With social distancing being imposed across huge parts of the world, people are looking for new ways to both entertain and feed themselves.
One of the most popular activities has proven to be baking bread.
From white bread to sourdough loaves, Instagram has been inundated with pictures of home-cooking attempts as people attempt to make their own bread after finding grocery stores sold out.
There is, however, one big problem standing in the way for many bakers: ingredients. With millions of people stockpiling because of the coronavirus pandemic, many supermarkets aren't just out of bread and toilet paper - they're also low on supplies such as milk and butter. With the increased interest in baking, yeast has also been hard to come by for lots of people.
Fortunately, bread recipes are versatile, which means it's possible to make certain loaves without ingredients you previously thought were essential.
No yeast
Despite what is commonly believed, you don't have to use yeast to make bread. It may be one of the most common raising-agent ingredients, but there are recipes that avoid it.
Irish Soda Bread typically does not require any yeast, and is slightly denser than traditional fluffy bread.
This simple but effective recipe from All Recipes requires the following ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup butter
You can read the full instructions for this recipe here.
No regular flour
If all the more common flour types at your local supermarket are gone, it doesn't mean your bread-baking possibilities are over as there are plenty of alternatives that no one else may have thought to stock up on.
This gluten-free recipe from Angela's Heaven uses an almond flour alternative. Here's what you need:
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 5 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 5 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 5 eggs
- 1/3 cup of melted butter or coconut oil
- 3/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1/2 cup yoghurt
You can read the full recipe here.
No milk or butter
Those who follow dietary restrictions such as veganism can also join in on the popular activity, as some recipes don't call for any animal products. This simple bread recipe from Make It Dairy Free is both dairy- and egg- free, making it completely vegan.
Here's what you'll need:
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup vegan cane sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups flour
Read the full recipe here.
