Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (2024)

Published on by Helen Best-Shaw 12 Comments
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No-yeast kefir bread is a three ingredient loaf that’s simply delicious, and you don’t even need to knead it! Slowly raised overnight by milk kefir, it is sweet, soft and aromatic, with a note of sourness. An ideal alternative to sourdough!

Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (1)

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Milk Kefir Bread – No Yeast, No Knead!

This is a tasty soft white bread that uses the yeast found in home-made kefir (cultured fermented milk) to give a long, slow rise to dough. The milk kefir gives a hint of sourness to the bread and you don’t need any additional yeast. I love it toasted, with a generous smear of salty butter on top and maybe a little homemade jam.

Why Make Kefir Bread?

  • Tasty! It’s a soft and delicious loaf with a hint of sweetness.
  • It’s easy! The long rise means that the gluten develops naturally. No kneading required! It isn’t the quickest loaf, though, and rising times will vary.
  • No yeast or sourdough starter needed.
  • It’s different. I love experimenting with different recipes, and this slow rise loaf made without commercial yeast or sourdough starter is fun to make.

Can I Make Kefir Raised Bread with Ready-Made Kefir?

I’m afraid not, no. Bottled kefir from the supermarket is too filtered and refined, and doesn’t contain the microscopic pieces of yeast found in home-made kefir. It’s this yeast that raises the dough. Making your own milk is easy and economical though, and finding the necessary grains is straightforward.

Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (2)

If you have never made milk kefir before, have a look at our post on Getting Started with Milk Kefir. Kefir grains can be bought online, or you can join Facebook kefir groups – they have members who are happy to send grains to new milk kefir enthusiasts.

Once you have the grains, making kefir is easy. Just add the grains to fresh milk and leave to stand for 24 hours or so.

Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (3)

How Do I Make Kefir Bread?

First, mix the flour and salt. I use a combination of strong white and strong brown bread flour. Using strong white bread flour for the bulk of the flour makes for a lighter, tastier loaf.

Second, add the milk kefir. Mix everything together to a rough, shaggy dough.

Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (4)

Third, turn out the dough and give it a few kneads, to make sure that the liquid is evenly distributed through the dough. You don’t need a long knead to develop the gluten, as the long rise allows this to happen naturally.

Fourth, place the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave it to rise until doubled in size. This bulk raise will take time – kefir bread takes longer than my slow rise no knead sourdough. Depending on temperature, I’ve left the dough for 12 hours. You’re looking for the dough to have doubled in volume. This is easy to check if you raise the dough in a straight sided plastic box.

Fifth, form the dough into a loaf and transfer either to a banneton or a greased loaf tin. You need to cover it without touching the top of the dough, leaving space for it to rise. You can use a plastic bag tied around the tin and supported at the edges but I use a shower cap. Leave it to prove until it is well risen and springs back slowly when pushed. Again, this takes longer than sourdough, and much longer than yeasted loaves. You might need to leave the dough for 6 hours at this stage, to get a dough that still feels springy, but not too springy.

Sixth, bake at 180°C for about 35 minutes. When it’s ready, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom. If in doubt give it another 5 minutes.

Finally, allow your kefir bread to cool. Then slice, and enjoy!

Hint and Tips for Kefir Raised Bread

  • Timings for first and second rises might vary significantly, depending on temperatures and your kefir. If you place the dough in a straight side plastic box for the first rise, you can easily see when it’s doubled in volume. For the second rise, the loaf is ready to cook when it rebounds slowly when pressed.
  • If your kefir is very thick, you may need to substitute some with a little milk or water.
  • I made this in a greased loaf tin, but you could also use a cane banneton, well dusted with rye or other gluten free flour for the second rise, then turn the bread out to bake.
  • I always grease my loaf tins with butter. I find that I get a far better release of the loaf than when I use oil.
  • If you don’t have the time to make this kefir raised bread, but want to incorporate kefir into your baking then make my yeasted kefir bread.
  • This bread freezes well – slice, freeze and then toast from frozen.

More Easy Bread Recipes

If you love this try some more bread recipes

  • No yeast bread
  • No knead sourdough
  • Yogurt Bread
  • Porridge Bread
  • More bread recipes

And to go on your bread!

  • Homemade butter
  • Plum Jam
  • Quince Jelly
  • Blackberry jam
  • other easy jam recipes

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Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (5)

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5 from 3 votes

Kefir Raised No Yeast Bread

Raising bread with the natural yeasts found in kefir, a fermented milk, makes a slow raised no knead bread that tastes delicious.

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Resting18 hours hrs

Total Time50 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 250 g strong white bread flour
  • 150 g strong brown bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 280 ml milk kefir (must be homemade)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix the two types of flour and salt. Add the kefir and mix it in until you have a rough, shaggy dough.

  • Turn the dough out onto a work surface, and knead briefly until all the kefir is evenly distributed through the dough. As the bulk raising time is so long, a long knead to develop the gluten isn't required.

  • Place back in bowl and cover. Leave in a warm (20–25°C) environment until the dough has doubled in size. This may well take several hours.

  • Grease a 2lb loaf tin (7" x 4.5" x 3.5"/18 cm x 11 cm x 9 cm) with butter.

  • Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll into a sausage. Place in the loaf tin, seam side down. Cover the tin without touching the dough and leaving space for it to rise. We use a plastic shower cap, which is perfect for the job. Leave the loaf to prove. Again, this may take several hours.

