This Gluten Free Buckwheat Olive Oil Quick Bread is no knead, easy to make and ready in 35 minutes. Made with buckwheat flour and tapioca flour, the bread has a soft and fluffy texture. Plus, extra virgin olive oil keeps the bread moist and adds a boost of nutrients.
Although this is a savory buckwheat bread, you can enjoy it with sweet or savory toppings. I love the bread with nut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. You can also serve it with eggs or avocado for a satisfying breakfast, or use it to make a healthy sandwich.
No yeast quick bread
Quick breads like this one are made without yeast. They don’t require any kneading or leavening time. That is why they are fast to make. All you have to do is mix the batter, pour it into a tin and bake it in the oven.
I keep this quick bread gluten free by using a combination of buckwheat flour and tapioca flour. Buckwheat flour is a high-protein, wholesome ingredient that I love to use in heathy baking recipes. However, it can be heavy in texture so I combine it with tapioca flour in this recipe to keep the bread light and fluffy.
What do quick breads use instead of yeast?
Instead of yeast, quick breads use baking powder or baking soda to make the bread rise. Baking soda, also known as bicarbonate of soda, needs to be combined with an acidic ingredient like yogurt or vinegar for it to activate and work as a raising agent. Baking powder, on the other hand, already has an acid added to it so it works as a raising agent alone. The trade off is that baking powder is weaker than baking soda, so you need to add a lot more of it.
In this buckwheat quick bread recipe, I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda. If I only used baking powder, I would need a large amount to lift the bread. So I also add some baking soda, which is activated by the acidity of the yogurt.
What do eggs do in this buckwheat olive oil quick bread?
Eggs give this buckwheat olive oil quick bread some structure, helping to hold everything together. They are also particularly useful in gluten-free quick breads, where you don’t have the benefit of gluten to help bind the dough. The eggs also add additional protein and nutrients.
I use four eggs in this buckwheat bread. Don’t worry though, the bread doesn’t taste eggy. The flavor of the extra virgin olive oil and subtle earthiness of the buckwheat flour shines through.
Ingredients for gluten free buckwheat olive oil quick bread
- Buckwheat flour: Buckwheat flour keeps this quick bread gluten free. You can buy buckwheat flour at most supermarkets these days, online or at health food stores.
- Tapioca flour: Also known as tapioca starch, tapioca flour is gluten free and blends with the buckwheat flour to keep the bread light and fluffy. You can also buy it at most supermarkets or online.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, since the flavor of the olive oil comes through in the bread. It also provides good fats and antioxidants. To help preserve the health benefits, the bread is baked at a temperature below the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil.
- Eggs: Eggs bind the bread and hold everything together, since there is no gluten in the buckwheat flour and tapioca flour to bind the dough.
- Plain yogurt: The acidity of plain yogurt activates the baking soda to make the bread rise. Plain Greek or natural yogurt are best. You can’t taste the yogurt in the bread.
- Baking powder: Baking powder helps the bread rise, in conjunction with the baking soda.
- Baking soda: Also known as bicarbonate of soda or bi carb soda, the baking soda reacts with the acidity of the yogurt to give the bread extra lift.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the bread. I use finely ground sea salt, but any salt will work.
More buckwheat flour baking recipes
- Almond Olive Oil Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten Free Apple Cake with Buckwheat Flour
- Buckwheat Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread without Dairy
- Buckwheat Zucchini Muffins
Check out the Baking Recipes page for more ideas.
Gluten Free Buckwheat Olive Oil Quick Bread Recipe
Serves
16 slices
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 120 g buckwheat flour (best to weigh in grams, see Note 1)
- 1/2 cup / 60 g tapioca flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml / 140 g plain yogurt (see Note 2)
- 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 73 g extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Preheat your oven to 160°C fan-forced / 180°C / 350°F and line a 4 x 8 inch / 10 x 20 cm loaf tin with baking paper.
- Mix the buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
- Crack the eggs into the well. Whisk them with a fork to combine the yolks and whites. Add the yogurt and whisk it into the eggs. Then whisk the olive oil into the egg and yogurt mixture, without incorporating the dry ingredients.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is just combined. Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Lift the loaf out of the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Slice the bread with a serrated knife for easy cutting.
Notes
- Measuring your flour – I highly recommend weighing the buckwheat flour and tapioca flour in grams on a food scale for best results. This is because cup measures can be inconsistent depending on how you pack the flour, often resulting in too much flour and dry bread.
- Yogurt – You can use fat free, low fat or full fat Greek or natural yogurt. It should be plain, not flavored, since the acidity of plain yogurt reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise.
- Storage – The bread is best on the day of baking. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or frozen. It will start to dry out in the fridge, so I prefer to freeze it in slices, then defrost them from frozen in the microwave or oven as needed.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 slice (made with 0.5% fat Greek yogurt)
- Energy: 102 Calories / 426 Kilojoules
- Total Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Total Carbohydrate: 9.2 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
- Sugars: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Potassium: 15 mg
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’ve been looking for a simple, easy, gluten free bread for months, and yours is the first recipe I’ve found that actually turned out good. My bread looks different, a dark brown, perhaps due to my using a whole grain buckwheat flour, but it’s delicious.
I’ve made so many recipes that were complete flops. A couple, I decided, after they turned out so bad, had left out key ingredients! Once again, thank you.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I used light buckwheat flour made from hulled buckwheat, but great to hear that whole grain buckwheat flour also worked out well 🙂
Hi! We are dairy free, do you think this would work with Culina’s plain coconut yogurt?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tested the recipe with coconut yogurt but it should work if the yogurt is acidic (the acidity reacts with the baking soda to make the bread rise). I just had a look at Culina’s website and it says the plain one is ‘tangy’, so it seems like it would work. Let me know if you try it out! 🙂
Lilian – this was the best gluten free bread i’ve made, and i’ve made a LOT. mine is a dark buckwheat flour so it looked like a rye type of bread. it’s great to have 5 grams of protein in one piece with the yogurt and eggs. so good toasted with avocado. thanks so much for introducing me to my new fave <3
Thanks Lisa, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I love to eat it with avocado too 🙂
I just found your site and am so excited to try your recipes! Do you know if this bread freezes well? Thank you for all the amazing gluten free yeast free options!!!
Thank you! The bread does freeze well – I actually always freeze it to keep it fresh. I freeze it in slices separated by some baking paper, then you can defrost as many slices as you need in the microwave or oven.