Salt-Free White Bread

When sat barely eyed eating your toast on a Monday morning, you’re probably not thinking about how you’re eating what’s essentially a sodium bomb, a food that’s filled to the brim with salt.

But, according to the American Heart Association, bread is actually a large source of the salt found in a person’s average diet. 

It sounds a bit unbelievable, but the typical slice of bread includes about 10 percent of the sodium that dietitians say you should consume each day (about 1,500 milligrams per day).

And since you presumably eat more than one slice at a time (thanks to bread baskets and sandwiches), that sodium can really pile up.

The reason why there is so much salt in bread is not that it is necessary to the whole bread-making process, but because it’s used as a preservative and flavor enhancer.

Because of this, your love of bread may be contributing to a very high-sodium diet. While all things are good in moderation, including sodium, having too much could result in high blood pressure as well as an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

The risk is even higher if you consume a lot of other things that are also high in salt, like packaged foods and anything you order out.

If your bread contains more than 15 percent of the daily salt consumption that’s suggested for you, then put it down and try this fun and easy bread-making recipe instead! This recipe contains zero self, is very easy to make, and tastes way better than a store-bought loaf. 

Keep reading to start your very own bread-making journey, and start your nutrition transformation today! 

Salt-Free White Bread

Unsurprisingly, salt will not be used in this bread recipe, though there will be a slight sodium content in the bread itself anyways.

This is because of the yeast and flour, which both contain trace amounts of this mineral. Aside from that, you can rest assured that this loaf is completely salt-free and a much healthier option for you. 

Baking your own white bread gives you greater control over the foods you consume. In addition to this, it helps you to steer clear of any additives or preservatives that some of them might have.

In most cases, it is possible to prepare bread with or without the addition of salt, and you follow the same cooking method no matter what ingredients are used.

However, leaving out salt in a recipe will change both the flavor and the consistency of the final product. Because of this, it’s important to try and stick to the ratios given in the ingredients list/recipe to get the best flavor possible. 

Salt-Free White Bread Recipe 

This bread takes a total of 1 hour 25 minutes to make, though an hour of that will be spent with your bread rising and, so, there won’t be much for you to do. 

This loaf of bread is not difficult to prepare and may be baked in a very short amount of time. While here, we will go a bit more in-depth on various bread-making steps. For a shorter version of this recipe, scroll to the bottom of this article. 

Ingredients 

• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 6 tsp bread flour – used for adjusting the dough
• 3½ cups bread flour
• 1 instant dry yeast packet
• 1½ cups warm water (make sure it’s not boiling hot)

Method 

Making The Mixture 

The first thing that you’ll need to do in this recipe is to make a liquid mixture. This is done by combining the yeast and sugar with a bit of flour. To wet all of these dry ingredients and get a mixture going, add the olive oil and water. 

Take note that instant yeast requires warm water to become active before it can be used to make bread rise. The moment the yeast comes into touch with the warm water, it will become active and start to perform its function.

However, do not use boiling water! This could kill your yeast, which would result in your bread not rising properly.

Regarding sugar, not only is it used for flavor, but more importantly, it serves as fuel for the yeast, allowing it to “feed” during the entirety of the rising process.

When the starter mixture is finished, the yeast will become active. If you want your salt-free white bread to rise properly, you must immediately go on to the next step in the preparation process, so you don’t give the yeast time to settle back down.

The Bread Dough

At this point, you will need to begin adding more of the flour to the liquid mixture in stages while continuously mixing as you do this. 

You’ve probably noticed that a lot of flour is included in the recipe’s ingredients, but that doesn’t mean that you should add it all in one go!

Adding too much flour at once and not mixing properly can cause your bread to become lumpy, and no one wants to bite into a rock of flour while they’re eating a sandwich. 

Add the flour slowly, and keep mixing as you do so to break up any lumps. To make the flour less lumpy, to begin with, you could pass it through a sieve first to make it into a fine powder. 

