Easy Crusty Vegan Bread Recipe
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Crusty homemade and super easy Vegan bread recipe (+ Video) with only 3 ingredients: flour, water and instant yeast. Plant based, no knead, no fancy equipment needed, and we won’t be using any oil at all. Truth be told this is really my Italian pizza dough recipe in loaf form.
The best plant based vegan bread recipe ever!
Easier than making a ciabatta, this is for when you want your house to smell like a French or Italian bakery on a cold December day with minimal effort. It’s as easy as mixing three ingredients together in a large bowl, shaping a loaf and baking it.
There’s nothing else like the comforting sound of crackling crispy crust being torn over a steaming bowl of soup. This artisan bread loaf is also wonderful with this broccoli potato soup, or used for bruschetta, sandwiches and casseroles, for making bread crumbs, French toast, cheesy garlic bread and even Thanksgiving bread stuffing.
Am I right, or am I right…?!
By all means, feel free to chop up some fresh rosemary or black olives to add to your dough and give it that artisan Tuscan flair. You’ll still be under 5 ingredients, like a boss!
This vegan bread recipe is:
- Quick & Easy
- From Scratch
- Egg & Oil-Free
- Perfect for Sandwiches
- Crackling Crust
- Big Holes + Soft Center
- Dairy-Free
- Simply the Best!
The Secret to Making Crusty Bread
- a preheated pizza stone or cast iron dutch oven with a lid.
- a blasting hot oven.
- a tray of water to create steam <—crucial!
- allow the loaf to cool off in the oven or on its side on a cooling rack.
TIP: If you don’t have a pizza stone you can still bake your bread inside a cast iron skillet or dutch oven (lined with parchment paper) with the lid on instead.
FAQ
- Is Bread Vegan or Not? Yes it is, as long as you don’t add any animal products into the mix!
- Can I make bread without yeast? Yes you can but it will have to be a flatbread like this quinoa or potato flatbread.
- What to do with stale bread? So you forgot you made fresh crusty bread and now you have a stale loaf instead? No problem! it’s a sign from above that you must hurry and make Panzanella + a big pot of this Italian Bread Soup / Pappa al Pomodoro right away.
How to Store It
If you happen to not eat this loaf in the same day just store it on the kitchen counter in a bread box or a reusable bag for a couple of days.
What to Serve With
My favorite way to enjoy bread is fresh out of the oven, grilled for panzanella, dunked in this vegan zuppa Toscana, unstuffed cabbage roll soup, chunky potato soup, roasted butternut squash soup, chickpea salad sandwich and next to grandpa’s tomato cucumber salad + vegan ribs.
how to make homemade crusty bread
Easy Crusty Vegan Bread
Ingredients
- 3.25 cups all purpose flour + more for sprinkling (organic non-gmo)
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add the all purpose flour, yeast and sea salt to a large mixing bowl or your kitchen aid mixer. Mix in the water and stir well until incorporated. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. ( you may leave it overnight as well but it is not necessary )3.25 cups all purpose flour, 1.5 cups warm water, 2 tsp instant dry yeast, 1.5 tsp sea salt
- After about 2 hours check the dough and you should notice the surface dotted with bubbles. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle it with a little flour. Shape it into a round loaf by folding it over on itself a few times. NO KNEADING Allowed!
- Meanwhile preheat your oven to 450"F with a pizza stone inside. I If you don't have a pizza stone preheat a cast iron dutch oven with the lid on instead). Place a baking dish with a couple of inches of water in it on the bottom rack to help create steam inside the oven for a crispy crust.
- Sprinkle a pizza peel or a cardboard box with some flour and place the bread loaf on top. Allow it to rest for 45 minutes while the oven warms up. Using a serrated knife make a few slits on top of the loaf.
- Sprinkle the pizza stone with a little bit of the semolina flour then gently slide the bread dough onto it just like you would do with a pizza. Cook for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool down before slicing. For an even crispier crust allow to bread to cool inside of the oven with the door slightly open.
Video
Notes
- No pizza stone? No problem, you can still bake the bread inside a preheated cast iron skillet or a dutch oven with a lid on instead (line with parchment paper but do not preheat the paper with the dutch oven). If using this method you won't need a tray of water to create steam as the lid will trap the steam inside the pot).
