Is Bread Vegan? Everything You Need to Know About Vegan Bread

Good News For Bread Lovers! All About Vegan Bread! Go Vegan!

Veganism is a way of living that excludes or minimizes animal exploitation and cruelty. Thus vegans refrain from using animal or animal-derived products and foodstuff. Foods like meat, poultry, eggs, fish, honey, and dairy are excluded from a vegan diet.

Going on a vegan diet can seem to be a challenging task. Many questions pop your mind as you transform into a cruelty-free vegan diet. One of the popular questions on the chart is whether bread is vegan?

Here is good news for bread lovers going vegan; many pieces of bread are traditionally and natural classified as vegan foods. All you have to do is keep a keen eye on the ingredient list to ensure there are no hidden animal-derived ingredients present in their bread.

If you’re a huge fan of bread, try baking your vegan bread at home. We have listed a few yummylicious vegan bread recipes below. You can get a bread machine to make your bread-baking experience easy, incredibly quick, and fun-filled.

List Of Some Non-Vegan Ingredients In Bread

The simplest form of bread is baked using flour, yeast, water, and salt. Bread is primarily vegan in its traditional form. However, you can bake many varieties of scrumptious bread containing animal-derived products.

This would make the bread non-vegan. Ingredients like monoglycerides, diglycerides, and lecithin may or may not be vegan. So check labels carefully before you buy vegan bread.

Here is a list of few ingredients that have no plant source and are labeled as non-vegan.

• Eggs
• Milk
• Cream
• Butter
• Margarine
• Buttermilk
• Casein
• Caseinate
• Sodium caseinate
• Whey
• Honey
• Ghee
• Lard

The good news is you can switch many ingredients to make your bread vegan. There are many bread types that vegans can relish. We have discussed the most common types of vegan bread and different vegan bead brands in this post.

Most Common Types Of Vegan Bread

You can bake many types of vegan bread. Here are common varieties of animal-free bread for vegans.

• Pita: It is round flatbread baked from yeast-leavened wheat flour. This is famous bread in the Mediterranean and the Middle East regions.
• Sourdough: It’s a type of bread made from the fermentation of wheat flour dough using natural baker’s yeast. It may contain milk or buttermilk, sometimes making it non-vegan. Check the ingredients carefully.
• Ciabatta: It is Italian white bread traditionally baked from wheat flour. It is similar to French baguettes but is shaped somewhat flat, broad, and elongated. It has a crusty outside and moist and airy crumb.
• Ezekiel: It is bread made from sprouted whole grains and legumes and is free from added sugars. It is abundant in proteins and other nutrients compared to other vegan bread.
• Baguette: It’s a popular type of French bread having a crispy crust and tender crumb. It is distinguished by its long thin loaf which can be up to 1 m long.
• Focaccia: It is another Italian flatbread which is topped with herbs and olive oil baked in a flat pan. A few non-vegan recipes use eggs or butter as a fat source.
• Kosher bread: It is a staple food for the Jewish community and is mostly made vegan.

Many types of less processed bread are often vegan. However, there are some types which contain ghee, milk, or eggs, making them non-vegan.

Therefore, checking the labels is the best way to ensure you buy vegan products.

List Of Vegan Bread Brands

We have presented a few vegan bread brands that you can buy from your nearest supermarket. However, it’s a must to check the ingredients as brands add flavor and additives which may not be completely vegan. The products may vary in ingredients throughout times. So check labels before you buy.