Also, adding flour with one hand and mixing with the other is a surefire way to drop something, so instead, you could use a stand mixer to do all of the hard work for you as you slowly add the flour. 

Kneading

When all of the flour has been worked into the dough, it’s time to begin kneading it. But what if it’s still a bit sticky? That’s completely fine!

In fact, the dough should still be a bit sticky when you get to this stage, as it makes it easier to work with. As you’re working the dough, you can adjust the stickiness through kneading. 

For this to work, you will need to knead the dough while gradually adding one teaspoon of flour at a time until all of the flour has been integrated. Repeat the process until you have a dough that is silky smooth, elastic, and non-sticky.

Baking bread is an art form in and of itself, and many variables might influence the final product. Because of this, the amount of flour that you use for this step can be more so decided by you rather than by this recipe. 

This allows you to make a very minor modification, which in turn helps you to produce a perfect dough every time.

So that you have enough flour to make your own modifications, we gave you a flour measurement that is a bit higher than what you may need, just so you have enough if you’re dealing with especially sticky dough. 

This step is another where you can use a mixer rather than doing it by hand. Using a mixer might help your bread be more uniform and have better flour distribution. It’s also a lot easier to do but also a lot less fun! 

The Rise 

This recipe for salt-free white bread only needs one rising period before it can be baked. After it is finished, the bread is placed straight into the oven. 

When the dough has been thoroughly kneaded, you will need to set it on a surface that has been dusted with flour before you can roll it out softly. 

The dough should be rolled out into a rectangle with a thickness of approximately one inch and a width that is marginally narrower than the length of your bread pan.

Don’t worry if your loaf isn’t completely square or rectangular in shape, worrying about perfection will only make you stressed as you bake!

After that, you will need to roll the dough firmly over itself along the direction of the length. After rolling the dough, you will need to pinch it together to seal any gaps that remain.

Now you just need to place the dough in a bread pan that has been greased and cover it with oiled plastic wrap. Make sure that the oiled side of the plastic wrap is the side that’s touching the dough. 

Baking

After the rising process is over, you need to immediately put the bread into the oven to bake. Before the rise of your salt-free white bread is finished, make sure to prepare the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius) so that you don’t have to stop this whole process as you wait for the oven to warm up. 

Once the bread has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and wait until it has completely cooled down before slicing it. Put it on a cooling rack to make this step faster. 

Now that your bread is ready, why not celebrate with some toast? 

Salt-Free White Bread – Quick Recipe 

• The sugar, quick yeast, and one cup of bread flour should be mixed together in a large bowl.
• In this bowl, mix together the oil and the warm water.
• Immediately after that, begin mixing all of the ingredients together while gradually adding a little flour. At some point, you’ll find that it’s easier to just mix everything together by hand, showing that it’s time to get started kneading the dough.
• If, after using all of the flour, the dough is still sticky, continue kneading it while gradually adding one teaspoon of additional flour at a time. Do this until the dough is no longer sticky. You might not use all of the extra flour, which is fine. Only the amount that is required to make the dough soft, elastic, and non-sticky should be used.
• If you are going to make more than one loaf, split the dough now. Always proceed in this manner with each loaf.
• Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough out on a surface that has been dusted with flour. Create a rectangle with a thickness of about an inch and a width that is slightly less than the length of the bread pan.
• Then, to make a loaf out of it, roll it tightly on itself, and pinch shut any openings that you find along the way.
• Put the dough roll into a bread pan that has been oiled, cover it with oiled plastic wrap with the oiled side facing the dough, and allow it to rise at room temperature for thirty minutes to one hour, or until it has doubled in size.
• Before the bread has finished rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius).
• Put the bread pan in the oven and bake the bread for approximately half an hour.
• Hold off on slicing and serving until it has cooled down. To make it cool faster, place it on a cooling rack.

