Yep, you CAN make an amazing bread without yeast that’s just like proper bread! 5 common ingredients: flour, baking powder, oil, milk and sugar. It’s a no yeast bread based on Damper, a traditional Australian bread historically made by swagmen and drovers over campfire – except we’re using an oven!
Use for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, French Toast – anything you normally make with sandwich bread.
Bread without yeast
This no yeast bread is inspired by the Australian Damper, a traditional bushman’s bread made with flour and water that was cooked over campfires.
Except I’ve brought it into the 21st century to make the crumb fluffier, more tender and tastier, and made it look like sandwich bread rather than a freeform loaf. (Oh, and we cook this in an oven instead of over fire!)
This is THE emergency bread that you make when you don’t have yeast, or you don’t have time to make yeast bread. It has a proper crumb like real bread, rather than being crumbly like muffins which many no-yeast breads are. It’s mixed in a bowl with a wooden spoon – no kneading, no rising. You’ll have this in the oven in mere minutes!
Is it as good as a yeast bread? Yeast gives bread a chew and stretch in a way that bread made without yeast will never have. But this is as darn close as you will get to a yeast bread recipe without using yeast. And it’s off the charts delicious for something that takes 3 minutes to get into the oven!!
What goes into sandwich bread without yeast
Bread lovers might recognise this as a simpler version of Irish Soda Bread. It’s easier because the dough is just mixed up in a bowl (ie no kneading at all) and it doesn’t require buttermilk or baking soda which aren’t pantry staples for everyone.
Here’s all you need to make bread without yeast (let’s pretend I didn’t forget to put the milk in the photo!!!):
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Flour – plain/all purpose flour, or switch up to half with wholemeal/wholewheat. Can use self raising in place of flour and baking powder;
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Baking powder – this is what gives this bread rise. Skip if using self raising flour, or substitute with baking soda;
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Milk – any type, dairy or non dairy, fresh or powder (reconstituted), full or no fat. Can be substituted with water plus 1 tbsp oil or butter;
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Oil – Just 1/4 cup gives this bread some much needed moisture. Without it, it’s very dry. Any neutral flavoured oil is fine – canola, vegetable, peanut, grapeseed, rapeseed, sun flower, even a light olive oil;
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Sugar – just 1 tablespoon makes quite a difference here to bring out flavour; and
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Salt – for seasoning
No egg. That’s the secret to the real bread-like crumb!
The flour and baking powder in this recipe can be substituted with self raising flour.
How to make bread without yeast
This is just like making your favourite Chocolate Chip Muffins! Mix the dry ingredients, then add the oil and milk. Mix, pour, bake!
Why use a loaf pan? Because the mixture is a very thick batter rather than a kneadable dough (like Friday’s pizza dough or focaccia). So you can’t freeform it like Irish Soda Bread. If you don’t have a loaf pan, make it in a muffin tin – well greased, 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F.
It takes 50 minutes in the oven, so I like to do half the time uncovered to get a lovely golden brown crust, then I cover it the rest of the time (otherwise the crust gets a bit thick and dark).
LOOK at that crust!↓↓↓ It’s tempting to just lift the whole thing off and run away with it! (Swipe the butter while you’re at it)
TIP: Let it cool completely before slicing, otherwise it will be susceptible to crumbling on the edges. On Day 2, it slices 100% perfectly!
Slice it up like normal bread then use it for anything and everything you ordinarily use sandwich bread for. A simple ham sandwich. Or an epic Pastrami or Reuben sandwich. Grilled cheese – or cheesy GARLIC bread. Toast it and slather with jam, Vegemite, peanut butter or whatever you heart desires.
Dunk into soups and stews. You can even make French Toast or Bread and Butter pudding!
Storage
As with all homemade breads, this no yeast bread is at its best on the day it’s made. But even the day after, it’s still very, very good thanks to the touch of oil which keeps the crumb moist. Then on Day 3, a light toasting is all that’s needed to resurrect it.
It also freezes 100% perfectly – which is what I’ve done with the 8+ loaves I’ve made in the past few weeks, trying to nail the recipe. I’m going to be eating this for weeks and weeks – no complaints here!! ~ Nagi x
Watch How To Make It
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Sandwich Bread WITHOUT Yeast! (Dead easy)
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour , plain/all purpose (Note 1)
- 8 tsp baking powder (Note 2)
- 3 tsp white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups milk , warmed (any - Note 3)
- 1/4 cup oil , any plain (vegetable, canola, sunflower, rapeseed, grapeseed, light olive oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan).
- Grease a 22 x 13 cm / 9 x 5" loaf pan, then line with parchment/baking paper with overhang (to lift out).
- Mix dry: Place flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl, mix to combine.
- Add wet: Make a well in the centre, pour in oil and milk. Mix until flour is fully incorporated - batter will be thick but stirrable.
