The 41 Best Bread Recipes That Don’t Require a Sourdough Starter (2024)

food

By Katherine Gillen

•

Published May 25, 2020

Sourdough bread is undeniably delicious, but we don’t always have the time (or patience) to deal with all that feeding and discarding. We need carbs and we need them now. Luckily, there are oodles of loaves, buns and rolls that don’t require so much tending (and some don’t even require yeast). Behold, the 41 best bread recipes you can whip up at home, none of which require a sourdough starter to make.

RELATED

6 Yeast Substitutes to Use When You’re in a Pinch

Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

1. Easy Pretzel Buns

They’re like the fancy sandwich rolls you find at restaurants, except—dare we say?—better. This calls for a chicken parm sandwich.

Get the recipe

Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

2. Cheater’s Brioche Buns With Fruity Glaze

This version of brioche has much less butter, so you don’t have to make it ahead or chill it for hours. But surprisingly, it tastes just as buttery and fluffy as the real thing.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

3. Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread With Tomatoes And Scallions

Who said bread had to involve yeast? This is like a traditional cornbread but fancied up a bit, so it’s just as at home at a backyard barbecue as it is at an alfresco dinner party.

Get the recipe

Jerrelle Guy/Black Girl Baking

4. Charcoal Banana Bread

Don’t toss your brown bananas; turn them into this sweet loaf. The charcoal makes for a striking effect, but it’s totally optional and just for looks.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

5. Mozzarella-stuffed Pizza Bread

Psst: This deceptively simple spiral starts with store-bought pizza bread. Just don’t tell anyone and they won’t know.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

6. Chocolate Banana Bread Babka

We bet your local bakery doesn’t serve this. If you have any leftovers, which is unlikely, they make for pretty damn delicious French toast.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

7. Sugared Holiday Bread

It’s not a holiday and we don’t care: We’re still whipping up this sweet yeasted bread, which requires zero kneading and tastes like a buttery cake.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

8. Upside-down Banana-caramel Bread

Make this one for dessert (and then sneak a slice or two for breakfast).

Get the recipe

Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

9. Pumpkin Brioche

As if traditional brioche needed an improvement, here’s a version with pureed pumpkin in the dough for a festive hue and autumnal flavor.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

10. Scallion And Chive Flatbread

This easy recipe is a lot like making pizza dough or focaccia, and it only needs an hour to rise. To kick it up a notch, you can add edible flowers and arrange your own allium bouquet.

Get the recipe

11. Apple Focaccia With Blue Cheese And Herbs

It’s sweet, savory and ready for a co*cktail party. If you want to add a hearty twist, top it with prosciutto and call it a charcuterie loaf.

Get the recipe

Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

12. Skillet Blueberry Cornbread

It’s not like other cornbreads, it’s a breakfast cornbread. (Think blueberry muffin meets coffee cake meets cornbread meets delicious).

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

13. Easy Zucchini Bread

When your cup, er, crisper drawer runneth over with zucchini, make them into a quick bread. Bonus: This recipe comes together in one bowl.

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

14. Double-chocolate Bread

Another one-bowl bread, but this time make it extra chocolatey. What can we say? We hate doing dishes.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

15. Sweet And Spicy Cornbread

Do you prefer sweet or savory…or both? This beauty checks both boxes. If you can’t find fresno chiles, you can swap in jalapeños for a similar effect.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

16. ‘everything Bagel’ Cauliflower Rolls

OK, calling these guys bread might be a stretch—they’re made with cauliflower. But if you’re watching your carb intake, we’re sure you won’t mind.

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

17. Honey Challah

We used to beeline straight for the bakery when we wanted challah. Then we discovered how easy it is to make at home. (Can’t quite nail the signature braid? That’s what YouTube is for.)

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

18. English Muffins

The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise. Bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, anyone?

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

19. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Our motto? If you want to improve on something that’s already delicious, just add cream cheese.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

20. Pull-apart Bread With Caramelized Onions And Goat Cheese

Think of this as monkey bread with an elegant twist. Each bite has a bit of creamy, oniony filling—serve it warm.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

21. Mini Citrus Monkey Bread

With a sweet glaze and plenty of citrus zest, no one will suspect that you started with store-bought pizza dough.

