[VIDEO] I Cannot Believe It’s 2 Ingredients NO Yeast Shortcut Pretzel (with Easy Cheese Sauce Recipe) (2024)

I am 100% sure that you can make this 2 Ingredients No Yeast Shortcut Pretzel. No yeast means no proofing, no kneading and best of all you can have it in about 1 hour, even less. This shortcut pretzel is super easy and fun to make. It has a chewy texture and tangy taste from the yogurt, wait till you dip it in my easy homemade cheese sauce, or in my homemade jam. They are both oh so good! Salty or sweet, the choice is yours.

I have never imagined that one day I will be combing supermarkets and groceries just to find yeast. Who would have thought that yeast will run out of stock, I guess that is what most of is facing right now. I love baking bread, but with only few yeast left, I had been trying to use it as wisely as possible. This is not the time to test recipes that uses yeast. I used my yeast wisely and I had prioritized the recipe that I could use it for. I used it mostly for recipes that had been tested which only needs facelift in photography. That way, I am already sure that the finish product is guaranteed successful. So with the limited yeast I have, I decided to explore options on how to make no yeast bread.

What is 2 Ingredients Bread?

People are going crazy over this 2 ingredients bread without yeast. The main bread dough was made using self-rising flour and plain Greek yogurt, all the other ingredients such as the salt for sprinkling and the egg wash are totally optional. You can use the bread dough as is to make the Pretzel. You can even add other toppings like grated cheese, or roll the baked pretzel in cinnamon sugar. There are several options that you can do to turn this simple pretzel in a more interesting and delicious variation. So how does it work if there is no leavening agent in the recipe? Well, there is actually a leavening agent, but it is already mixed in the self-rising flour. Self-rising flour is made from low protein wheat. This flour have baking powder and salt added to it during the milling process, this is way it is called “self-rising” because you do not need to add a leavening agent to make the baked goods rise, it has already been added in the flour itself. Now, let us talk about the yogurt. Yogurt replaces a lot of ingredients in traditional bread. It replaces the egg and milk or water. Yogurt is basically is produced from fermented milk, so there goes your milk component. Although greek yogurt are thicker and have lower water content, it still have a lot of moisture that replaces the liquid when making bread.

The Texture to Expect From This Shortcut Pretzel

Bear in mind though that you will NOT get the same bread texture that uses the common bread ingredients. The texture will be different, the taste will be different. This is as good as it gets as a substitute when you do not have yeast or you have a very minimal ingredients. It may not be the perfect pretzel texture that we are all used to, but it could pass as a shortcut pretzel. Expect a thinner and chewy pretzel. This is not going to be as dense or soft like the traditional pretzel and definitely not thick since it will not rise as much. This is more like a thin sour dough pretzel, you can taste the tangy taste of the yogurt like a fermented bread. This is not going to be like the dinner rolls with soft and fluffy texture that we all love. If you like the traditional soft and fluffy bread, I have a compilation of the 11 of my homemade bread all with video, check it HERE.

Why You Should Make This NO Yeast Shortcut Pretzel

• You want a shortcut pretzel recipe that skips the use of yeast
• You want to make pretzel but you do not have yeast
• You have yeast but is scared of making yeast bread
• You want a quick recipe, no long wait to have the pretzel
• Super easy, no mixer needed 2 ingredients only (or 3 if making your own self rising flour) not counting the optional ingredients (like toppings and egg wash)
• The dough is very versatile, you can use it to make bread rolls, pizza, bagel, flatbread and more! There’s a lot of room to be creative with this dough

Ingredients for NO Yeast Shortcut Pretzel

Just like how I dissect the ingredients for my No Yeast Sandwich Bread and No Yeast Pizza, No Yeast Bread Rolls and No Yeast Shortcut Bagel I am also going to do the same for this post. To better understand how this recipe works, we have to understand the ingredients. Plus, I would like to teach you how to blend one of the main ingredients for this recipe. Let’s put our nerd glasses on and let the class begins. Here is the 2 main ingredients to make the bagel dough.

• Self-Rising Flour – You can buy self rising flour in the same area as all-purpose flour. Self rising flour has lower protein content as compared to all-purpose flour or bread flour. It makes a fluffier bread because it already contains baking powder and salt in it. This skips the addition of baking powder and salt in the recipe. If you do not have self rising flour, you can make your own blend by just mixing cake flour, all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Scroll down below to see how to make the mix.
• Plain Greek Yogurt – Plain Greek yogurt is simply plain yogurt that has been further drain to remove the water. This extra process is what makes Greek yogurt thicker than regular yogurt. This basically replaces the egg and milk in traditional yeast bread making.

How to Make NO Yeast Shortcut Pretzel

It can never get easier than this. Ready? Ok, begin by mixing the self rising flour with the yogurt. Mix until it forms into a dough. Gather the dough, but do not knead to much. You just want it to come together. Divide the dough into 3 portions, and form into a rope with a length of 24-inch, shape into pretzel. Refer to the video on how to do this. Once you have each shape into a pretzel, time to dip it into the baking soda solution. This is simply water with baking soda. This process is what gives a nice browning and chewy texture to the pretzel. A lot of recipe suggest at least 30 seconds but when I tried it, the pretzel starts to disintegrate and deformed as it gets soft. So what works for me is just to dip it really quick, about 1-2 seconds and that’s it. The idea is to have the pretzel coated with that baking soda water.