Vegan Bread (Sandwich Bread) Brands

• Free Vegan Gluten-free Soft White Sandwich Bread
• Alvarado Arnold Bread
• Cobblestone Bread Co.
• Dave’s Killer Bread
• Ezekiel / Food for Life
• Kinnikinnick Foods
• Whole Foods 365 Brand
• Trader Joe’s fresh-baked bread
• Ener-G Light Tapioca Loaf

Vegan Sourdough Bread Brands

• San Francisco Sourdough Bread
• Dorothy Lane Market Sourdough Bread
• Cobblestone Mill San Francisco Sourdough Bread

Vegan Pita Bread Brands

• Bfree Vegan Gluten-free Pita Breads
• Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread
• Toufayan Bakeries Low Carb Pita Bread
• Trader Joes Pita
• Thomas Sahara Pita

Vegan Bagels

• Bruegger’s Bagels
• Cobblestone Bread Co. 100% whole wheat bagels
• Dave’s Killer Bread Organic Epic Everything bagels
• Tim Hortons’ Bagels
• Rudi’s Organic Bakery Bagels
• Trader Joe’s Bagels
• Thomas Bagels

Vegan Pretzels

• Bakery Authentic Bavarian Lightly Salted Soft Pretzel
• Gratify Gluten-free Pretzels
• Unique 100% Whole Grain Wheat Sprouted Pretzels

Vegan Burger/Hot Dog Rolls

• Schar Gluten-Free Hot Dog Rolls
• Organic Bread of Heaven Burger Buns
• Arnold Country Potato Hot Dog Rolls
• Stroehmann Dutch Country Burger Potato Rolls
• Arnold Rolls

Vegan Tortillas

• Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Tortilla
• BFree Gluten-free Wheat Free Sweet Potato Tortillas
• Siete Almond Flour Grain Free Tortillas
• Tortilla Land (uncooked tortillas)
• Sandwich Petals gluten-free tortillas
• Mission Corn Tortillas
• Vegan Breadstick Brands
• Aldi Ciabatta Breadsticks
• Alessi Thin Breadsticks
• Marini Classic Italian Tomato & Oregano Breadsticks
• Stella D’oro Original Breadsticks

Vegan Breadstick Brands

• Aldi Ciabatta Breadsticks
• Alessi Thin Breadsticks
• Marini Classic Italian Tomato & Oregano Breadsticks
• Stella D’oro Original Breadsticks

NOTE:

You can also find vegan bread at local bakeries, local markets, bagel shops, natural and health food stores, etc. But make sure you read the labels for non-vegan ingredients in the product.

Vegan Bread Buying Tips

We have rounded up a few tips to choose the best and healthiest vegan bread options for your meals. Check them out below.

• Read the label for the ingredient list. No animal-derived ingredients should be present in the bread to make it 100% vegan.
• Less processed bread with minimal and essential ingredients is considered to be a healthier vegan option.
• Choose bread, which is 100% whole grain.
• Don’t bag over ingredients that are unfamiliar and difficult to recognize. Veganism is practical.
• Buy the bread with no artificial preservatives and ingredients.
• Check out for best vegan bread baked at your local bakeries or bread markets. They are fresher and healthier options for bread.
• Always check the nutritional value and calorie count before you purchase a packet of bread, be it vegan or non-vegan.
• Vegan bead having zero trans fat is an ideal option.

Vegan Bread Recipes

There is nothing like coming home to a warm and homemade loaf of bread.
Our diet consists of various meals containing bread. From sandwiches to toasts and from pizzas to soup toppings, bread makes an integral part of our banquet.

Veganism refers to the consumption of foods free from animal products, and thus eating bread might become a challenge if you don’t have a keen eye on what you buy. As we mentioned earlier, vegan bread needs to be free from any animal products. The good news for vegan bread lovers is you can bake your delicious vegan bread.

Let’s look at some simple and healthy dairy-free, eggless, vegan bread recipes. The list includes French bread, gluten-free bread, sourdough bread, and more. These vegan bread recipes are fun to make and even better to relish!

