When disaster strikes, one of the first things to go is life’s little luxuries, like baked goods. Breads, cakes, and muffins become very difficult—if not impossible—to find or make, whether you’re surviving off the grid or bugging out at home.
Without these familiar comforts, it can be hard to keep up your family's morale. But it doesn't have to be that way.
To beat the troubles that accompany emergencies, we want to share our four favorite emergency bread recipes with you. These delicious loaves are designed to get you through times of scarcity without sacrificing familiar flavors!
Emergency No-Yeast Bread
This recipe comes from the blog Fuss Free Flavours and requires just four easily sourced ingredients:
If you don't have milk—or would like to make a vegan version—you can substitute water and oil. Better yet, you can use powdered milk instead.
The author notes that this recipe is designed to be similar to soda bread:
"My emergency no-yeast bread is a variation on soda bread," she explains. "It is much better as a standby, however, as it uses ordinary milk and baking powder rather than buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda. I much prefer this loaf to soda bread, as I find that soda bread can taste bitter."
This recipe is great if you're in a rush; it requires minimal kneading, and you don't need to wait for the dough to rise before baking.
It can also be frozen and saved for later, then toasted.
This recipe has provided an easy way for thousands of readers to put delicious home-baked bread on the table without wasting hours and dozens of ingredients. We hope you'll give it a try, now or when crisis comes!
Two-Ingredient Emergency Bread
Yes, you read that right!
This next recipe on our list is from the Kirbie's Cravings blog and needs just two ingredients:
- Self-rising flour
- Soda or sparkling juice
This super-simple recipe can be made with nearly any carbonated beverage other than soda water. The author notes that she has successfully used a variety of options including "cola, ginger ale, and sparkling apple juice", so this recipe is a versatile option.
She also explains, "The bread flavor and color will vary depending on the soda you choose. I don’t recommend using carbonated water. While it will technically work, the bread crust is floury and the bread doesn’t have any flavor. My favorite versions were sparkling apple juice and ginger ale."
This bread could not be simpler to make. Just mix the two ingredients and bake! Once complete, the bread should have a nice crust and soft interior. The author recommends eating it with butter, jam or another spread, or as a sandwich.
Depression-Era Bread
This depression-era bread recipe from the Busy Mommy Media blog only requires three ingredients—in addition to water—to whip up:
If you’re baking on a budget, this is one of the most cost-effective options on our list of emergency bread recipes! The author notes that she was able to make seven loaves of bread for just $2.50 at the time of publication.
[Related Read: How to Make and Preserve Your Own Yeast]
In terms of flavor, this bread pairs well with soups and stews. The author explains, "The bread was really good. It was more of a rustic type of bread, kind of like French bread, and worked well with hot foods. My family really enjoyed this bread. I gave several of the loaves away as gifts and they were a huge hit. What a neat inexpensive gift. They all raved about it as well."
Sounds like a winner to us!
Emergency Essentials Honey Wheat Bread
We couldn't make a list of emergency bread recipes without adding our own entry.
Our Honey Wheat Bread mix is easy to prepare; all you need is water and heat. And with a shelf life up to 25 years, this everyday staple is a game changer in tough times.
The preparation couldn’t be easier, either. Simply measure the mix, add water, knead, let sit for roughly 30 minutes, then bake for about 25 minutes.
Your whole family will be enjoying hot, fresh bread in no time—and with no hassle!
Our Honey Wheat Bread also packs a punch when it comes to fortifying your family's emergency food storage. One large can contains 36 total servings and 5,768 total calories. Just the kind of comforting fuel your body craves in crisis.
[Related Read: Why Your Emergency Kit Might Be Missing the Most Important Thing: Comfort Food]
What If I Can’t Use My Oven?
In times of emergency, finding ingredients and disaster-friendly recipes won’t be your only concern. If you’re forced to evacuate your home, the power grid fails, or you lose power during a winter storm, how do you plan to bake your bread?
Campfires may work for fish, game, and other meat, and a portable camp stove can help boil water. But what about baking?
That’s where the Ember Oven comes in!
This incredible, self-powered emergency oven brings the convenience of convection cooking to disaster situations. Safe to use indoors, it can be used while you’re navigating an extended power outage or sheltering in place at home.
Power it up with canned heat (when used indoors), charcoal, fire starters, fuel tablets, leaves, and more, then adjust the heat with simple, easy-to-use controls. If you can use your oven at home, you can use the Ember Oven with ease!
[Related Read: Homemade Away From Home: How to Bake Bread Outdoors]
Try Them Out Yourself
We hope these emergency bread recipes were helpful to you, wherever you are in your preparedness journey. With a little bit of planning, the appropriate equipment, and the right ingredients, you can offer access to delicious, fresh-baked bread no matter what.
Let us know in a comment below if you’ve tried any of these emergency bread recipes, or if you have any of your own!
