No-Sugar Bread Recipes For Healthy, Guilt-Free Snacking

The Irish Times claims that over 80% of people love the smell of freshly-baked bread (10). So stop feeling guilty for wanting a warm, soft bread slice! Fortunately, a no-sugar bread recipe can ensure you maintain a healthy diet while splurging a little. The news likely makes you feel nearly as fuzzy as the aroma of hot bread seeping from a kitchen. Let’s discover the secrets of eating bread without sugar to help you sustain that feeling.

Can You Make Bread Without Sugar?

New Mexico State University has detailed how sugar helps the bread to rise better by feeding yeast (3). Also, Busby’s Bakery School says sugar helps bread brown on the top, leading to a softer texture with added moisture (9).

Bread without sugar produces firmer, lighter-colored loaves that don’t rise as much. However, a lack of sugar won’t stop bread from rising if you replace it with specific alternatives (9). Otherwise, you can choose quick-rising yeast because it will allow you to bake without sugar.  

What Is A Healthy No-Added Sugar Bread Recipe?

Let’s get to the recipes that leave your mouth watering as you smell that divine aroma in your kitchen. In addition, they include other ingredients that bring health benefits. And, you’ll find one surprising recipe that uses no yeast. 

Simple Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

Oxford Brook University has confirmed how healthy fats restrict sugar spikes after eating white bread (8). Olive oil and wholewheat flour reduce the natural sugars. That said, a simple bread recipe without sugar helps prevent glucose spikes after eating it.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Bake Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
• Serving: 12 slices
• Calories: 180 per slice

Ingredients:

• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour,
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour,
• 1 tbsp quick-rising yeast,
• 1 ½ tsp salt,
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
• 1 ⅓ cup tepid water.

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl,
2. Add the olive oil and water and mix gently,
3. Oil your hands before kneading for 15 minutes,
4. Add a few drops of tepid water gradually if it feels dry,
5. Lightly coat the dough with olive oil,
6. Cover the bowl with a wet cloth to let the bread rise double its size in 90 minutes,
7. Gently scrape the dough onto a clean surface and shape it into the bread pan,
8. Brush olive oil over the top, and let it rest under a cloth for another 40 minutes,
9. Slash a thin line through the top of your bread dough,
10. Bake it in a 400°F preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Read More: Banana Bread Recipe (No Sugar): 6 Tasty Options, Including A Vegan Recipe

Whole-Wheat Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

Nigeria’s Federal University of Technology has confirmed that whole wheat flour reduces natural sugar four times (6). The bread will be drier and heavier but taste and smell as delectable as others. Let’s see how you make delicious whole-wheat bread without sugar.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Bake Time: 45 hour
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Serving: 15 slices
• Calories: 110 per slice

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour,
• 2 cups whole wheat flour,
• 2 tbsp fast-rising yeast,
• ½ tsp salt,
• 1 cup skim milk,
• 2 tbsp warm water,
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.

Directions:

1. Combine the dry ingredients with the milk and water,
2. Use a spatula to blend them until no flour remains visible,
3. Cover the bowl with a wet cloth to let it rise for 60 minutes,
4. Move the dough to the bread pan, and brush it with olive oil,
5. Bake the loaf in a preheated 450°F oven for 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

Pumpkin bread doesn’t increase the sweetness or moisture. Instead, pumpkin seeds and oats make the bread tastier. WebMD explains that pumpkin seeds have many nutrients, dietary fiber, and antioxidants (5). Try this recipe for something unique.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Bake Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
• Serving: 12 slices
• Calories: 209 per slice

Ingredients:

• 4 cups whole wheat flour,
• 2 tsp quick-rising yeast,
• 1 tsp salt,
• ¾ cup pumpkin seeds,
• 1 cup oats,
• 2 cups warm water.

Directions:

1. Blend the dry ingredients and add the water,
2. Use a knife to cut through and mix the dough,
3. Put a wet cloth over the bowl and let it rise for an hour,
4. Move the dough to a bread pan,
5. Cover the bread pan and let it rise another 30 minutes,
6. Bake in a 400°F preheated oven for 40 minutes.

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Zucchini Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

This recipe uses maple syrup to do sugar’s job, which is healthier than using refined sugar. The Cleveland Clinic says maple syrup is an excellent alternative to refined sugar (7). This means that you can have bread and sweetness with a suitable replacement. However, moderation is always the key.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Bake Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Serving: 16 slices
• Calories: 110 per slice

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour,
• 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (patted dry),
• 1 tsp baking soda,
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon,
• ¼ tsp nutmeg,
• ½ tsp salt,
• 2 tsp vanilla extract,
• ½ cup warm water,
• ½ cup maple syrup,
• ⅓ cup olive oil,
• 2 eggs.

Directions:

1. Combine the maple syrup and olive oil in a mixing bowl,
2. Add the eggs before beating well,
3. Add the baking soda, water, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla,
4. Whisk the mixture until smooth,
5. Stir the zucchini and flour until just combined,
6. Add to your bread pan and criss-cross the top with a knife,
7. Bake in a 400°F preheated oven for 60 minutes.

Bonus Recipe: 3-Ingredient Bread (No Yeast)

Registered dietician Amy Richter recommends baking powder as a raising agent (2). This recipe uses self-raising flour with baking powder. Buttermilk also supports the rising bread. However, don’t expect the bread to rise as much as yeast recipes.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Bake Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Serving: 12 slices
• Calories: 110 per slice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-raising flour,
• 1 cup (8 oz.) buttermilk,
• 2 tbsp melted salted organic butter.

Directions:

1. Combine milk and flour in a large mixing bowl,
2. Use a spatula to mix it until no flour remains,
3. Let the thick mixture sit and rise for 30 minutes,
4. Place the slightly risen dough in a bread pan,
5. Brush the dough evenly with the melted butter,
6. Bake in a 450°F preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Read More: Delicious, Fluffy, And Low Carb: The Perfect Keto Cornbread Recipe

FAQs

How Much Sugar Is In Homemade Bread?

Nutrition IX, a nutrition-capturing database, lists how much sugar typically comes in one slice of homemade bread (4). The database shows 1.32 grams of sugar per slice of homemade bread. It only has 27 grams of carbs and 155 calories, so go sugar-free. 

What Bread Has No Sugar?

Busby’s Bakery School has confirmed sugar’s important role in bread is to help it rise, brown, and stay moist (9). Sugar interacts with yeast to help bread rise. However, some whole wheat, rye, and pumpernickel bread has no added sugar because they use other leavening agents. 

Is Zero-Carb Bread Keto-Friendly?

Registered dietician Natalie Olsen has stated that some bread alternatives are keto-friendly (1). For example, protein-rich, low-carb cloud bread is an excellent choice for the keto diet. No bread has zero carbs, but cloud bread is a popular low-carb choice for the keto diet. 

The Bottom Line

Bread without sugar isn’t a dream or fantasy. It’s a genuinely healthier way to eat bread. Don’t expect it to look or feel the same, but it should taste similar to what you think. It will be denser and dryer. However, you’ll get that smell and smash those cravings.