Low-Salt Bread Recipe for the Bread Machine
Looking for a low-salt bread recipe for the bread machine? This recipe makes low-salt bread that has a great texture. AND you don’t need a special setting of your bread machine to make it.
Last Updated September 23, 2023 – Originally Posted November 14, 2021
I didn’t think it would be possible to make a low-salt bread in the bread machine. I was wrong! The bread’s texture is great. It’s soft, but firm.
I will say that the taste is rather bland because of the lack of salt.
Tuscan bread or pane Toscano is a salt-free Italian bread. It’s used with flavorful sandwich ingredients to make up for the bland flavor of the bread.
I’m using this loaf of low-salt bread for toast topped with peanut butter. It tastes great and the texture of the bread is wonderful.
Salt-Free Bread Setting Not Needed
If you’re interested in low-salt bread, you may have noticed that some machines, like the Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus, come with a salt-free bread setting.
I saw that too. However, I wondered if a special setting was really needed.
To test it out, I made two loves of bread. One loaf was made in my older machine using the basic setting and the other was made in the Virtuoso Plus using the salt-free bread setting.
The loaf of the left was made with my older Zo, using the basic setting. The loaf of the right was made using the salt free course on the Virtuoso Plus.
As you can see, the loaf of bread made with my older machine (the loaf of the left) looks fine. It is a little smaller, but I think the loaf is better formed.
My conclusion is that a salt-free course is not needed to make low-salt bread in the bread machine.
Full disclosure, I made one adjustment to the recipe.
The Virtuoso Plus calls for the use of rapid-rise/instant yeast in almost every recipe. The recipe I used was designed for the Plus and called for 1 teaspoon of rapid-rise/instant yeast. That’s what I used in the loaf on the right.
My older machine usually calls for active dry yeast. So I converted the 1 teaspoon of instant yeast that original recipe called for to 1.25 teaspoons of active dry yeast. That’s what I used for the loaf on the left.
Wondering about the difference between active dry yeast, instant yeast, bread machine yeast and quick rise yeast? I’ve got an article that explains the differences between different yeast. This article also shows how to convert between instant yeast and active dry yeast.
No-Salt versus Low-Salt
While this recipe doesn’t contain any added salt, it does contain powdered milk. Powdered milk does contain some salt. That’s why, despite the fact that you don’t add any salt to the recipe, I’ve labeled it as a low-salt bread recipe.
Low-Salt Bread Recipe Instructions
This recipe is for a two-pound loaf. Use the basic cycle with the medium crust setting.
Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which order to add ingredients to your bread machine. I use a Zojirushi bread machine, so I add the liquids first.
Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. It should be a smooth, round ball.
If the dough is too dry, add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.
Low-Salt Bread Recipe
Again, this recipe is for a two-pound loaf. Use the basic cycle with the medium crust setting.
1 ¼ Cups plus 2.5 Tablespoons Water
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Cups plus 3 Tablespoons Bread flour
3 ½ Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Powdered (dry) milk
2 ½ Tablespoons Unsalted butter
1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this low-salt bread recipe for the bread machine.
Low-Salt Bread Recipe
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cups (295.74 ml) Water
- 2.5 Tablespoons Water
- 1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
- 4 Cups (500 g) Bread flour
- 3 Tablespoons Bread Flour
- 3 ½ Tablespoons Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Powdered milk
- 2 ½ Tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Active dry yeast
Instructions
- This recipe is for a two-pound loaf. Use the basic/white cycle with the medium crust setting.
- Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which order to add ingredients to your bread machine. I use a Zojirushi bread machine, so I add the liquids first.
- Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading.  It should be a smooth, round ball.
- If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.
Notes
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
I am on a low -no salt diet also. I tried this recipe and it was great. Do you have any other no alt-low sodium bread recipes for a bread machine. Thanks
I’m sorry, this is my only low-salt recipe so far.
Should the butter be cut up into small pieces.
Check the instructions on your bread machine for how to handle the butter. With my Zo, I cut the butter into four sections and place them in the corners of the bread machine pan.
This is now my go to bread for my low-sodium diet. For my machine, I use the Light crust setting and don’t have any issues with the crust. I also omit the extra tablespoons of flour and only use half the sugar (the other diet!). Perfect every time!
I like this bread better than store bought white bread. Some reviewers suggest using unsalted butter rubbed on the sides of the loaf to make the crusts more tender. My mother-in-law, who was a phenomenal baker, used water. Does the same thing and no calories!
This bread is excellent. Don’t even miss the salt.
Several people recommend rubbing butter on the crusts to tenderize them. Plain water works just as well and adds no calories.
I’m on a low/no-salt diet due to kidney failure. I’ve been looking for a no-salt bread for a while, and now I’m looking forward to trying this out. I’m not a baker, or a cook for that matter, but due to my health needs I am learning how to acquire foods that I enjoy without worry of the salt.
thanks for the recipe. I like this site..
can you use whole wheat flour instead of white flour
I haven’t tried it. It might work if you swap out just 1/2 cup of flour, but any more than that and you’d need to make recipes adjustments.
I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and it turned out great!
I am on a low sodium diet and I love bread. I am so thankful for this recipe. I was hesitant about the vinegar but it turned out so nice. Very tasty and soft! My crust was crispy as well but as the other commenter said I will butter it next time when it comes out of the machine. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Isn’t 205 k/cal rather a lot for each slice?
The slices are a lot bigger than store bought bread.
My bread was a bit course but it tasted delicious. The outer sides of the bread were hard. Crusty, very crusty. I remembered my mother my Mother rubbing the baked loaves with butter. It helped but should have been done as soon as they came out of the pan. Overall I was pleased with my first try as I am no baker. My machine is dark grey non stick. Could that be why the sides and bottom got so crusty?
Thank you so much for providing some salt free recipes. I have been salt free for 14 months and it has been a struggle.
I’m so glad you liked the bread. I’m not sure why the bread was so crusty.