Get the recipe

22. The Best Frybread Ever

Frybread is crisp, golden and ideal for dipping into guac or queso. For a sweet take, you could even toss it in cinnamon sugar (yum).

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

23. Savory Monkey Bread

Meet the other monkey bread, which starts with a crusty loaf and ends with plenty of cheese pulls.

Get the recipe

24. Julia Turshen’s Skillet Cornbread With Cheddar And Scallions

According to cookbook author Julia Turshen, the key to a great skillet cornbread is to preheat the pan until it’s piping hot, otherwise you’ll miss out on that golden-brown crust.

Get the recipe

Yuki Sugiura/Lagom

25. Swedish Cinnamon Buns Topped With Salted Caramel

If you like American cinnamon rolls, you’ll love their Swedish cousins, which are drenched in salted caramel sauce and packed with cinnamon-sugar filling.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

26. Slow-cooker Monkey Bread

This one is impossible to mess up, thanks to your trusty slow cooker. Get everything ready the night before, and in the morning, breakfast will await.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

27. Chocolate Pinecone Rolls

They look fancy, but you’ll be surprised to find out that these rolls are pretty foolproof. Their pinecone appearance is thanks to a few snips with a pair of scissors. (That’s it!)

Get the recipe

Cloudy Kitchen

28. Earl Grey Buns

When the soothing smell of tea is wafting through your kitchen and the kettle isn’t even on, you know there’s something delicious coming out of the oven.

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

29. Pizza-dough Cinnamon Rolls

Somewhere between popping open a can of store-bought cinnamon rolls and making them entirely from scratch is this easy-peasy version. The pizza dough can be our little secret.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

30. Easy Dinner Rolls

Is a meal really complete without a pan of warm rolls? We think not.

Get the recipe

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

31. Pumpkin Spice Pecan Rolls

Getting out of bed is easy with the promise of these rolls. We’d say the creamy icing is optional...but we’d be lying.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

32. Baked Gorgonzola Bites

All you need are five ingredients and 30 minutes for a transcendent cheesy appetizer.

Get the recipe

Erin McDowell

33. Classic Sandwich Bread

This loaf isn’t labor intensive (although you’ll need a bit of time to let the dough rise), and the results will bring any sandwich to the next level. We recommend stashing a few loaves in the freezer. It’s that good.

Get the recipe

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

34. Braided Apple Danish Loaf

The simple braiding technique will make you look like a pro, even though it’s easy enough to do with your eyes closed.

Get the recipe

Pinch of Yum

35. Miracle No-knead Bread

If you’ve ever said, I’m not a homemade bread person, you’ve never had the pleasure of tearing into a crusty loaf that also took almost no effort to make.

Get the recipe

Sally’s Baking Addiction

36. Irish Soda Bread

Who needs yeast when you can have soda bread? It’s soft, slightly sweet and just waiting for a thick layer of butter.

Get the recipe

Half Baked Harvest

37. Cheesy Herb-stuffed Naan

This Indian flatbread is pretty hard to mess up, and we don’t mean because it’s stuffed with feta and mozzarella. You can even omit the yeast and it will still turn out fabulous.

Get the recipe

So Much Food

38. New York Style Bagels

Don’t skip the important step of boiling the bagels; it’s crucial for that chewy crust. (Don’t skip the everything seasoning or cream cheese, either.)

Get the recipe

The Bojon Gourmet

39. Multigrain Nut And Seed Bread

Would you believe this loaf is vegan and gluten-free? It’s made from fiber-rich grains and seeds, and doesn’t even require leavening.

Get the recipe

I Am a Food Blog

40. Bacon Potato Cheesy Sesame Bing Bread

What’s bing, you ask? It’s a yeasted Chinese staple, and it’s kind of like a cross between a pancake, a flatbread and a roti. (It’s also really tasty, but you probably already knew that.)

Get the recipe

Sally’s Baking Addiction

41. Homemade Garlic Knots

It’s pizza night, no delivery required. You’re going to want to make a double batch.

