Five Ingredient Vegan Loaf Bread

This homemade vegan loaf bread requires only five ingredients. Soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, it’s a vegan basic!

Is there anything better than the slightly sweet, yeasty smell of home-cooked bread just out of the oven? It’s a fond memory of my grandmother’s country kitchen on the coast of Maine. I loved getting that big, loving hug followed by a fresh piece of bread slathered with her butter.

This 5 ingredient vegan loaf bread is truly so simple to make. It goes together quickly in a stand mixer, but you can also hand-knead it if necessary. Don’t be afraid to try out this super easy vegan loaf bread recipe. Once you do, you’ll rarely go back to store-bought, except maybe in a pinch.

Riann – my daughter and resident vegan baker – has modified that old family homemade bread recipe and converted it perfectly to a vegan loaf bread recipe. Just like my grandmother’s – it’s moist on the inside and crunchy and brown on the outside. Whoever said vegan load bread wasn’t a ‘thing’ has yet to try this recipe before. So, let’s get started.

Why You’ll LOVE this Vegan Loaf Bread Recipe

So many reasons! Here are just a few.

- Only five ingredients! You’ll likely have the staple ingredients in your pantry already. There are no fancy or hard-to-find ingredients here.
- That aroma – There’s nothing better than fresh, homemade bread. Warm, sweet, and a bit yeasty, it ushers in a cozy, homey feeling we all love.
- It’s inexpensive – Bread can be expensive to buy at the grocery store, especially specialty bread. You can make a loaf of Riann’s vegan loaf bread for about 1.75¢.

Vegan Loaf Bread Ingredients and Equipment

Only five staple ingredients!

- Flour – Of course! The flour is the base of your bread. Riann generally uses all-purpose flour enriched and unbleached. She sifts it before mixing it with the other ingredients. Additionally, you can also use gluten-free flour as a one-to-one replacement.
- Sugar – Riann uses organic cane sugar to add a hint of sweetness to her vegan loaf bread
- Yeast – Of course! The yeast is what makes your bread rise. Riann most often uses instant yeast as a time saver. After experimentation, we found active yeast and instant yielded the same results.
- Oil – The oil enhances the bread’s texture, flavor, and moisture.
- Warm water – Helps to activate the yeast AND adds moisture and facilitates a hospitable environment for the dough.
- Stand mixer – These days, I use a Kitchenaid stand mixer. It’s worth the money!

How to Make Five Ingredient Vegan Loaf Bread

You’ll have a gorgeous loaf of vegan bread in no time!

- Mix all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer – This will only take a minute or so.
- Add the warm water and oil – Your bread dough should start taking shape.
- Allow bread to form – Put your mixer on low and let your dough form completely. If the vegan bread dough is sticky to the touch, add more oil. If the vegan dough sticks to the bowl’s side, add more flour.
- Oil the inside of a separate bowl – Anything will do here. Be sure it’s big enough to accommodate the vegan bread dough when it expands and rises.
- Place the dough in the bowl. Rub the oil over the bread dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise to two times the size. This takes about an hour.
- Meantime, oil a bread pan – Riann uses a standard-sized inexpensive bread pan. It’s well-used and
  broken in at this point! LOL!
- Transfer the dough to the bread pan – Your dough should have risen and have an airy consistency. Press out the air and transfer to your bread pan.
- Second rising – Once in the bread pan, Riann lets the dough continue rising for about 5 minutes, just long enough to get some air back into the dough.
- Bake – Bake for forty minutes. At this point, your kitchen will be filled it the sweet, yeasty smell of homemade bread!

Frequently Asked Questions for Vegan Loaf Bread

Questions we’ve all asked ourselves!

- Should I use instant or active yeast? Riann uses active yeast AND instant yeast, depending on what she has on hand. If you use active yeast, you’ll have to add water first, but you can add instant yeast directly to your dry ingredients. Both yield the same results.
- Which bread pan is best? Riann bakes a lot of bread and uses aluminized steel or ceramic. These two options allow your bread to cook evenly without collapsing in the middle or getting too browned on either side or the bottom.
- How can I tell if my bread is cooked in the middle? Like my grandmother, Riann uses a toothpick. Push the toothpick into the top of the bread; if it comes back dry, your bread is fully cooked. If it comes back moist, it’s not! However, I’ve read that some bakers use a thermometer. Whatever works best for you.

Riann’s Vegan Loaf Bread Tips

Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

- The weather can affect your ingredients – Riann and I notice the difference even between our two apartments. Living in a more moist climate, you might need more flour. The vegan bread dough must be sticky but can still be kneaded and formed.
- Oil your hands – This helps if your vegan dough is sticky. However, in a perfect world, your dough will not be sticky and will come out of your mixer without sticking to the side of the mixer.
- The temperature inside your kitchen – If it is cool, it will take longer for your vegan bread dough to rise. Riann sets her dough in a window or warmer room and covers it with a tea towel. You can also turn on your oven for a couple of minutes and then turn it off and put your vegan bread dough there. Anywhere that’s warm.

Serving Suggestions for Vegan Loaf Bread

Bread complements anything. Here are a few of our favorites.

- Baby Beet Green Salad – Our vegan loaf bread complements any salad beautifully. We especially like it with our baby beet green salad.
- Vegan Pesto Pasta – Our vegan pesto pasta pairs wonderfully with our vegan loaf bread. It also works with many of our other pasta dishes.
- Vegan Stuffed Shells – Vegan loaf bread is excellent with our cultured vegan butter.
- Chickpea Sandwich with Avocado, Fresh Dill, and Lemon & Garlic Tahini – Our five-ingredient vegan loaf bread is perfect for sandwiches.
- On toast – This bread is made for toasting! Give it a try!

If you want to try our vegan loaf bread recipe, leave a comment. I’d love to hear how it works out. Enjoy!