Yeast, bread, and toilet paper were among the first items to disappear off the grocery shelves during the start of the 2020 pandemic. Bread is a beloved food staple and has been since cavemen roamed the earth. There are lavish bread recipes for the rich, basic homemade recipes for the middle class, and meager yeast-free bread recipes for the impoverished.
The majority of the United States population relies on grocery stores for bread, cakes, crackers, and pastries. We love the way it fills our bellies and the way its carbs convert into energy. So, what can you do when yeast is not available? Do you have a back-up plan if the supply chain is interrupted? Having 50 lbs of flour in your food storage pantry is a good start but what other ingredients would you need to make a simple food staple like bread for your family?
Below are 10 yeast-free bread recipes that need very few ingredients. These recipes have withstood the test of time and kept people away from starvation during times of scarcity. You may want to try a few of these recipes and see if one is a good fit for your family. Don’t forget to print a few and add them to your preparedness binder.
- Australian Damper
For thousands of years, this bread has been made by Australian Aborigines. They would grind plants or nuts to make flour then mix it with water. Eventually, Australian cowboys were documented traveling with flour, salt, and water to make a bush bread by cooking it over hot coals. After many years, the recipe has expanded ingredients and adapted to a more modern taste.
(6) Ingredients: Flour, salt, milk, butter, sugar, baking powder
For the full recipe visit: Food.com – Australian Damper
- Bannock
This bread originated from Scotland around 1562. The bread was eventually found in Canada and throughout North America used by Native Americans. It’s typically a dense, flat bread cooked in a round pan and made from oats or barley.
(5) Ingredients: Flour, baking powder, salt, bacon grease, water
For the full recipe visit: Prepper’s Will – How to Make Bannock Bread
- Crackers
Modern day crackers started out as Hard Tack (see the recipe below) then evolved in 1810, from an accidental baking incident into the cracker we know and love today. They got their name from the cracking noise they make when bitten into.
(5) Ingredients: Flour, sugar, salt, fat (oil, butter, etc), water
For the full recipe visit: The Pioneer Woman – How to Make Crackers
- Hard Tack
It’s a biscuit that has been used by sailors for thousands of years. The recipe was documented as far back as Ancient Rome. During the Civil War, it was a food staple for soldiers. With only three ingredients, it’s a go-to recipe to help people get through hard times by holding off hunger-pains.
(3) Ingredients: Flour, salt, water
For the full recipe visit: YouTube – Treader Tube – Hard Tack Survival Bread
- Pancakes
Pancakes might be the oldest form of bread known to man, dating back to the Stone Age. Early American pancakes used buckwheat or cornmeal (aka Johnnycakes). What makes pancakes different from other breads it how it’s cooked. Once the batter has been made you drop it into a heated, greased pan. So, you’ll need a fifth ingredient which is grease or oil.
(4) Ingredients: Flour, eggs, milk, baking powder
For the full recipe visit: Café Delites – Easy 3 Ingredient Pancakes
- Soda Bread
Soda bread originates from Ireland and was cooked in an iron pot over an open flame. It has a hard crust, dense texture, and a sour taste. Sour milk was used because of its reaction with the baking soda. Today buttermilk is used instead.
(4) Ingredients: Flour, salt, baking soda, buttermilk
For the full recipe visit: Cooking NY Times – Traditional Irish Soda Bread
- Sponge Cake
Italians introduced this yummy bread to the world around 1420 during the Renaissance. It became very popular because it’s easy to make, uses only three ingredients, has no added fat, and tastes great!
(3) Ingredients: Flour, eggs, sugar
For the full recipe visit: Food.com – Three Ingredient Italian Sponge Cake
- Survival Bars
Survival bars are a modern spin on ration bars. They are designed to be high in calories, have a long shelf life, use inexpensive ingredients, and taste better than fortified ration bars that the military and Coast Guard use.
(6) Ingredients: Oats, powdered milk, sugar, honey, gelatin, water
For the full recipe visit: Food Storage and Survival – Homemade Survival Bars
- Tamale
Tamales are older than Mayan or Aztec civilizations. This recipe is estimated to be over 10,000 years old. Warriors and hunters would pack them for sustenance on long journeys.
(6) Ingredients: Masa harina (corn flour), stock, salt, baking powder, lard, butter
For the full recipe visit: Mexican Please – Easy Tamales Recipe
- Trench Cake
The British government released this recipe to the public so they could make a cake with the limited food rations citizens were allocated. It was common practice to send a trench cake to a loved one fighting in the first world war. Eggs were scarce so vinegar was used as a substitute. This recipe can be improved by adding currants or raisins, plus spices like nutmeg and ginger.
(7) Ingredients: Flour, cocoa, baking soda, margarine, vinegar, milk, brown sugar
For the full recipe visit: Ask a Prepper – WW1 Survival Food
Bonus:
11. Birch Flour Cookies
Did you know that the inner bark of a Birch tree is edible? It helps to strip, dry, and grind it into flour. This practice was found in Sweden as early as the 1800s. Birch has been used for medicinal properties in many countries. Ashley from Practical Self Reliance created a Birck Bark Shortbread Cookie.
(5) Ingredients: flour, birch bark flour, sugar, salt, butter
For the full recipe visit: Birch tree is edible
Do you have a favorite simple bread recipe or campfire bread recipe that you’d like to share? Please let us know in the comment section below.
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