Easy Four Ingredients French Bread Recipe For Food Lovers

This vegan French bread with a fluffy, soft crumb and the slightly golden crust will be your favorite bread to bake and devour. It’s an easy recipe with just four ingredients. Make it fresh and savor it in breakfast lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you will not need all of this)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Take a large bowl and place the yeast in it. Now add the sugar and 1/2 cup lukewarm water to the yeast. The yeast must froth and bubble in about five minutes. This indicates that the yeast is alive.
• Then add remaining 1 cup water and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and stir. Add salt and mix again. Add another 1 1/2 cups of flour and knead for another five minutes. Knead until the dough is slightly sticky but supple and smooth. In case the dough sticks to the bottom of your kneading bowl, add some flour, a tablespoon at a time until you acquire the right consistency.
• Place the dough in oil-coated bowl and lightly turn it over once to coat the fluffy smooth dough with a layer of oil. Cover it with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise for around 40 minutes. The dough will rise to double its initial size.
• Once the dough has risen, knead it lightly on the countertop. Divide it into two parts.
• From each potion form a ball and punch it into a circle about six inches in diameter. From the edge of the circle that’s close to you, roll to make a cylinder. Lastly, press the seams with your fingers.
• Roll each of these cylinders into a rope of about 10-12 inches long with your palms.
• Take a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
• Place the two ropes on the baking sheet, 4-5 inches apart. Sprinkle some flour on the top using a filter.
• Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel and set them aside for an hour until they become puffy and double the size.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Use a steak knife and make three diagonal gashes on both the loaves. Remember to make clean cuts through the loaves and do not saw the blade or your loaf would deflate.
• Now spray the walls of the oven with water and place the bread in the oven.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown.
• Remove the loaves from the oven and wait until they cool completely. Slice them evenly and munch on!

Herb And Seed Tear And Share Monkey Bread

Are you throwing up a party over the weekend? Looking for a lovely vegan bread recipe that pleases your guests? Here is a classic vegan bread recipe that would serve as perfect for the occasion. It is a soft and fluffy bread with a crisp crust outside. The herb and seed tear and share bread is an ideal food if you want to treat yourself and your dear ones. You’ll be glad you did try this one out. Check the recipe of this vegan bread below.

Ingredients

• 265 ml lukewarm water
• 7 g active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons flaked almonds

Instructions

• Take a large bowl and mix the water, yeast, and sugar. Leave it for about 5 minutes until the water bubbles.
• Add olive oil, flour, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Remember to add little flour at a time until the dough achieves the desired consistency. You must have a soft dough that comes together and isn’t too sticky.
• Now knead the dough on the countertop for 10 minutes. Then place it in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film. Set aside for an hour and allow the dough to rise until the size is doubled.
• Once the dough has risen, punch the dough to deflate it and roll into small balls. Lightly dampen each ball and coat it differently in each topping. Set all the balls aside in a non-stick bundt tin.
• Now cover them with cling film and allow the dough to rise for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Bake the break for 35-40 minutes, and allow it to cool inside the bundt tin for about 20-30 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack for complete cooling. Serve fresh on the same day you make it! It tastes yummylicious!

RECIPE NOTES:

• You may store the herb and seed bread in a sealed container for 3-4 days, but it tastes best when served fresh (on the same day you make it).

Gluten-Free Vegan Teff Oat Rolls

Planning for the best dinner gathering? Your food should have a little for every guest. With the rising popularity of wheat-less diet, your gluten-free, vegan bread will come as a delight. These Gluten-Free Vegan Teff Oat Rolls will look great on your dinner table. These rolls are moist, soft, and tasty. It’s not hard to find flours to make your gluten-free, vegan bread. You can use home processed oat flour or Teff flour. The flaxseeds and chia seeds act as a binder in the preparation. The psyllium husk was added to keep the bread moist and avoid crumbling.

Happy gluten-free, vegan baking!