How To Store Salt-Free White Bread 

Most people put their bread in a bread tin/bread basket, but this salt-free bread can also be refrigerated for up to 4 days. 

You may also put it in the freezer for up to three months at a time and keep it that way. Before you freeze it, we recommend slicing it up so that it will be easier to just grab one or two slices when you need them. Slicing the bread before freezing also makes it defrost faster once it’s out of the freezer. 

Variations On This Recipe 

The best part about making homemade bread is that you can add or take away almost any ingredient that you want. Here are a few variations of this recipe that we recommend you try out. 

Add Some Herbs And Spices 

If you want to give your bread a little boost in taste, then a great option is to add some of your favorite herbs and spices! This can be done very easily; simply add whatever you want to the “liquid” mixture before it becomes a dough.  

With just a touch of garlic powder, onion powder, and dried herbs, you can make salt-free white bread that is both delicious and fragrant.

Switch Up The Shape

Who says bread has to be loaf shaped, that’s boring! While we do recommend using a loaf pan for this recipe to make it easier, you can bake the bread in many other types of pans, or you could just bake it on a baking sheet if you don’t have any other options. 

Other options you could try could be making buns instead of a loaf of bread or trying to make the dough into different shapes. The possibilities are endless! 

Add More Fiber 

While this bread recipe is much healthier than store-bought white bread, typically, white bread has far less fiber compared to wholemeal bread. Because of this, if you want to boost your fiber intake, you can add chia seeds, flaxseed, oat bran, psyllium, and other similar ingredients. 

This may change the texture of the bread slightly, though, so when you knead your dough, you may need to experiment with different amounts of water and flour to get it back up to the texture you want it to be. 

Health Benefits Of Low/No-Salt Diets 

Lowing the sodium content of your diet could be the answer to solving many of your health issues. Here are some of the ways that low/no-salt bread can help boost your overall health.

Lowers Blood Pressure 

Many people who have high blood pressure are unaware that they have the ailment because the condition rarely presents obvious signs and symptoms. However, if it’s not addressed, it may result in more significant health issues, such as cardiovascular disease.

At any age, having high blood pressure raises the risk of having problems that might potentially be fatal. This is because your heart needs to work significantly harder to pump blood throughout your body when your blood pressure is greater.

Because of the strain that hypertension places on blood arteries, your heart may grow. This can cause blood vessels to become blocked, burst, or leak, which in turn can harm your vital organs.

These factors can put you at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, renal disease, gout, vascular dementia, and visual issues.

While all of this sounds scary, one easy way to prevent this is to lower the sodium content in your diet. Eating the appropriate foods can frequently prevent or reduce high blood pressure. 

Unfortunately, the majority of the bread that’s created and sold in bakeries and supermarkets contains significant amounts of salt, which can cause a rise in your blood pressure.

Because of this, the ideal option would be to bake your own bread without adding any salt. If you are unable to do this, choose brown or whole-grain bread rather than white, and research different brands to see which have the least amount of salt in their products.

Helps With Kidney Disease 

The function of the kidneys can be impaired when they are affected by kidney diseases, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) or renal failure.

If your kidneys are impaired, they won’t be able to clear excess sodium or fluid from your body as efficiently as they normally would.

If your levels of salt and fluid grow too high, pressure will build up in your blood, which can cause further harm to kidneys that are already in a damaged state.

Because of these factors, the National Kidney Foundation advises that persons who have CKD limit their daily sodium consumption to less than 2 grams (2,000 mg), saying that this is the optimal amount.

Summary 

Eating no-salt bread has loads of health benefits, though sadly, it’s pretty hard to find this in supermarkets. That’s why you should try this super simple no-salt white bread recipe! 

Tasting almost exactly like the real thing (if not better!), this version will help you and your household make steps towards healthier living. And don’t worry if you’ve never baked before, we’ve made this one of the simplest bread recipes to follow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufPVsigox8M