Two Easy and Nutritious Ways to Make Bread

My two favorite ways to make bread. Both super easy with minimal time and no kneading required. Save money at the grocery store as you make your own staple food at home. Bonus, neither includes keeping a sourdough starter alive, yet they’re just as nutritious.

Bread that is Easy and Healthy

At my house, fresh bread cut while it’s still warm is a favourite after-school snack. (Cutting warm bread will cause it to dry out faster, so only cut it warm if you’ll be eating the entire loaf that same day.) Bread can be used at every meal and as quick snacks between meals. Think toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and a delicious side to soak up your soup for dinner. Maybe just don’t do all three of these all one day. As a Registered Dietitian (RD), I love to tell people to vary their veggies and fruits. It’s equally important to get a variety of grains in your diet. Get at LEAST half of all your grains into your diet as whole grains. Look for “100% whole wheat” or “whole rye”, etc on the ingredients list so you’re not deceived at the grocery store.

Because bread is such a useful part of meals and snacks, it’s typical to run out so fast. I’ve been making bread at my house for a couple of years now for two reasons:

1- Now that my family has doubled in size, a loaf only lasts a day or two. It’s easy and healthy to make bread at home, and so much faster to make a loaf than run to the store just for a loaf of bread.

2- the cost has gone up A LOT. It doesn’t cost much to make a loaf of bread. I should probably calculate the exact cost of the ingredients I use, but I already know that if you buy flour (or wheatberries) in bulk you can have bread for less than a dollar per loaf (at the time of this writing). If you’re buying artisan breads, that means you’re saving at least $3-4 a loaf, possibly more, depending on where you’re purchasing it.

I’ve found two ways that are very easy and very hands-off! The minimal time commitment means I can actually make my own bread a few times a week.

BreadMaker Bread: 3 Minutes of Hands-on Time + Ready in 3 Hours

My aunt gifted me a breadmaker several years ago. It is one of my most-used kitchen appliances. For my breadmaker, you simply choose your recipe, dump in ingredients, push two buttons, and walk away. In about 2.5 hours you’ll get a whiff of fresh bread, and in 2 hours and 57 minutes you’ll have a delicious loaf. It may not be the prettiest. At least I can’t always get it to mix the powdered milk in perfectly. Plus the loaf will always have the hole in the bottom where you take out the paddle. If you’re making it for your family, why would you not use a breadmaker?! Another perk of the bread machine I have is the time delay function. If the afternoon will be busy, I start it in the morning and set it to be finished when I’m home to take it out.

Not only is the cooking process fast, but once you’ve got the recipe memorized, it’s barely any time to dump all the ingredients into the bowl. After making it so many times, the recipe is committed to my memory. Once this happens, and you’ve got an organized system for storing all your ingredients, it takes me only three minutes to put together. Even when my daughter is interested in helping me pour each ingredient, it still only takes me six minutes. Then it only takes me one minute to clean up. Since I’m really trying to keep my kitchen clean, I’m reminding myself to put everything away right after I use it. I’m trying to teach my children this too; some days go better than others.

An Easy substitution for healthier homemade bread

My favorite recipe I’ve made with the breadmaker is the whole-grain recipe. It calls for two cups of bread flour and one cup of wheat flour. To make it even healthier, I substitute three Tbsp ground flax or flax seeds and one extra Tbsp of water for one of the two Tbsp of oil. FYI – I love adding any type of seeds (flax, chia, hemp, pumpkin, etc) to any food/meal I can. I also like to use salt that naturally has minerals with it.

A Note if you need Gluten-Free:

I was talking to my cousin who needs gluten-free foods and she asked if you can make specialty breads in the breadmaker. We did a little research and found there are several books that have recipes for gluten free bread that is easy and fast in the breadmaker. Here is a book to get you started if you need this. Disclaimer: I don't need gluten-free breads so I haven't tried these recipes myself.

Long-Fermented Artisan Bread: Easy and Nutritious without Sourdough Starter

Earlier this year, I was walking through a discount store (side note: one of my love languages is finding good deals so I have a few good discount stores if you want me to share), and saw a book on bread. Imagine seeing the words “no work, no knead” on the front cover of this book. Who doesn’t want bread that requires no work? I bought the “My Bread” book and it was worth every penny. I’ve made the whole wheat and the rye bread.

The ingredients list for this bread is short – four ingredients. I bet you have all four of them at your house right now. Want to know the ingredients? Flour (I use a mix of bread flour and freshly ground whole wheat), water, yeast and salt. These are all the ingredients you need for your long-fermented bread.

After two rising periods, first 12-18 hours (up to 24 hours if it’s really cool where the dough is rising) and next only 1-2 hours, you will have a delicious artisan bread dough that is ready for the oven. I find the best time for me to start this type of bread is in the afternoon around 3-4pm. I do it right before I pick up my kids from school. That gives me the longest rising time for the best nutrition and flavor profile in the bread, without having to wake up super early or stay up late to cook the bread.

Tools to Make the Healthy Artisan Bread Really Fast and Easy!

scale

The quickest, and most accurate way, to make this bread is using a kitchen scale. I received this escali scale when I entered the dietetics program at Utah State University, which means I’ve had it for over 12 years now. When making bread or any other baking, having a kitchen scale is necessary for accuracy. When measuring flour into a measuring cup, it can easily become compacted and result in inconsistent results. I teach my kids that baking is a precise science, while other forms of cooking are an art that can be adapted to your current mood and flavor desires.