- Fill pan: Scrape into loaf pan, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl clean and smooth the surface.
- Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with foil.
- Return to oven. Turn oven DOWN to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan), bake 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then use excess paper to lift out and transfer to cooling rack.
- Cool completely before slicing - 45 minutes+. It IS more delicate than yeast breads (can't change science!) but slices far better than the usual "cake like" no yeast breads. Slices perfectly on Day 2 and beyond.
- Use for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, french toast, bread and butter pudding - anything you use "real" sandwich bread for!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Video Bomber. I cut him from the video edits 😂
Just made this. So good. I halfed the recipe since my load pan was small. Shorted the baking time. So fluffy. Thanks
I was SO happy to see this recipe! I cannot eat most breads, and so I am really happy to have some actual bread back in my life. I live at 5300 ft altitude. Are there any adjustments I should make for that? Could that be why it is too crumbly for me to use for sandwiches? It’s delicious in any case! Thanks so much!
From Australia —- This bread is great. Freezes and toasts well.
Been making bread since 2003 and this is the simplistic and best tasking loaf ever. I added chopped cranberries and crushed sunflower seeds…brilliant!! Thank you so much Nagi 🙂
Made this bread. Easy and delicious. Did not feel any bloating at all after eating some.. Next time I will try using half whole wheat flour. Thanks for the recipe Nagi!
Yummy!
This is soooo goood! I read the part about warmed milk too late. What is the reason for this?
Also, i had smoothed the top with a knife and spatula but came out looking like a partially opened mini-treasure chest. Hehe. But that didn’t stop us…
Like many, we had to try it warm and not yet 10 mins out of the oven! It didnt slice cleanly but we oohed and aahed. Had it topped with honey. But to also wait till the morning after, wow, it was worth it!!! Not only does it slice cleanly, but it was just sooo goood. Had hunks of bread and we loved how thick and dense these are! All in the family did! Not sure if the loaf will last 24 hrs here!
Hi. If I do a half of ingredients the bake time is a half too. Thank you.
Not necessarily Julieth, I would just keep an eye on it – I haven’t tested so can’t give you an exact timing here. N x
Can I use glass loaf pan? What’s the difference? Or can I lay foil on my glassware?
I haven’t tried sorry April – I imagine that should be fine. N x
I used a glass loaf pan and it turned out amazing. I don’t think it makes a difference.
I recently started a yeast-free, sugar free diet and am already on a gluten free diet. I used Cup4Cup gluten free flour and exchanged the oil for applesauce for sweetness since I left out the sugar. This bread is amazing! I was surprised with all of my substitutions that it turned out so wonderful. Very tasty, great crust, very moist and excellent texture.
I’m so glad you did . I’m going to try it that way too. Thanks:)
Need exactly the recipe for gluten free. 4 cups GF flour. Applesause…__? What else? The rest the same? Salt. Milk..b powder…
Hi, did your gluten free flour blend have xanthum gum in it?
Please let me know if your Yeast free sandwich bread can be made with gluten flour
thank you and stay safe
I’m testing this out now.
I made it with Gluten Free plain flour from Tesco and added a tablespoon of Xathan Gum and two tablespoons of baking powder and a teaspoon of yeast and then rest of the ingredients are the same it comes out slight dense but tastes delicious.
I’m a novice…easy recipe…tastes wonderful. One problem – one side keeps blowing out. I use cast iron loaf pans. Follow directions to the letter. Last time, I put a pan of water in the oven and split the tops at 15 minutes. This helped, but still a blowout. Any help to give me?
the bread is so good and it is so easy just like the recipes say they are, i would recommend these bread recipes to my friends and family which i have already. thank you, i seen this on the show the kitchen, a viewer was showing chef jeff mauro how to make the bread without yeast. thank you .
Hi Nagi
Could you make this bread with half whole meal and half plain flour And do you think a few chopped up sun dried tomatoes work
Regards Mr. P. J. Coles
Can you use king Arthur’s gluten free flour instead ?
Hi Vanessa, I haven’t had much success with gluten free flour in breads like this as it always turns out more dense. Would love to know if you give it a go though! N x
Great!!
Bread was great!!! Husband though maybe bit more sugar and salt but its great as it
Good day I would really love to try this recipe out but I unfortunately do not have foil, so what can I do
Oh god I’m trying for the second time… What I’ve done wrong idk but it’s browny and kind of not ok in taste 😭
I am sensitive to yeast and miss eating bread and toast. I never thought I’d ever find anything remotely nice to replace real bread but this is amazing. So easy to make and so delicious too. I actually like the flavour more than regular bread. Thank you so much.
Hi Kim,
I’m just wondering how you would recommend storing the bread?
Is there an estimated expiry?