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Learn how to make delicious homemade bread without eggs, milk, or butter! This easy homemade recipe uses simple pantry ingredients to create two perfect loaves with a soft texture and golden crust.

Two freshly baked loaves of golden brown bread, made without eggs, milk, or butter, cool on a black wire rack on a light-colored countertop. Perfect for anyone curious about how to make bread without eggs milk or butter.


 

YES, it’s possible. No, it doesn’t taste awful! You can absolutely make homemade bread without eggs, milk, or butter, and you might be shocked by how easy, and delicious, it is!

I love this recipe when my pantry is getting low on supplies, or when I just want to bake a loaf of homemade bread without having to prep a bunch of ingredients.

I love to make this and serve it warm with butter and jam for breakfast, as sandwich bread for lunch, or to make grilled cheese for supper (with some soup to dip, of course)!

Even if you’re “not a baker” or stay away from bread recipes at all costs (because let’s be honest, we’ve all messed up bread at some point or another OR have heard horror stories from loved ones ending up with dense, brick-like loaves), you can handle this. Pinky promise.

And you may even consider roping in some kiddo kitchen helpers to man the bread dough or set up your ingredients. It’s easy, it’s fool-proof, and it’s tasty! Can’t go wrong.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

  • Water: Water will be the liquid to form the dough together.
  • Yeast: Yeast is what makes the bread rise.
  • Honey: Honey gives the nicest subtle touch of sweetness.
  • Oil: Oil will help the crust firm up and also keep the dough from being super sticky.
  • Salt: A necessity with any and all bread making
  • Flour: Flour is what brings the dough together; you can use all-purpose, bread, or whole wheat flour.

See recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

A four-panel image shows stages of yeast proofing for how to make bread without eggs, milk, or butter: first, yeast in water; then foam forms; finally, flour is added to the foamy mixture in a glass bowl on a light countertop.

Notes for Making Bread Without Eggs, Milk or Butter

Oil Choices: The type of oil you use is flexible — use canola, vegetable, avocado oil, or even melted butter.

Flour Flexibility: You can use all bread flour, all all-purpose flour, and even all whole wheat flour. My personal preference is a 50/50 split between a white flour and whole wheat flour or even a 2:3 ratio (2 cups whole wheat flour with about 3 cups white flour).

Yeast Tip: I use instant yeast. If you are using active dry yeast (or any kind of dry yeast other than instant), just let the yeast rest with the water and honey in the bowl for 5 minutes. If it starts to get foamy on the top of the bowl, you know that they yeast is good to use and that it is now ready for you to move forward with the recipe.

Bread Pan: The size/type of bread pan doesn’t matter much. A smaller pan will yield a loaf that is more domed on top; a large pan will make a loaf that is wider and flatter. Use what you have; they’ll all work great!

A four-panel image shows how to make bread without eggs, milk, or butter: dough rises in two loaf pans, then baked loaves cool on a rack. The final shot features a sliced loaf on a cutting board with a knife.

Tips for Making Amazing Homemade Bread

  • Watch the video (below). I made the bread live and shared all my knowledge throughout the video. Plus, it’s good to see the dough and what it looks like at different stages.
  • The video also shows you how to knead (spoiler alert: quarter turn and press forward with the heals for you hands) if you need a few pointers there.
  • The key to using wheat flour is to add part of it first and stir well so that it has time to absorb the water. If you are using all whole wheat flour, you’ll want to add it slowly and stop adding it with the dough is nice and tender but still holds is shape well (you can see this in the video).
  • You don’t need a stand mixer or anything to make this! Just be sure to knead it really well for a full 6 to 8 minutes. This will help to develop the gluten (which is especially important when using whole wheat products).

And to make this recipe even better, I did a free bread cooking class for it! You can view the video here which will help if you have questions about kneading or the size of pan to use. And don’t miss the blooper in the middle (spoiler alert: we dropped the camera!).

loaf of sliced bread on cutting board with knife
5 from 17 votes

How to Make Homemade Bread (with no eggs, milk, or butter)

By: Melissa Griffiths
Life may have you wondering how to make homemade bread, even if you don’t have eggs, milk, or butter. It IS possible, and it’s entirely easy!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Rise Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 18 (makes 2 loaves)
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Ingredients 

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoons instant yeast, or 1 packet
  • 1/4 cup honey or 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup light oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 to 6 cups of flour, (all-purpose, bread flour, and whole wheat flour all work*)

