How To Make Bread Using Only Flour and Water

There is nothing I enjoy more than savoring warm, doughy, fluffy homemade bread in the morning or throughout the day. I am a bread lover, and I get a little anxious if I run out of bread in the house. A few mornings ago, I awoke with a craving for bread (as I do most mornings), and to my dismay, the loaf of bread I had baked a few days prior had vanished (probably in my stomach)! 

I had run out of yeast, to make matters worse! It was 9 a.m., and there was no bread or yeast; could this day get any worse? I decided it would be a great time to experiment and see if I could make bread with only flour, water, and whatever else I had in my pantry, as going to the grocery store seemed like too much of a hassle. 

The good news is that I could make something resembling bread with only flour and water, and it was straightforward to do so! If you want to learn how to make bread with only flour and water, continue reading as I discuss some of the successful and unsuccessful recipes. 

Can bread be made with only flour and water? 

Yes, it is possible to make bread with flour and water. Will it be delicious? Most likely not. Unless you have taste buds that are bland and tasteless, bread made with only flour and water will be, well, bland and tasteless! 

I experimented with a few recipes, adding flavorings such as olive oil, salt, sugar, and herbs. But for this article, I made and toasted bread recipes containing only flour and water. 

I discovered that flour and water alone could not produce bread. And by bread, I mean an entire loaf of bread. To make a loaf of bread without yeast, you must use a leavening agent. 

This can be accomplished with self-rising flour, baking powder, or baking soda. Use any herbs or spices on hand; they will elevate your water and flour bread to an entirely new level. 

Let’s examine what we’ve created! 

How to make bread using only flour and water 

Quick Flatbread Recipe 

Ingredients 

• 200 grams of bread flour 
• 100ml water 

Instructions 

1. In a bowl, combine 200g of all-purpose flour with 100ml of lukewarm water while stirring with a spoon or fork. You may not need all the water, so be sure to add it gradually. 
2. Begin kneading your dough for five minutes on a floured surface. If your dough still feels moist and sticks to your fingers, add more flour until it no longer adheres. If your dough feels extremely dry, add a small amount of water to loosen it up. 
3. After 5 minutes of kneading the dough, form it into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let your dough rest for about 30 minutes. 
4. Once the dough for your flatbread has rested, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and place it over medium heat. 
5. Depending on the desired size of your flatbreads, divide your dough into four or six equal balls while you preheat your frying pan. 
6. Flatten the balls of dough with the palm of your hand. Ensure that you do this on a floured surface to prevent flatbreads from sticking. 
7. Start rolling out your flatbreads with your rolling pin (or a wine bottle or glass if you don’t have one). After each roll, rotate the dough by 90 degrees. Repeat this with your dough balls until you have a round, smooth flatbread. 
8. Place the first flatbread in the pan and cook for four to five minutes on each side or until brown spots appear. Repeat with each of your flatbreads. 
9. Enjoy your flatbread as a wrap or alongside your fajitas. 

This is probably the easiest flatbread you can make without yeast! And, flatbreads do not require yeast, so it is irrelevant whether you have yeast. If you want to make a large batch, they freeze exceptionally well. I always use digital kitchen scales when dividing dough when I am baking. 

This may seem unnecessary, but it ensures that each dough ball is the same size. What are you waiting for if you do not own digital scales? You need them as soon as possible! 

Naan Bread Recipe With Self Raising Flour 

This technique closely resembles that of flatbreads. The only difference is that self-rising flour is required for naan bread. Normal flatbread is thinner and flatter than naan bread, so self-rising flour provides the necessary lift. 

If you lack self-rising flour, combine plain flour with half a teaspoon of baking powder. I knew that naan bread made with only flour and water would be incredibly bland, and I didn’t want them to go to waste. 

So, I made one with self-rising flour and water to demonstrate how it would turn out, and I added olive oil, garlic granules, salt, and mixed herbs to the remaining ones so I could enjoy them with my curry. 

Let’s investigate the recipe! 