Get the recipe

RELATED

How to Keep Bread Fresh? Store It in Your Microwave (Here’s Why)

Katherine Gillen

Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillenis PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...

read full bio

The 41 Best Bread Recipes That Don’t Require a Sourdough Starter (2024)

FAQs

What can I use if I don't have enough sourdough starter? ›

What if I do not have enough sourdough starter for my recipe? If you need more starter than you currently have, just keep building it up by not removing any starter prior to feeding and feed the starter an equal 1:1:1 ratio until you have the amount you need. It builds quite quickly.

Read The Full Story ›

What is a good substitute for sourdough starter? ›

But what if you're craving that distinctive tang and don't have a sourdough starter on hand? Enter yogurt — the unexpected substitute that can give your bread that familiar zing while creating a unique twist on the classic.

Tell Me More ›

What is the oldest sourdough starter recipe? ›

Blackley's sourdough starter, created from 4,500 year-old yeast, is considered the oldest sourdough starter, per Oldest. Other starters like the Saint Honoratus Wheat also are quite old. A bakery called Chrissi's Farmhouse Bakery uses it and said, “This noble starter dates back 900 years.

Find Out More ›

What is the difference between Amish bread starter and sourdough starter? ›

A Herman starter or Amish Friendship Bread Starter is typically made with milk, flour, sugar and commercial yeast. A sourdough starter is generally made only of flour and water. A Herman starter will be sweeter and more mellow flavored than a sourdough starter.

See Details ›

What happens if you use less sourdough starter? ›

GENERAL RULE:

The less starter you use, the slower your dough will ferment - often resulting in a more sour flavored loaf. And you guessed it..the more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment - resulting in a less sour loaf. Using less starter in your recipe will help slow down the fermentation process.

Why is sourdough starter discarded? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

Read On ›

Does sourdough get better with age? ›

While the age of your starter won't make your bread any better — turns out, only good sourdough practices can do that — it's a link in the long legacy of sourdough, one of the oldest forms of baking that exists. Whether your starter is a week or a decade old, you can become part of that lineage as well.

Learn More Now ›

Is Panera sourdough made with starter? ›

While our business has expanded well beyond St. Louis since then, that same sourdough starter is still used in our iconic sourdough bread and the craft of baking bread fresh each day remains at the heart of Panera Bread.

Explore More ›

What to use instead of sourdough starter? ›

Rather than using a traditional sourdough starter, Greek yogurt and sour cream are mixed with bread flour, yeast, and a pinch of salt. The active cultures in the Greek yogurt and sour cream ferment the dough and give the bread traditional sourdough flavor.

Read The Full Story ›

Is it better to buy sourdough starter or make it? ›

If you are new to sourdough baking or don't have the time or inclination to make your own starter, a bought starter may be a good option. However, if you enjoy the process of creating your own starter and want more control over the fermentation process, making your own starter may be the way to go.

View Details ›

Can you make a small amount of sourdough starter? ›

Making a small sourdough starter is really quite easy, it's just a case of reducing the amounts of flour and water you use to something you're more comfortable with. I generally suggest using 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water to create a sourdough starter, however, this can be too much for some home bakers.

Tell Me More ›

How do you add less starter to sourdough bread? ›

And in fact, you can change the amount of starter in a recipe to suit you and your specific needs. As a general rule, the less sourdough starter you use, the slower your dough will ferment - resulting in a more sour flavored loaf.

Explore More ›

How do you fix an underfed sourdough starter? ›

Your starter might have gone too long between feedings and it needs to be revived more. Leave it for another 4-8 hours, discard all but 25g of starter and feed with 70g Warm Water and 100g flour, leave out overnight and in the morning, discard and feed again.

Get More Info Here ›

How do you feed sourdough starter if you don't have a scale? ›

Take ¼ cup sourdough starter from the refrigerator and add ½ cup flour, and ¼ cup water to a clean glass jar with a loose fitting lid. Give it a stir. Feed the sourdough this way every 12 hours until it is bubbly and active, then it is ready to use.

Tell Me More ›