Instructions 

  • Add the water, yeast, honey (or sugar), oil, and salt to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add 2 cups of flour (if you are using part whole wheat flour, add it here so that the whole grain flour has more time to absorb the water), and stir to make a thin batter. Stir for one minute.
  • Stir in the white flour, a cup at a time, until a smooth dough starts to form. You can use a stand mixer or your hands.
  • If making this by hand, when the flour mixture comes together in the bowl and is hard to stir, dump it on a clean well flour surface and knead to incorporate more flour.
  • Knead the dough on a well-floured surface until the dough becomes soft and elastic and doesn’t stick to your hands. I like to knead this for 6 to 8 minutes by hand; it helps the end texture a lot to work the dough well!
  • Let the dough rise in the bowl until doubled, covered with a heavy towel or plastic wrap. This should take about 30 minutes or so.
  • Once the dough has risen, divide it into two pieces. Shape the dough into loaves and place them in 2 greased loaf pans.
  • Let the dough rise in the pans on the counter until it is an inch above the rim. (If using large 9×5-inch loaf pans, the bread will come to the top of the pan and not be as tall.)
  • Bake the bread at 350°F for 35 minutes. The crust will be golden-brown and you’ll hear a hollow sound when you tap on top of the loaf with your finger.
  • Remove the bread from the oven, then remove the bread from the pans, and place the hot loaves on wire racks to cool. Rub a stick of butter on the top of the hot loaves, if desired.
  • Allow the loaves to cool slightly or come to room temperature before slicing and serving.
  • Store cooled loaves in an airtight container and use within 5 days. Freeze for much longer storage.

Notes

Flour Options: You can use all whole wheat flour (thought it won’t rise as much), half all-purpose and half whole wheat, all all-purpose, and even bread flour! I like to use 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 all-purpose flour, but really, you can play with the ratios and use what you have on hand.
Freezing Bread: To freeze extra loaves, simply let the bread cool completely. Store it in an old bread bag or wrapped well in plastic wrap and freeze. Let it thaw a few hours at room temperature when you’d like to use it. You can also slice it before you put it in the freezer to make thawing a little faster.
No proofing: No need to proof the yeast; it doesn’t need it.
Fat Choices: You can use just about any oil or even melted butter or shortening for this recipe.
Slicing Tip: If you want to slice the loaf for sandwiches, you will need to let it completely cool first!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 18 slices, Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 259mg, Potassium: 42mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 2mg
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loaf of sliced bread on cutting board with knife

How to Make Bread Without Eggs

Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients and begin the dough

Combine warm water, instant yeast, honey, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of flour (use whole wheat here if you’re doing a blend) and stir vigorously for one minute to create a thin batter.

Step 2: Form the dough

Gradually stir in additional white flour, one cup at a time, until a smooth dough begins to form. When it becomes difficult to stir, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is soft, elastic, and no longer sticky.

Step 3: First rise

Place the dough in your bowl, cover with a heavy towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size—about 30 minutes.

Step 4: Shape and second rise

Punch down the dough, divide it into two equal pieces, and shape each into a loaf. Place in two greased loaf pans and let rise until the dough reaches about one inch above the rim of the pan (or to the top if using larger 9×5-inch pans).

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Step 6: Cool and serve

Remove from the oven, turn the loaves out onto wire racks immediately, and rub butter over the tops while hot. Let cool slightly before slicing and enjoying.

Substitutions and Variations

Whole Wheat Bread: Use 100% whole wheat flour for a heartier, more nutritious loaf. Note that it won’t rise quite as high and will have a denser texture, but it’s still delicious. Add the flour gradually until the dough is soft but holds its shape.

Herb Bread: Knead in 2 tablespoons of dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning) for a savory variation that’s perfect alongside pasta or soup.

Honey Oat Bread: Replace 1 cup of flour with old-fashioned oats and increase the honey to 1/3 cup for a slightly sweet, hearty loaf with wonderful texture.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread: After the first rise, roll out one portion of dough into a rectangle, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll up tightly, and place in the loaf pan seam-side down.

Vegan Version: This recipe is already vegan if you use oil instead of butter for greasing and brushing. Just ensure your sugar is vegan-certified if using sugar instead of honey.

More Yeast Bread Recipes to Consider

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5 from 17 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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54 Comments

  1. Christy says:

    Made it. It tasted wonderful, straight from the oven with butter snd honey! What is the best way to reheat it? Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!!!

    Reply
    1. Melissa Griffiths says:

      I tend to microwave or toast one slice at a time to reheat! So glad you liked it Christy!