- Can I make bread without yeast? Yes you can but it will have to be a flatbread like this quinoa or potato flatbread.
Nutrition
Novice vegan and yeast bread maker. I didn’t think this recipe was going to do well, as the dough didn’t rise as expected. I live at a high altitude in the US, and my kitchen temperature was 65F. I baked it anyway, using a Dutch oven. It came out pale, but still crusty, and tasted real good with the Garlic Rosemary vegan butter I made to go with it (since I forgot to add the garlic and fresh rosemary in with the flour, salt, and yeast). I’ll use a pizza stone next time to make it more visually appealing. This will go great with the vegan soup and stew recipes I’ve found. Thank you!
Hi Cynthia, I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread. If your room temperature was 65″F I would definitely let it rise longer in a super cozy spot out of the way of any draft, I’d even consider placing the dough in between some cozy pillows to keep it warm. I’ve had reports from people baking this bread at higher altitudes and they increased the baking time by 20 to even 30 minutes, it will take a little experimenting on that front. Let me know if you try again ~ Florentina Xo’s
Hello!
Can I mix seeds into this loaf? I was thinking chia, hemp, and flax, and maybe top it with pumpkin seeds… do you think that would work? If so, what quantity do you recommend?
Thank you!
Hi Clemence, seeds would be nice here, I’d start with a 1/2 cup mix of your favorite seeds and make notes for future baking so you can adjust as desired. Enjoy! ~Florentina
I hadn’t made bread in sooo many years and I was surpised how incredibly wonderful it came out! It reminded me of the fresh bread right from the bakery when I wa in France. It’s INCREDIBLE! We ate it right up!!
So today I’m going to try again, but this time I’m going to mix in some whole wheat flour (organic) and some gluten free baking flour because I do try to stay away from wheat…. unless its imported (Europe doesn’t allow the terrible pesticides that the US does). Thanks for this great recipe!! oxox
You know you can buy organic flour in the US, right?
I made it with wholemeal in the Dutch oven and it’s by far the best bread I’ve ever made! Thank you! It took some wrangling to fit the Dutch oven into my bench top oven, but it was well worth it. My hand-me-down bread machine finally gave up the ghost so I’ve been experimenting but this will be my go to now 😁
Since I try to avoid wheat unless it’s imported (Europe doesn’t allow the horrible pesticides that the US does), I’m going to mix in some organic whole wheat flour and gluten-free baking flour this time. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi Rupert, let me know how the substitutions work out for you, I suspect you’d need to cut back on the water ratio some, let me know ~ Florentina Xo’s
Since I do my best to avoid wheat, I’m going to try again today, but this time I’ll include some organic whole wheat flour and gluten-free baking flour.
This time, I’ll add gluten-free baking flour and organic whole wheat flour. I appreciate you sharing this fantastic recipe!
Wow, this is such a great recipe for anyone looking to make vegan bread at home! I followed it step by step, and the result was exactly like the picture—crispy, golden crust with a soft, airy interior. I also love that it doesn’t require any complicated ingredients or special equipment. This is definitely going into my weekly baking rotation!
The bread looks amazing! Love that it’s vegan and still has such a nice crust.
Hi Everyone,
I have never done a review on any recipes that I have tried…. but this bread was amazing!
It was delicious and it is definitely the easiest and best tasting bread that i have made hands down. it will be a regular in my kitchen from now on!
thank you for the recipe!
I followed the recipe perfectly, and the outcome was a crispy, golden exterior with a light, airy center. I also adore that it doesn’t require any special equipment or complex ingredients.
I make it for the family as a crusty bread, everyone loves it! It is very flexible and almost foolproof! I enjoy it plain but when I have time I add a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of nutmeg, about a quarter cup of ground walnuts, and or flax seeds. It has always turned out perfect, even when my yeast was dead, it made excellent focaccia bread!
Thanks its a good and yummy recipe!
This time, I’ll add gluten-free baking flour and organic whole wheat flour. I appreciate you sharing this fantastic recipe!