Bonus: a scale saves time. First, in quickly pouring ingredients directly into one big bowl rather than slowly scooping out ingredients into measuring cups. Second in dishes. There are no measuring cups to measure. You only have three things to clean – the dough bowl, dutch oven, and a wooden or bamboo spoon. Wash the dough bowl and wooden spoon immediately after using them. If you don’t, the bread dough hardens and it takes lots of scrubbing to get them clean. Keep this recipe quick and easy by cleaning it right away. The dough bowl and dutch oven are the only other dishes for this recipe and you’ll wash them tomorrow. 🙂

dutch oven

To bake this artisan dough, use a dutch oven with a lid that’s been preheated at 475 F for 30 minutes. Turn on the oven (mine only goes to 450F but it still works – I’ll tell you about my oven another time) about 30 minutes into the last rise time (the one for 1-2 hours), put in the dutch oven with lid on, and let it sit as the oven preheats. I love to use my Emile Henry Sublime Dutch Oven for bread! I can’t even use my Lodge dutch oven because it came with the standard plastic knob that melts at this high of a temperature.

I won my Emile Henry Sublime Dutch Oven from one of my favorite foodies - Tara Teaspoon - in the fall of 2024 time and I use it for everything. I was able to choose my color and size so I went with a gorgeous green. I don't even see it available anymore, so I'm glad I snatched it while I could.

I chose the 7.5 quart size because I'm always cooking with leftovers in mind. (Cook one night, microwave it the next for an easy meal!) For this artisan bread recipe though, I really wanted to get another Emile Henry dutch oven in the 4 qt size. Instead of getting a smaller-sized dutch oven, I decided to get another Emile Henry product, but this time specifically for bread baking. I'm always excited to add quality cookware and bakeware to my kitchen.

Let me tell you why I love this dutch oven -- 
1- Food doesn't stick to the bottom, even when I walk away and something burns. It's easy to clean up.
2- You can take it from the fridge or freezer right into the oven or onto the stove.
3- The biggest reason I love this dutch oven is it's weight. It is so lightweight compared to all the other brands I have or have looked at in stores. When you've got a big pot full of food, no one wants another 10-20 pounds to pull in and out of the oven or lug over to the table from the stove. Trust me, it's an investment that is totally worth the price. These will be family heirlooms filled with memories and meals in the kitchen for my kids one day.

P.S. I wish I was sponsored by Emile Henry USA for sharing all my thoughts. If anyone has a contact, I'd LOVE to be a rep for their product!   

why is long-fermented bread healthier?

Long-fermented bread is similar in nutrients and taste to sourdough without all the time spent feeding your starter every day. I admit to killing a few, either by neglect or using tap water instead of distilled water. Because I can’t (or mostly don’t want to take the time to) keep a sourdough starter alive, I will make this long-fermented bread any day. Or should I say, any two-days, because that’s how long it really takes.

Because the yeast has time to work on the gluten in the bread, long-fermented bread has more nutrients that are bio-available. Bio-available is a fancy word registered dietitians use and it means the body can actually absorb what it is fed. There are natural parts of plants that block the good nutrients inside them from being absorbed. These are called antinutrients. Phytic acid in grains is an antinutrient that blocks absorption of the iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and proteins. There are several ways to reduce the phytic acid in grains. One of them is fermenting, like in this long-fermented bread.¹

1. Gupta RK, Gangoliya SS, Singh NK. Reduction of phytic acid and enhancement of bioavailable micronutrients in food grains. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2013;52(2):676-684. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-0978-y

Benefits of long-fermented grains include increased vitamin and mineral absorption in the body and increased protein availability. I know protein is huge right now, and this is a great way to get more protein. Side note: As an RD, I believe protein is being blown completely out of proportion right now. Most Americans, even vegetarians and vegans with well-planned menus, get plenty of protein in an average diet, so you likely don’t need more. This bread simply allows your body to process the protein that is naturally in the wheat.

Going back to fermenting, if you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it might interest you to see what God mentions about fermented foods in the Word of Wisdom. If you’re not a member, it still might interest you to learn what God has to say about keeping your body healthy. I’ve written about it for you to check out here.

BONUS Nutrition – Grind your own Wheat!

Fresh ground wheat has more vitamins than commercially ground wheat that has spent time on the shelf in the store. I have a stone mill to grind my wheat and other grains. So far, I’ve ground oats and rye as well. I grind my wheat in small batches, enough for 3-4 loaves of bread at a time. It adds 5-10 minutes to the breadmaking process if you need to grind more, but saves you money and adds nutrients to your bread. It’s best to not mill more wheatberries than you will use in a week or two, to avoid the oxidation of Vitamin E and other nutrients.

If you’ve got wheat put aside as storage, now is the perfect time to learn how to use it in easy and nutritious bread recipes.

Summary

Bread really is the staff of life and even in a busy world, there are ways to make easy and nutritious bread at home. How I make my bread each week depends on my schedule. Either way I make it, I know I’m getting bread that is cheaper and nutritious, while also being fast and easy to make. Now it’s your turn to share with me. Let me know your thoughts and favorite ways to make bread in the comments section below.

If you want another way to add fermented foods into your meals, here’s a quick read on milk kefir in meals my family enjoys.

Want another quick and easy way to improve the nutrition in your meals? Add sprouts and/or microgreens to your meals.