  • When proved, the dough will spring back slowly when pressed. When you are happy with it, bake at 180°C for about 35 mins. It's done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Notes

  • It is essential you use homemade milk kefir for this recipe. The brands of commercial kefir we have tested this with are too finely filtered to carry on fermenting and the bread simply won't rise.
  • Kefir bread freezes well. We slice, wrap in a bag, freeze and toast from frozen.
  • The use of milk kefir makes this a lovely soft loaf, ideal for sandwiches.
  • If your kefir is very thick, you may need to substitute some with a little milk or water.
  • I made this in a greased loaf tin, but you could also use a cane banneton, well dusted with flour.
  • I always grease my loaf tins with butter. I find that I get a far better release of the loaf than when I use oil.

Nutritional Information

  • This recipe is 4 Weight Watchers Smart Points

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Kefir Raised No Yeast Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 135Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Cholesterol 2mg1%

Sodium 206mg9%

Potassium 34mg1%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 50IU1%

Calcium 34mg3%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Baking, Bread

Cuisine: Bread

Keyword: Kefir raised bread

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Kefir Bread Recipe (No Yeast, No Kneading) (2024)

FAQs

Can dough rise without kneading? ›

No-knead bread gets its power from a long, slow rise at room temperature. Mix up the dough in the morning and let it sit for at least six hours before shaping and rising for one hour more. The bread bakes for 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered in the Dutch oven.

Can you knead dough without yeast? ›

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; stir in milk and olive oil until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times. Shape dough into a ball; cover with an inverted bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

How do you ferment dough without yeast? ›

Combine Flour and Water: Mix equal parts of flour and water in a glass or plastic container. Let it Sit: Cover the container with a breathable cloth and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Feed the Starter: Each day, discard half of the starter and add more flour and water to the remaining mixture.

What makes bread rise without yeast? ›

Baking Soda

It helps breads rise and gives them their light and airy texture. Unlike yeast, baking soda needs an acid to activate it. By adding an acid to baking soda (such as lemon juice or cream of tartar) a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide and fills your bread with air — much like yeast does.

What is the point of no knead bread? ›

It's easy to see the appeal of the “no-knead” approach in bread baking: minimal effort produces maximum flavor. By simply mixing up your dough and giving it an extended rising period, you can enjoy gorgeous, golden loaves without having kneaded a thing.

What happens if I don't knead dough? ›

A failure to knead dough (unless you're working with a no-knead recipe) can lead to: Poor gluten development: When you don't knead bread, the gluten won't form properly. This can result in a lack of elasticity and strength, meaning your final product is likely to come out of the oven dense and heavy.

What can I use instead of kneading dough? ›

Stand mixers are a popular alternative to hand kneading. These electric kitchen appliances come with a dough hook attachment that mimics the kneading action of human hands.

What is bread without yeast called? ›

Unleavened bread is any of a wide variety of breads which are prepared without using rising agents such as yeast. They already appeared in prehistoric times. Unleavened breads are generally flat breads; however, not all flat breads are unleavened.

What is dough without yeast called? ›

Unleavened bread, or bread without yeast, is a typical Jewish food, the name derives from the Greek azymos (without yeast) which in Jewish becomes mazzah, and it is the symbol of the Passover that recalls the Exodus from Egypt: it was the bread of the fugitives because it was quickly prepared by the fleeing Jews.

How do you make dough rise without yeast? ›

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

If you want to successfully substitute the yeast called for in a recipe, you just need to swap in the right amount of baking soda and acid to make the dough rise. You can use lemon juice, buttermilk, or milk combined with an equal part of vinegar as your acid.

What happens if you don't knead yeast dough? ›

If you don't knead your dough, your baked bread won't rise as high, and the overall texture and appearance will be dense.

Does dough still rise without yeast? ›

Instead of using yeast to make the bread rise, quick breads rely on other leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder to get height. "Quick breads, like banana bread, zucchini bread, and cornbread are delicious and easy alternatives to yeast-based bread and can satisfy cravings in a pinch," says Tyler Lee.

What did the pioneers use instead of yeast? ›

Pioneers used both corn meal and wheat flours for bread. They baked bread in cast iron bake kettles set in the coals of the open hearth. Pearlash, eggs, saleratus, an early chemical leavening preceding baking soda, and home-created yeast starters were used to leaven bread.

What did pioneers use for yeast? ›

Instead of using a fungus (yeast) to raise their bread, early settlers used bacteria. Yeast was not readily available yet, so they created their own bacteria-based leavening agent with a base of either potato or cornmeal. When warm milk and a little sugar was added, the potato or cornmeal mixture started to ferment.

How did people bake without yeast? ›

With No Yeast : The Salt : NPR. Bake Bread Like A Pioneer In Appalachia ... With No Yeast : The Salt Bacteria can make a bread rise and give it a cheesy flavor. That's the secret ingredient in salt rising bread, which dates to the late 1700s in Appalachia, when bakers didn't have yeast on hand.

Do you really need to knead dough? ›

Most (if not all) bread can be made without kneading.

If we tried to fold a recently mixed dough just a couple of times the result would be quite disappointing. That is why kneading usually takes a few minutes.

Can dough develop gluten without kneading? ›

Sometimes, that agitation isn't required: In no-knead breads, the gluten development is achieved with hydration and rest, proving you don't always need to knead. You can tell your gluten has been properly developed when it comes time to shape your dough.

Why doesn't no-knead dough rise? ›

No knead dough doesn't rise like standard yeast breads, it only puffs up and gets bubbly. It will be a little bigger after the resting time but don't look for a much larger volume. Your yeast may not be fresh and should not be used past the expiration date.

Can dough rise without covering? ›

In most circ*mstances covering dough during proofing is the best practice, as it helps keep moisture in your dough. Without covering dough, the surface is likely to dry out which will limit the rise you are looking to achieve during proofing, and it can negatively impact your crust.

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