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons ground chia seed
• 1 tablespoon ground psyllium husk

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup Maskal Ivory Teff or Brown Teff flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a baking sheet and line it with oil or parchment paper and keep aside.
• Take a small bowl, add warm water and maple syrup and stir until syrup is completely dissolved.
• Add yeast to the water and sweetener mixture. In a few minutes, you’ll notice bubbles rise in the mixture. This indicates the activation of the yeast. Let it sit for another 10 minutes.
• Add all the flours, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix till combines and keep aside.
• In the yeast mix, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, ground flaxseed, chia seed, and psyllium husk. Stir well and let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the mixture turns into a thick slurry.
• Now add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. You can also do this procedure in a mixer with a paddle attachment.
• Continue mixing the dough till the dry ingredients are well incorporated into the wet ones. The dough will be stickier than that of the traditional wheat bread dough. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes before rolling out into balls.
• Now form 10 rolls out of the dough and place them on the baking sheet. Decorate your rolls by making a sharp cut in the middle of the rolls. You may shape the roll the way you like for a fun experience.
• Take a clean dish towel and cover the rolls. Put the dish in a warm place to rise. It should take about 20-25 minutes.
• Uncover the baking tray and place it in the preheated oven. Bake, the rolls for 30 minutes or until the bottoms of the rolls, have turned brown and rolls are solid.
• Cool the rolls over the wire rack and enjoy with your favorite jam.
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. You can eat it for 2-3 days.

Recipe Notes:

• You can use homemade oat flour too. Process rolled oats finely in your food processor. Voila! It’s easy and cheap too!
• The water should be lukewarm else it will kill the active yeast. You can check the water at the underside of your wrist.

Moroccan Bread – Khobz Kesra

The Moroccan Bread – Khobz Kesra is a hearty, delicious, and versatile for every bread lover. This traditional recipe is the staple food for most North Africans. You can dunk it into any spicy soup or eat it with the aromatic vegetable tagine.

Traditionally this bread is baked with anise seeds, but you can substitute it with caraway seeds, thyme, wheat germ, sesame seeds, rosemary, or nigella seeds. See how versatile this Moroccan bread is!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 cups semolina flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons of any seeds, spices, or herbs of your choice (a few options are listed in the description above)

Instructions

• Take a bowl; whisk the dry yeast into the lukewarm water. The water temperature should not be greater than 105°F. Add in the olive oil and set the mixture aside.
• In another bowl combine the wheat flour and semolina flour. Add salt to it and mix. Add the flour mix to the processes and blend to a smooth dough with the activated yeast mixture. You must have a smooth and non-sticky dough. Make sure it’s not too tough.
• Coat the dough with a little olive oil and knead slightly over the countertop. Divide it into quarters and roll each quarter into a ball for 5-inch diameter loaves each. Add the herbs and spices of your choice and keep the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Lightly dust the countertop with flour and flatten out the dough balls into discs trying to maintain the circular shape.
• Place them on the baking sheets, add the topping (optional) and press the toppings a little so that they stick to the dough.
• Cover the discs with a hand towel and keep aside to rise for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Then, bake the bread for 20-25 minutes or until the bread is slightly golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes and serve fresh.

Recipe Notes

• You can freeze the bread and reuse them whenever required. Remove from freezer, thaw for 2 hours and reheat if desired before serving.
• If you prefer softer bread than a crusty one, cover the bread with a dish towel when you remove it from the oven. Let the bread cool entirely under the sheet.

Gluten-Free Multigrain Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This is another gluten-free, vegan bread recipe. This bread is truly a gift for gluten, sensitive people. It has a burst of flavors and tastes delicious. The sourdough bread is easy to bake and healthy to eat. Let’s check out the recipe of this delightful, mouth-watering sandwich bread here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free sourdough starter
• 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar (or maple syrup or any sugar)
• 2 tablespoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (almond milk or coconut milk)
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1 1/2 cups millet flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Oats for sprinkling on top (optional)