What Does a Baking Soda Bath do for Pretzels?

The baking soda bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel to prevent it from fully puffing/rising during baking which normally happens to regular bread. It also gives the pretzel their signature chewy crust and nice browning. It also gives them their unique and indelible “pretzel” flavor

Can I Skip the Baking Soda Step?

Yes you can. Simply brush the top with egg wash to still get the nice browning, then sprinkle coarse salt on top.

How to Make a Blend of Self-Rising Flour

If you do not have self rising flour but you have cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt then that’s all you need to make your own self rising flour. Here’s how:

To Make 1 cup Self-Rising Flour:

OPTION 1: This makes a softer bread because of the addition of cake flour

Mix 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour + 1/3 cup cake flour + 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/3 teaspoon Salt

OPTION 2:

1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/3 teaspoon salt

Can I Use Regular Plain Yogurt?

You could but that would require adjustment in the amount of self rising flour. Regular yogurt have more liquid and this will make the dough more wet and sticky. You have to keep on adding a little bit more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

If you want to use plain regular yogurt. drain the excess water from the plain yogurt using a muslin or cheese cloth. Leave it overnight in the refrigerator to let the extra water drip. Have a large bowl, place a sieve on top, put the muslin or cheese cloth then pour the yogurt. Cover and leave overnight to allow the extra water to drip.

Why Is My Bread Too Wet?

Because this No yeast yogurt bread uses a lot of yogurt the texture of the bread will be dense, heavy and moist. But if your bread turn out to be quite sticky and wet, here are possible reasons:

• The yogurt used could have more water or liquid in it. Some Greek yogurt tends to be lighter while other tends to be thicker. Add a little bit more flour but not too much as it could make the bread tough and dense. Add 1 tablespoon at a time and gather the dough.

What Else Can I Use This Dough?

This dough is very versatile, you can use this to make sandwich bread, bagel, pizza, flatbread, bread roll and a lot more. Since the dough is quite heavy and dense, I find that they make great bagels, pretzels and flatbread. Give it a try.

How to Serve This Pretzel: Cheese Sauce or Jam

2 things: cheese sauce and Strawberry or Raspberry jam, what could be better? I love both this option, as the cheese sauce gave a salty take on the pretzel and the jam gave the sweet side. Salty and sweet, well for me match made in heaven. The choice is yours, which one do you like? Let me know in the comments below, I would like to hear your thoughts.

Pretzel Variations:

• Cheddar Pretzel – Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel – Roll the pretzel on cinnamon sugar
• Sesame Pretzel – Sprinkle some sesame seed on top

Tips in Making NO Yeast Shortcut Pretzel

1. Do not stir the Greek yogurt, if you can remove the excess water, do so. The thicker the consistency, the better.
2. Do not knead the dough too much as two dough will get too sticky. The more you knead the dough, the more the flour absorbs the moisture from the yogurt. This could result to a wet dough and you will have to add more flour. Plus, over kneading could make it extra dense, as it is, the bread is already quit compact and heavy.
3. Avoid adding too much flour as it could result to a dense tough bread. This is why it is important to follow up #2
4. The dough will look crumbly and dry at first, just keep on mixing do not add more yogurt. It will eventually come together
5. Do not use electric mixer. It is better to do it manually so you can avoid over mixing and you can feel the texture of the dough

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

Optional Ingredients:

• Eggwash (1 Egg _ 1 teaspoon water)
• Coarse Salt for sprinkling on top

Cheese Dip

• 1/2 cup Full fat Milk
• 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese – grated
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch

Jam

• [VIDEO] How To Make Fresh Strawberry Sauce/Filling
• Small Batch Strawberry Jam (No Preservative Added)
• Small Batch Raspberry Chia Jam

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
2. In a bowl, transfer the self-rising flour followed by the plain greek yogurt. Using a sturdy spoon, mix until it starts to come together then use your hands to further gather the mixture to form into a dough. Transfer in a floured surface and lightly gather then divide into 4 portions. Shape each piece into a ball the slightly flatten it.
3. Shape the Pretzel: Divide the dough into 3 portions. Shape each portion into a rope about 24–inch long. Lay the dough in the shape of ‘U’, then twist once and. ..
4. Baking Soda Solution: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil then add 2 tablespoon baking soda. Let cool to the temperature that is warm enough for your hands to touch, or you can use a slotted spoon to help lower and remove the pretzel. QUICKLY dip each pretzels about 1-2 seconds. If you leave it longer, the dough will start to loose it forms as it will start to “melt”. So make sure to be quick in dipping it. Transfer in a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Brush top with egg wash (optional): Beat the egg and add 1 teaspoon water. Brush each pretzels with egg wash then sprinkle top with coarse salt.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through baking. Remove from the oven.
7. Butter: Brush top with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven
8. Let cool slightly before serving. Cooling will enhance the texture of the bread, so this is a MUST.

Makes 3 Pretzels (can be made into 4 smaller pieces)

Storage:

Since this uses a lot of yogurt, it is best to keep the bread refrigerated. Have it toasted when ready to eat.

Looking for more homemade bread recipes? I got you covered! I have here 10 of my favorite homemade bread recipes, all with VIDEO or MORE bread recipes HERE

Featured Posts:

• [VIDEO] NO Yeast Sandwich Bread
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• [VIDEO] NO Yeast Pizza
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• [VIDEO] NO Yeast Pretzel

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