Whole Wheat Honey Bread: Yeast Free!

This easy-to-make, no-knead, no yeast whole wheat honey bread recipe is ready in less than one hour! This quick bread requires a few wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, honey, buttermilk, and baking soda.

This healthy homemade bread is great as a base for whipped ricotta toast or for spreading with hazelnut butter. It’s also a great accompaniment to this escarole and bean soup or the best Italian lentil soup recipe!

Jump to:

• Introduction
• More reasons to love this easy recipe
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips
• Faq
• Baking with honey recipes
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

Introduction

Let me repeat: no yeast, no knead, quick whole wheat bread!

A bread recipe without yeast is the simplest definition of quick bread. Baking soda or baking powder (or a combination of both) is used as the leavening agent to get a quick rise.

If you are looking for more yeast-free recipes, this non-traditional Irish soda bread also requires no kneading and is leavened with baking powder and baking soda. This Piadina recipe uses only baking powder, and this quick flatbread requires only flour, water, salt and oil. 

So many wonderful possibilities!

In a way, it’s the fast-food version of bread! 

You won’t believe how easy it is to make this homemade wheat bread.

More reasons to love this easy recipe

• Besides being easy and quick to make, this bread can be enjoyed in various ways, from sliced toast to sandwiches. It’s also a great accompaniment to soups and salads.
• Combining honey and whole wheat flour creates a slightly sweet and nutty flavor that anyone who tries it loves.

As a dietitian, I love that this recipe uses wholesome ingredients that are both healthier and more affordable than most store-bought bread.

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour. A great way to get that fiber we all need!
• Baking soda. This will provide the bread to rise.
• Salt. Not much, just a few pinches.
• Buttermilk. A wonderful addition to a quick bread.
• Honey. A natural ingredient.
• Olive oil. Adds a fruity element.

As far as accessories are concerned, you don’t need much. You need two bowls, a whisk, a wooden spoon and a 9 x 5 rectangle baking pan. That’s it!

Instructions

The first thing we will do is either grease and flour or spray non-stick spray in a 9 x 5 (2L) loaf pan.

Set the pan aside while we measure and combine the ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour (3 cups), baking soda (2 teaspoons), and salt (¼ teaspoon). Take a few minutes to properly whisk these ingredients together to ensure an even distribution of the baking soda. Set it aside.

In another large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (2 cups), olive oil (2 tablespoons), and honey (¼ cup).

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and, with a wooden spoon, stir to combine. You will notice that the mixture comes together very quickly.

Do not over-mix. 

Immediately transfer the batter to the 9 x 5 loaf pan. If desired, sprinkle the top of the loaf with about one tablespoon of sunflower seeds. 

Place the pan in a preheated oven at 300℉ (150ºC) for about 55 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. 

Cool completely before slicing.

Tips

• Preheat your oven to the right temperature.
• Prepare your pan before you begin this recipe, as the baking soda will start reacting as soon as it comes into contact with the liquid ingredients. 
• Properly whisking together your dry ingredients ensures even distribution of the baking soda, ensuring a uniform rise in your bread.
• Do not over-stir; combine wet and dry and stir until moistened…resist the urge to keep stirring.
• The minute you combine your wet and dry ingredients, immediately place the mixture in your pan and bake. The “lifting” component of the soda (carbon dioxide) starts reacting as soon as it’s in contact with the wet ingredients.

Faq

Baking with honey recipes

If you enjoy baking with honey, you will love this flavorful, moist and perfectly sweetened honey spice cake. Cookie recipes with honey are also quick, easy and delicious to make. Two of my favorite recipes are these honey cookies and, of course, honey almond biscotti.

If you’re looking for unique Italian cookies utilizing honey, try my family’s recipe for mostaccioli and caragnoli, Italian Christmas fritters.

Recipe origins

This non-yeast bread recipe is from my collection of recipe booklets from Robin Hood.

Does anyone remember those? 

I’ve had this recipe for years but never got around to it until recently.

To be honest, I had some whole wheat flour that was expiring, and I finally remembered I had tagged this recipe. It was so good that I made it three times this week. I had to buy whole wheat flour!

As usual, I’ve made a couple of changes: I decreased the amount of salt and used olive oil in the recipe.

If you are expecting light, airy bread, this is not the recipe for you.

This quick whole wheat honey bread provides a crumb that is dense and soft, and, you know what, it works!

I am enjoying mine, toasted and smothered with almond butter – yum!

It only takes 5 minutes of prep time and less than one hour in the oven!

This recipe is for you if you have ever wondered how to make bread without yeast!

★★★★★ If you have made this whole grain bread recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on June 4, 2015, republished on February 22, 2019, March 25, 2020 and more recently on February 16, 2023 with updated content. Thanks for watching and sharing.