Instructions

• Take a bowl and whisk together milk and apple cider vinegar.
• In a large bowl place the sourdough starter, add sugar, warm water, and the vinegar milk mixture to it. Mix till all the ingredients combine well.
• Add all the flours and xanthum gum in the same bowl one by one and knead into smooth, tacky dough. If your dough looks dry, drizzle some more water and continue kneading.
• Add olive oil and knead again for a couple of minutes. Dust the countertop with some flour and knead the dough slightly there. Now shape into a loaf. The dough should be tacky but not too sticky.
• Grease a baking tray or a loaf pan with cooking oil. Place the loaf on the tray and sprinkle with oats if using. Cover with a dish towel and set aside for 10 hours or overnight in a warm place.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees before 30 minutes of baking. Then bake the bread in the oven for around 30-35 minutes.
• Then turn the heat to 450 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
• Remove the loaf pan to a wire rack and cool it until you’re able to handle. The bread should unmold easily. In case you find it challenging to unmold run a knife along the sides of the pan to help it along. Once completely cool slice and serve the bread.

Ways To Savor Your Vegan Bread

Now that you know how to bake the most delectable vegan breads, it’s time for us to share what you can do with these loaves. Have it with vegan butter? Or eat the breads with you stew?

There’s more to it. Here are some ideas:

• The combinations of crusty bread and stew or soup are a match made in heaven.
• You can use the vegan bread to make an avocado toast or pile it up with any other topping of your choice.
• Use the bread as a pizza base and enjoy it with loads of cheese, marinara, and veggies.
• French bread can be used to make delicious French toasts.
• Make different kinds of sandwiches for your lunch box.
• You can also make bead appetizers like garlic bread, bruschetta, crostini, etc.
• Enjoy it with your favorite jam or fruit stew.

These bread will surely make you drool. Go ahead and try them out.
What’s your go-to vegan bread recipe?

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is vegan bread healthy?
There are endless ways of eating a healthy vegan diet. The health-conscious people like to cut out on all the processed foods, including bread from their diet. They opt for rice, beans, and potatoes instead. But, that doesn’t mean eating bread cannot be a healthy option.
Try vegan bread with healthy ingredients. We suggest you eat whole grain bread instead of the traditional white toast when you want to savor a bread-y meal.

2. Is yeast vegan?
Yeast is a type of fungus that’s very prevalent in our surroundings. There are many bread products leavened with yeast in it. So this question stands fair for many people turning vegan. Yeast has no central nervous system, and there is no scientific evidence to prove that it has any sentience.
Thus, we can categorize yeast to be vegan and not an animal-based product. It’s perfect for baking the best vegan bread.

3. Can vegan bread be keto-friendly?
A keto diet is a low carb, high-fat diet. Finding a perfect keto-vegan bread recipe can be a challenge for most vegans. Traditionally low carb keto bread contains many eggs to bake it. Substituting eggs for a non-animal derived product is surprisingly difficult.
However, there are a few options for grain-less vegan keto bread that can be baked at home. No grain, no pain!

4. Is Ezekiel bread vegan and gluten-free?
Ezekiel bread is made from sprouted wheat grains, thus cannot be classified as gluten-free. However, it is a vegan bread brand that is less processed and more nutritious compared to traditional bread.

5. Is gluten-free for vegans?
Gluten-free and vegan diets are two very different diets. A gluten-free diet excludes the use of any ingredient containing the protein gluten (wheat, barley, and rye). However, a vegan diet excludes an animal-derived product and can contain plant-based gluten.
Some foods can be gluten-free and vegan at the same time – quinoa, brown rice, nuts and seeds, fruits, baked beans, and legumes, to name a few.

6. What type of bread is gluten-free?
The bread brands that contain ingredients such as millet, buckwheat, potato flour, bean flour, quinoa, or amaranth can be labeled as gluten-free. Few types of bread can be a combination of these ingredients.

We have rounded up all the things you need to know about vegan bread above. Do let us know which is your favorite vegan bread brand? Or do you love to bake your delicious vegan bread?

Drop-in your comments in the text box below.
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