Ingredients 

• 200g self-rising flour  
• 100ml water 

Instructions 

1. Mix 200g of self-rising flour in a bowl with 100ml of water. Add the water gradually, as you may not need it all. Add flour or water based on whether the mixture is too dry or too wet. 
2. Knead the flour and water dough for approximately five minutes or until smooth ball forms. 
3. As with the flatbreads, the naan dough should rest for 30 minutes. 
4. On a floured surface, divide the dough into four balls after it has rested. 
5. Using a rolling pin (or glass), flatten each ball of dough. Don’t worry if the circle is not ideally round. Naan bread is not intended to be perfectly round. 
6. Olive oil should be heated in a skillet over medium heat. 
7. Place the first piece of naan dough in the frying pan and cook for approximately 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until the bread puffs and develops brown spots. Repeat with each naan dough. 

Enjoy your self-rising flour naan recipe with a delicious curry. The plain naan was plain! It turned out extremely flavorless, flavorless, and dense. 

The naan is located on the right. I seasoned the naan bread with salt, sugar, olive oil, garlic granules, and herbs and elevated it to an entirely new level! As one would expect from naan bread, it puffed up nicely and had enormous pockets. 

Individual Mini Loaves 

These mini loaves are ideal if you want bread but don’t have time to bake an entire loaf. That will sit in your bread bin and become stale. And there is no need to bake them. Please place them in a frying pan, and you’re all set. 

I must admit, however, that it took me a few attempts to perfect these, as I could not thoroughly cook them in the frying pan. The first time I made them, I made them too thick, and they were completely raw in the center. 

I also believe that these would be delicious baked in the oven. I will attempt that this week and report back to you with the results. These cannot be made with only flour and water; the baking powder is required to give them volume. 

Ingredients 

• 170 grams of plain flour (1 cup) 
• 80ml warm water 
• 2tbsp oil 1tsp baking powder 
• 1/2tsp salt 

Instructions 

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
2. On a floured surface, knead the dough for five minutes before dividing it into four or six small dough balls. 
3. Form small patties from your dough balls by flattening them with the palm of your hand. 
4. Warm a skillet and drizzle it with olive oil. 
5. Once the frying pan is hot, place the mini loaves inside and cook them for approximately 6 to 7 minutes per side. 
6. Serve warm alongside a bowl of soup. 

I included some herbs to enhance my flavor of mine. 

Soda Bread 

If you want to make a more substantial loaf of bread but are out of yeast, soda bread is a fast and simple alternative. This is not a recipe that calls for only flour and water, like flatbread or naan bread. You will need a few additional ingredients, which I am sure you already have in your pantry and refrigerator. 

Since it’s called soda bread, an essential ingredient is bicarbonate of soda (duh!). In addition, buttermilk is required for this recipe. The reaction between the buttermilk and baking soda causes the soda bread to rise in the oven. 

It is simple to make buttermilk at home if you do not already have it. Combine 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar with milk, and you’ll have buttermilk. 

Ingredients 

• 500g flour (plain or whole meal) 
• 1 tsp of carbonic acid 
• 2tsp salt 
• 400ml total milk 
• the juice of one lemon (or 2tbsp of bottled lemon juice) 
• 2 teaspoons honey (or substitute with sugar) 

Instructions 

1. Create buttermilk by combining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar with 400 milliliters of milk. Let it rest for 15 minutes. 
2. Set the oven temperature to 356F/180C/gas 6 degrees. 
3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. 
4. Once the buttermilk begins curling, add it to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. 
5. Form dough into a rough ball then scores the surface. 
6. Bake on a baking sheet for 40 minutes. 
7. After baking, allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. 
8. With some butter, jam, and a cup of tea, please. 

Soda bread is not my favorite type of bread, and I rarely prepare it. I find it quite dense. However, if you’re craving carbohydrates but don’t have any yeast or don’t want to wait all day for your dough to rise, soda is a great option that can be made in less than an hour! 

Therefore, the answer to the question “Can I make bread with only flour and water?” is “Absolutely!” If you are desperate, you can make something that resembles bread, like flatbreads, naan, and mini loaves, but it will be tasteless and bland. If you wish to create a more substantial loaf of bread, you cannot rely solely on flour and water. 

You need additional ingredients to give your bread volume and flavor. Adding baking powder, salt, sugar, olive oil, herbs, and spices to your bread will transform it into the tastiest loaf. 

If you want to know if you can make bread with self-rising flour, check out our most recent article on bread!