There’s something so alluring about the smell of fresh baked goods. That scent is calming, makes everyone hungry, and turns any regular kitchen into an instant hang out spot. But for the few who avoided the sourdough starter craze in the early 2020s, or who aren’t trying to compete with ASMR “from scratch” bread reels on TikTok, finding a bread recipe that isn’t overwhelming can seem like a tall order. 

So, if the urge to become a sometimes-baker is calling your name, but you don’t exactly want to flood your kitchen fridge with starter, here are a few 2-ingredient bread recipes that don’t take much time but will have everyone raving about your baking skills. Most of these won’t require yeast and in many cases people can use items they already have in the pantry to create yummy concoctions. 

Yogurt Bread

These days, yogurt is something of a staple item. So, for those that tend to keep it on hand for everything from homemade salad dressings to tzatziki sauce, this recipe is going to be a hit. All that’s needed are three cups of self-rising flour and 1 ¾ cups of low fat vanilla yogurt. Note: Avoid using Greek yogurt as the runnier nature of regular yogurt is required for this 2-ingredient recipe. 

However, if self-rising flour isn’t sitting in the pantry, it’s easy to make an alternative version of this that instead combines three cups of all purpose flour, 4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ¾ teaspoons of salt. 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. 
• Sift the three cups of flour into a large bowl and slowly add in the yogurt. With a spatula, mix until the flour is completely incorporated into the yogurt. 
• Move the batter to the pan and spread out evenly. Put it in the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 
• Once ready, remove from the oven and let cool. 

A Simple 2-Ingredient Dough for Endless Possibilities

The first recipe was more of a traditional bread loaf. However, those that want a more flexible dough that works in a variety of situations will appreciate this bread dough recipe. This pick relies on a simple one-to-one ratio with one cup of self-rising flour to one cup of Greek yogurt. Hopefully the readers are picking up on the theme that self-rising flour is the key to more simple bread recipes!

Combine the ingredients into a mixing bowl and use a dough hook to mix the dough until no residue is left on the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, use a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough is just combined and then use hands to knead it until smooth. 

With this recipe, prospective bakers can either save the dough for use at a later time by freezing it for up to one month, or use it for pretzel bites, pizza dough, dinner rolls, or even flatbread. 

Emergency Bread

What’s a person to do when they’re stuck at home with nowhere to go and no bread for their cold cuts or mozzarella, pesto and red pepper sandwich? Well they roll up their sleeves and get to baking emergency bread. This time, combine three cups of self-rising flour with 1 ¼ cups of soda or sparkling juice. 

A note about soda and juice. Depending on the soda or juice used, the flavor as well as the color of the bread will vary. No, it won’t come out tasting like soda but here’s what the experts say: 

• Sparkling apple juice results in a beautiful light brown crust. Meanwhile there’s enough sugar to make this bread taste like, well…bread. 
• Ginger ale can be a good dupe if sparkling apple juice isn’t on hand. 
• Coke makes the bread darker since it’s a dark brown liquid. Unsurprisingly, the bread will also be sweater but may feel a little off for some people. 
• Carbonated water can work, but unless it’s flavored the bread may end up flavorless. Likewise, the crust may be floury, and the bread remains pale since there’s no color to the water. 

To make emergency bread: 

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. 
• Combine the flour and soda in a mixing bowl and use either a wish or spatula until all of the flour lumps are removed. The dough should look very wet. 
• Once done, pour the dough into the pan and spread it evenly using the spatula. 
• Bake for 35 minutes or until the top of the bread is lightly browned and the entire loaf bounces back when touched. 

An Easy Kombucha Bread Recipe

Kombucha fans will appreciate this recipe that is a simple combination of self-rising flour and, yes kombucha. This time, bakers will combine two cups of self-rising flour with one cup of kombucha. And, there’s the option to add ½ a teaspoon of salt if desired. However, this recipe takes a bit of preplanning since the dough needs time to rest. 

• Combine the self-rising flour and kombucha in a bowl and stir until it’s fully combined and the dough is wet yet elastic. 
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let it rest for five hours at room temperature. 
• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and let a Dutch oven pan preheat for 20 minutes. Alternatively, people without Dutch oven pans can place a ceramic pan filled with boiling water into the bottom of their oven and then use a regular baking sheet or 9-inch loaf pan for the dough. 
• While the oven is heating, sprinkle the work surface with self-rising flour and also use this flour to coat the dough. Using a scraper (or spatula) fold the sides of the dough inward and continue to add flour until the dough holds its shape so that it’s somewhat round. 
• Using floured hands, transfer the dough to the parchment paper, score the dough with scissors. Use the paper to drop the dough into the Dutch oven or the baking sheet/loaf pan and allow to bake for 30 minutes. 
• If using a Dutch oven, remove the lid after 30 minutes and continue to bake for an additional 13 to 15 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy. If not using a Dutch oven, let bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Remove and let cool. 

A Tasty Milk Bread for Quick Breakfast Treats

This one is similar to the yogurt bread featured earlier. Again, self-rising flour is essential since it cuts down on the additional ingredients a person would need to make bread. Combine 1 ¼ cups of milk with two cups of self-rising flour. 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, line an 8 x 4 loaf pan with parchment paper. 
• Combine the flour and milk until it’s just mixed. It should look a little lumpy at this point. 
• Pour the dough into th4e pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 
• Optional: Brush the top with butter for a shiny glaze. 

Weight Watchers 2-Ingredient Yogurt Dough

This is a slight twist on the yogurt dough at the top of this list. Some people are calling it the Weight Watchers dough because this recipe gained visibility through the popular weight loss platform. But it’s essentially yogurt bread that swaps out regular vanilla yogurt for Greek yogurt. 

Bakers will need one cup each of non-fat plain Greek yogurt and self-rising flour. For those that want to use this recipe for pretzels, also drag an egg out of the fridge for that egg wash step later on. 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• In a bowl combine the yogurt and flour. Mix until the ingredients have formed. 
• Place the dough on a floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Once formed, cut that ball into four equal pieces. The extra pieces can be saved for later use. 
• If making pretzel bites or bagels, bake for 18 to 22 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If making pizza dough, bake 12 to 15 minutes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Which Bread Recipe Should You Try Next?

The nice thing about the six bread recipes above is that they typically don’t require a grocery store run to replicate them. If simple baking projects are on the horizon, just invest in self-rising bread and then choose between yogurt, soda, kombucha, or even milk to make a simple loaf of bread that will disappear just as fast as it arrived.