much after kneading but they will rise during the baking process. You’ll also notice that you do not achieve a traditional dough ball but rather a batter consistency. That’s to be expected so don’t add more flour.
The reason for this type of bread is either for someone who has a yeast allergy (although this is very rare) or if you don’t happen to have any yeast on hand.
These types of breads will not have the same texture as a yeast bread and can be a bit crumbly so they’re not ideal for sandwiches, but go well as a side to any meal. They also don’t keep as well as a yeast bread so cover them with foil and refrigerate if you don’t eat it right away. These types of bread do taste good and the vinegar not only gives it a piquant flavor but interacts with the baking powder to help the bread rise. One of the things you may notice are large air bubbles in the bread similar to what you see in classic artisan breads.
Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated and select the cake bread setting if your bread machine has that setting. Otherwise select the white bread setting but just know that the dough will not rise much during the rise cycle but it will rise while it bakes. If you can do a custom setting just select mix, knead and bake. You won’t need the rise cycle.
When the bread is done let it rest for 10 minutes and serve immediately or cover with foil and refrigerate.
Ingredients
Directions
Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated and select the cake bread setting if your bread machine has that setting. Otherwise select the white bread setting but just know that the dough will not rise much during the rise cycle but it will rise while it bakes. If you can do a custom setting just select mix, knead and bake. You won’t need the rise cycle.
When the bread is done let it rest for 10 minutes and serve immediately or cover with foil and refrigerate.
My bread machine doesn’t have a cake OR white bread option. I have basic, rapid, sweet, French, quick, whole wheat, dough / pasta, or bake. Sorry, I’m new to this.
what is the order indicated?
The order indicated is the order of the ingredients list in the recipe. If your bread machine manufacturer recommends a different order, follow that. We’ve tried to provide an order that is common to most bread machines but there are variances.
Steve
The order indicated is the order that are listed in the ingredients section of the recipe. If your bread machine manufacturer recommends a different order for ingredients in general, follow their directions.
This is the order indicated in the ingredients:
1 teaspoon of salt
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 ½ cups of water
¼ cup of olive oil or canola oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
3 cups of whole wheat flour
Put the ingredients into the bread machine in that order. The reason it’s important is that the vinegar will react with the baking powder during the kneading process. If it comes in contact with the baking powder too soon, you won’t get a good rise while the dough is baking.
Steve
When it says add ingredients “order indicated” does that mean as listed or the order the bread machine gives?
If the bread machine indicates a different order of ingredients, follow their directions. We try to determine ingredient orders that are the average across bread machines but there are variations. If in doubt, follow the manufacturers instructions.
Steve
Hi Julie,
The order in the recipe is my best guess based on what the majority or bread machine manufacturers recommend and based on my own kitchen tests with the recipes. If your bread machine manufacturer recommends a different order, go with their directions.
Hope that helps,
Steve
Bread machines vary and their instruction manuals often recommend different ingredient orders. We try to find the most common ingredient additions and order that will work with most bread machines. If your manufacturer recommends a different order, follow their directions.
Hope that helps,
Steve
Made this 2x. Middle isn’t cooking properly. Bread machine, cake setting (2hrs, no rise.) The bread itself is tasty but semi-raw in the middle. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?
Can you make with a dairy free milk like coconut or almond? Or does it need to be with full cream milk? Thanks
Yes, that will work.
Any milk will work fine.
Steve
Insert a wooden skewer or knife into the center of the bread after it’s done. If it emerges wet, set the machine to cook another 10 minutes or just set it to start baking again and time 10 minutes and test again. Batter breads are finicky but you can compensate with that test.
Steve
Can this bread be made in a regular loaf pan instead of breadmaker?
Yes. pull the dough after using the dough cycle and place it in an oiled pan if baking a yeast bread or pour the batter if making a cake bread into a dry pan. Bake yeast breads at 359 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Bake batter breads at 425 for 40 minutes to an hour. Always test batter breads by inserting a toothpick into the center when done. If the toothpick is wet, bake another 10 minutes until the toothpick emerges dry.
Steve
I might cut the sugar a bit if I intended to use it for savory sandwiches. It is perfect as is for butter, or peanut butter, or jam, or plain. My crust turned out a bit tough, but still a lovely loaf.
You can always cut the sugar or substitute the same amount of honey, maple syrup or agave nectar. Don’t skip the sugar entirely though. Yeast needs a little sugar to grow. In batter breads you can eliminate the sugar altogether if you want.
Steve
Exactly my experience… delicious, but dense and wet… thinking of cutting the sugar like you… since it is more a batter than dough, I am planning on trying adding the vinegar and baking soda a few minutes before baking starts and just stir it in myself instead of letting it go through 2 hours of useless kneading and rising letting the chemical rising action dissipate… hoping for a lighter, airier more bread like loaf…
Your ideas are good and could get you a better result. One thing to always do when baking a batter bread is insert a toothpick into the center of the bread when you think it’s done. If the toothpick emerges wet, bake it for another 10 minutes until the toothpick emerges dry. Oven temps vary from one oven to another so that’s the only way to know for sure that a batter bread is done.
Hope that helps,
Steve
Add the vinegar later could be a good move because the mixing and kneading cycle does work the batter a long time. No-yeast breads or batter breads with baking powder and or baking soda rise in the oven while baking not before like a yeast bread. Reducing the sugar might help but if you continue to have problems you could also try adding an extra 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.
Steve
That’s a good solution although no-yeast breads always tend to be denser than yeast breads because they are more in the category of batter breads or cake breads. As a result, they rise in the oven and not before before baking the way a yeast bread rises.
Steve
Can this bread be make by hand ?
Please help me!
Always. You can take the ingredients and knead by hand, knead with a dough hook in a mixmaster bowl, or just use the dough setting to get a bassic dough and then shape it into any form you want like buns or rolls and bake either on a baking sheet or if you want a loaf of bread, drop the dough into an oiled bread pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned.
Steve
Thatcwas pretty yummy bread thanks
That’s always nice to hear.
Steve
How much are .50 of a teaspoon ,.50cup sugar ,1.50 milk please ?
Many thanks Denise
Hi Denise,
You can check all the measurements here: https://www.breadmakermachines.com/converting-weights-and-measures-for-your-bread-machine-recipes/.
For example 1/2 cup of white sugar is 3.5 ounces.
I cut the sugar in half on this recipe and upped the salt by about another teaspoon and it is magnificent I use organic apple cider vinegar and bread flour I’m hooked on this recipe
Sounds like great ideas all around. Glad you liked the recipe.
Steve