About This Recipe

What is Batter Bread?

I have found “batter bread” to mean many different things, depending on who is being asked. For the purposes of this recipe, batter bread is a type of bread made of simple ingredients through a simple, no-knead process. A batter is mixed, left to rise, and then baked. Extensive kneading or folds are not required because gluten development is not prioritized for the crumb and texture of the final baked product. The end result is a moist and rustic loaf of bread, great for sandwiches or eating on its own!

What I love about this recipe:

This bread is much easier to make than traditional sourdough. It requires three steps: mix, ferment, bake. This recipe results in a loaf that is incredibly moist and slightly sour, which means if you are someone looking for a true sourdough flavor in their bread, this will provide it for you! Best of all, this recipe is fail-safe. It’s the perfect recipe for testing out a new starter, to see if it is ready for more advanced projects. Beginner and experienced sourdough bakers alike will enjoy this loaf!

All the "Why's"

A Butter-Laiden Loaf

I cover my pan and the top of my loaf with butter. The butter not only makes my pan incredibly non-stick, but it adds a rich, decadent flavor to the loaf.

Bread Flour

The purpose of this recipe is to be incredibly simple, yet still yield a delicious end result. For the best results possible, choose a bread flour with a protein content of at least 12%. The higher protein content in the flour will help the gluten come together better, which is important in this recipe because we do not take measures to develop the gluten at all. The small amount of gluten developed from the high-quality flour will help prevent the loaf from collapsing before it fully doubles in size. I use King Arthur Bread Flour in this recipe.

Honey

The small amount of honey acts as food for your starter, speeding up fermentation slightly, which I think can be helpful in a beginner recipe like this one. It does not sweeten the loaf, and can be eliminated if desired.

Starter to Flour Ratio

This recipe includes a large percentage of starter – 50% of the total flour in the recipe! (For comparison, a normal sourdough bread recipe includes only 20% starter.) The large amount of starter means it is not necessary to ferment the dough for long, and it also contributes to a slightly sour flavor in this bread.

Mixing Time

Since we do not take the time to develop gluten in this recipe, mixing is an important step that will help the dough rise to its fullest potential. A longer mix means the dough can more readily hold in air bubbles and rise to double in size without worry of collapsing. After all of the flour is incorporated into the batter, try to mix the dough for a solid three to five minutes for best results. This small consideration, in addition to the right flour, will develop just enough gluten for success.

Fermentation

Gluten and fermentation go together in a normal sourdough bread recipe. But, this recipe (almost) skips the gluten development altogether, meaning fermentation is going to be shorter, since the dough does not have the extensibility to hold in air bubbles or the elasticity to rise up incredibly tall. For this reason, proper fermentation is essential for the perfect batter bread. Stretching this loaf too far will result in an “over-proofed” bread that collapses before it makes it to the oven. Yet, a solid fermentation to double in size will result in an airier, lighter loaf.

(Lack of) Gluten Development

Due to the lack of gluten development, this loaf will not hold in large air bubbles, will not have the ability to hold its own shape, and will not have an oven spring. This bread takes the shape of the pan it is placed in and rises to the top, but cannot hold any more fermentation than this since gluten is not present to keep the loaf from collapsing. This is why the proper sized pan is essential, as the batter (before fermenting) should fill the pan exactly halfway.

Baking Method

This loaf can simply be baked in an open oven without steam or any special equipment, such as a Dutch oven. The loaf itself contains a solid percentage of water, which keeps it moist enough to rise appropriately, though it does not have a large oven spring due to the lack of gluten development.

Suggested Baking Timeline

10 AM

+Butter the loaf pan

+Mix the ingredients

+Bulk ferment the dough

4 PM

+Bake and enjoy! (Just in time for supper!)

FAQs

Can I add inclusions to this loaf?

Of course! There is only one thing to keep in mind: this loaf needs to double in size before baking. Adding inclusions will add volume to the dough, so it may fill more than one loaf pan. With this in mind, feel free to play with any of your favorite flavors! I’ll be coming out with some more variations of this bread in the future as well.

How can I add cinnamon-sugar to the dough?

My recommendation would be to use the swirl method. Pour half of the batter into the pan, top with cinnamon sugar, then swirl it into the loaf with a knife. Repeat with the other half of the batter. Keep in mind that cinnamon slows fermentation. Expect delays, but a delicious end-result.

What if I make this with my new starter and it doesn't rise?

If this happens, it means your starter is not quite ready for bread yet. This loaf should take anywhere from 3-6 hours to ferment, but may take longer with a new starter. If you are approaching 12 hours and the batter has not reached the top of the pan, go ahead and bake it. The longer the loaf ferments, the more sour it will be. You can let it sit even longer, but with a starter that is new and not quite ready, it still may not reach the top of the loaf pan. You can chop the loaf up and make it into croutons! Coat with olive oil, salt, and your favorite seasonings, then bake again at 375 F for 15-20 minutes. You’re welcome!

My loaf over-proofed before it doubled in size. What happened?

This is due to the lack of gluten development in this recipe, which is the same factor that makes this recipe so simple. To prevent this from happening, make sure your flour has sufficient gluten-binding proteins (a protein content of 12% or higher is best) and give the dough a good mix (three to five minutes) before adding it to the loaf pan.

Batter Bread

Recipe by Caitlin VincentCourse: Lunch, Supper, Snack, SideDifficulty: Beginner

Prep time

minutes

Resting Time

3-6

hours

Baking Time

minutes

Yield

loaf

Ingredients

3 tbsp (45 g) butter, divided (2 tbsp [30 g] softened, 1 tbsp [15 g] melted + cooled)
250 g water (1 cup + 1 tbsp)
150 g active starter (2/3 cup)
15 g honey (1 tbsp)
300 g bread flour (2 1/2 cups; I use King Arthur Bread Flour)
5 g salt (1 tsp)

Directions

Butter a 1.5 qt (9X5) loaf pan with 1-2 tbsp softened butter.
Mix all the ingredients, except butter, together in a mixing bowl. Mix for three to five minutes for best results.
Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth out with a spatula. It should fill the loaf pan exactly halfway.
Top with 1 tbsp melted butter; cover.
Ferment: Let the mixture rise until it reaches the top of the loaf pan (approx 3-6 hours at room temperature, depending on your environment).
Bake at 425 F for 25-30 minutes, until internal temp reaches 200 F.
Enjoy!
How to store: Store in a Ziploc bag on the counter for three to five days, or slice and store in the freezer.
To reheat: Toast until warmed through for best results.

Watch the Video

Notes

Since there’s not much gluten development, the dough won’t hold in air bubbles well. Be sure not to underestimate the power of a good mix before the loaf goes into the pan. You may notice some bubbles pop out the top of the loaf as it’s rising. That’s normal! Let the dough rise to double in size anyway.
The pan it’s placed in is its shape holder. You could do this in any pan, as long as the dough is halfway to the top.
If your starter is very new (maybe this is your first bread recipe!), you may notice even slower rise times. If this loaf doesn't rise much at all for you, your starter is not ready. Bake the loaf anyway, let it cool, chop it up into cubes, coat in olive oil; salt; and your favorite seasonings, and bake again at 375 F for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy your new favorite sourdough croutons!