The Simplest No Yeast Activated Buckwheat Bread (Gluten Free)

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In This Recipe

About This Recipe

Note: You will need a food processor for this recipe. I'm a huge Magimix fan. You can get one on Amazon by following the Magimix link. Full disclosure: I don't get paid for this blog, but I do get a small commission from Amazon when you buy this product. These commissions are what keep the recipes coming!

There is something so satisfying about taking a bite of fluffy, crunchy, homemade gluten free bread. If you have had much experience with gluten free baking (given that you're forced to cook yeast free), you’ll know that successes are quite a feat as most experiments end in a crumbly mess. Add in the challenge of not using eggs and you’d have to call yourself a hero for being able to produce something even remotely bread-like.

Before I stopped being able to eat gluten, I used to love baking bread from scratch using yeast. Kneading the sticky ball of dough, letting it rise, then punching it down again. There is something so magical about the way that a mess of flour and water can double in size. Alas, this is not usually the case with gluten free bread.

If you’re lucky, the yeast might manage to grow the dough about 20% larger, but there is certainly no doubling in size. This all comes down to our little friend (or in many of our cases, enemy) gluten. Gluten is a protein present in grains like wheat, barely, rye etc. When water and gluten-containing flour is mixed together, the gluten forms fine strands which give the dough it’s elasticity. Adding yeast to the mixture means that when the dough is left to rise, the fermenting yeast releases carbon dioxide bubbles which are trapped within the dough in little pockets formed by the gluten strands. Once the loaf is baked, the gluten protein sets and becomes no longer elastic: meaning that the bread maintains its shape and that desirable fluffy texture.

This explains why gluten free bread needs to be yeast free. I have made dozens of gluten free loafs using yeast and had little success in rising the dough to anything impressive. While this process can be a lot of fun, sometimes you just need a quick and simple bread recipe that can give you repeatedly positive results.

This recipe uses baking powder (so no yeast!) which means that there is no hassle of kneading dough, and no crushing disappointment when the bread doesn’t rise. It’s as simple as soak, blend, bake. This bread is about 95% whole, soaked buckwheat which makes it nutritionally impressive compared with it’s starchy flour counterparts. The buckwheat is soaked overnight to make it soft which has the added benefit of activating it meaning that it can be more easily digested. The pseudo-grain buckwheat is actually a seed which is packed with plant protein, antioxidants and dietary fibre.

This is the only basic GF bread recipe you will ever need. It is so versatile you can even use this batter to make pancakes (just add a little more liquid so its pourable) or spread the dough out on a sheet of baking paper to create a chewy pizza crust (I do this at least weekly). Of course, this vegan buckwheat bread recipe has no diary so any variations you make will be vegan as well!

This recipe is a base from which you can make a simple, staple bread or jazz it up a little with sweet or savoury additions to transform it into something really spectacular. I love adding olives and fresh rosemary or dried fruit and spices.

Feel free to omit the sunflower seeds and pepitas: they are just interesting extras because I like a bit of crunch in my bread. Speaking of crunch: the crust on this bread is possibly the best gluten free crust I have come across. The secret: removing the loaf from the tin about 3/4 of the way through the cooking time.

So be freed from the constraints of baking with yeast. Happy, foolproof gluten free baking!

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How To Make This Recipe

The Simplest No Yeast Activated Buckwheat Bread (Gluten Free!)

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups raw buckwheat, soaked in water 6 hours or overnight
2 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 2 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp psyllium husk
1 tbsp olive oil (plus 1 tsp to grease loaf tin)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp pepita (pumpkin) seeds to top the loaf (optional)

Takes 1 hour 45 min (plus soaking time),makes 1 loaf (around 8 slices).

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
Drain buckwheat and rinse thoroughly
Add all ingredients except the sunflower and pumpkin seeds to a food processor and blend until smooth. If you don't have a good quality food processor I highly recommend getting one. I use a Magimix, which has been working perfectly for 5 years (full disclosure, I don't get any money from this blog, but I do get comissions from the above Magimix link).
Stir through sunflower seeds
Grease a medium sized loaf tin and pour in the buckwheat batter. Smooth with the back of a spoon and press pepitas into the dough (if using)
Bake for 1 hour until just brown on top then remove from the oven, take the bread out of the tin, and return to the oven directly on the rack for another 30 min (this will allow the bread to develop a deliciously crunchy crust). The bread is done when it is golden and sounds hollow when tapped
Place bread on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing (difficult but important as this prevents the loaf from sinking). Enjoy fresh or toasted for up to 5 days. Store any slices you will not eat in this time in the freezer as they will go stale quickly with no preservatives. Enjoy your foolproof crusty bread!

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49 comments

wow this looks so easy and yummy! Wondering if you have ever made this with buckwheat flour instead of the buckwheat gratis being soaked? Do you think it would work? x

Hey Julia, yes you’re right there are so many different forms of zinc on the market! My preferred types of zinc are zinc picolinate (which has good research around its use in fighting acne) and zinc carnosine (which has the added benefit of supporting gastrointestinal health so is a good choice if you suffer from bloating/heartburn etc). Let me know which one you end up choosing and how you go!
Tam.

Hey Kate, sorry to hear that! It could be that the glass takes longer to heat and the bread needs more time in the tin before you take it out and cook it directly on the rack. Let me know if you give it another go. The best way to know it is ready to take out of the oven is when you tap on it it sounds hollow (this tells you the inside is well cooked).
Tam.

I had this same thing happen to me. I wonder if it’s because I cooked it in glass? It’s very gooey on the inside, but the outside is crunchy.

Hey Vanessa,

YAY! I’m so glad to hear your bread turned out so well! It is so delicious isn’t it? And yum – dates and spices sound like such a warming, delicious addition. I think I’ll have to give this version a go as well!

Thanks for sharing how it turned out for you and all the best,
Tam.

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About The Author - Tamika Woods

Tamika Woods | PCOS Author | Nourished Natural Health

Tamika Woods, Clinical Nutritionist (B.HS; B.Ed), Bestselling Author

For a decade, Tamika battled chronic acne, irregular cycles, mood swings, hair loss, painful periods, severe digestive issues and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). You name it - she's been there!

Tam was finally able to clear her skin, regulate her cycle, be free of period pain and fall pregnant naturally with her daughter in 2020. It took Tam 10 years and tens of thousands of dollars in tertiary education to get the answers she needed to get better.

She didn’t want other women to suffer as long as she did which is why she has dedicated her life to helping women in the same position as she was.

Tam helps women interpret what their bodies are trying to communicate through frustrating symptoms, and then develop a step-by-step roadmap to find balance again. She's here to help you get on track!

Tamika Woods is the author of the Amazon best seller PCOS Repair Protocol. She holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree (Nutritional Medicine) as well as a Bachelor of Education, graduating with Honours in both.

She is a certified Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) Educator and a certified member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA).

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