How much does it cost to bake your own bread?

[jcgonczi]

We are working on some serious cost cutting in our house. One thing I am examining is bread. We go through 1 to 2 large loaves of white bread a week. Usually Sunbeam. It costs $2.50 - $3.00 a loaf. I have never baked bread before, so I don't know how much flour, sugar, etc. I would need to make an equivalent of 2 large store bought loaves, much less how much it would cost. Can anyone help? THANKS!

[MomOfOneFunOne]

My husband figured it up once a few years ago and it came up to very little. I know it was less than fifty cents per loaf and I'm thinking less than 20 cents. My recipe calls for ww flour, yeast, honey, oil, and water. It's this one except I use honey instead of sugar (turbinado). In fact, this is an excellent bread recipe, perfect for a beginner. Read all those reviews to get an idea of how you want to make it for yourself. http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5716.0

 

When my husband figured the price per loaf, he used the cost of a jar (vs pkts) of yeast, a large but not jumbo oil, and the flour from the bulk section. I imagine that over the years it has gone up but probably not much.

 

He did it by figuring our how many loaves a jar of yeast would make and figured that ppl (price per loaf). Then did the oil, honey, and flour the same way. Then he added them together, I think. You could easily go to the store with a recipe and calculator and figure it up.

 

The recipe above makes 2 loaves. I've made it with white, ww, and a mix of both. For potlucks sometimes I make a batch of ww and a batch of white and make braides and twists.

Edited January 23, 2011 by MomOfOneFunOne

[BeckyFL]

I make whole wheat bread and have a wheat grinder so it's a little different (and even cheaper after the initial investment) but I did find this from the author's of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day...

Baking bread at home saves hundreds of dollars on groceries every year. With this easy method, each deliciously crusty-on-the-outside, moist-and-chewy-on-the-inside loaf will only cost you about 50 cents and 5 minutes a day. We’re not kidding!

 

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx#ixzz1BpQogrF2

[PentecostalMom]

My husband figured it up once a few years ago and it came up to very little. I know it was less than fifty cents per loaf and I'm thinking less than 20 cents. My recipe calls for ww flour, yeast, honey, oil, and water. It's this one except I use honey instead of sugar (turbinado). In fact, this is an excellent bread recipe, perfect for a beginner. Read all those reviews to get an idea of how you want to make it for yourself. http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5716.0

 

When my husband figured the price per loaf, he used the cost of a jar (vs pkts) of yeast, a large but not jumbo oil, and the flour from the bulk section. I imagine that over the years it has gone up but probably not much.

 

He did it by figuring our how many loaves a jar of yeast would make and figured that ppl (price per loaf). Then did the oil, honey, and flour the same way. Then he added them together, I think. You could easily go to the store with a recipe and calculator and figure it up.

 

The recipe above makes 2 loaves. I've made it with white, ww, and a mix of both. For potlucks sometimes I make a batch of ww and a batch of white and make braides and twists.

 

Thanks for this! Will try it next week! :D

[alpidarkomama]

It costs us $0.50 per one-pound loaf for our oatmeal whole wheat daily bread. It will depend a lot on how cheap your flour/grain is.

[Mommee & Baba]

About $0.40-$0.50/loaf here at our home. I also bake our own french bread too and it's a huge hit as well! The cost for the french bread is even less than my homemade reg. loaf of bread!

[Dawn in OH]

I've never been able to figure it out, but around 50 cents sounds about right. The wheat bread we buy sells for $2.50 to $3 a loaf. I get a full pound package of yeast for $3.50. None of my bread recipes use sugar. I have one recipe that uses a couple tablespoons of honey, and other recipes that have no sweetener.

 

When I was able to keep up with the family's sandwich bread needs I was saving around $36 a month.

[prairiewindmomma]

About $.43--whole wheat ground by me, honey, oil, sea salt, yeast from bulk from Costco.

[FO4UR]

The cost varies with your ingredients.

 

You can make bread for pennies if you use the cheap flour, salt, oil, and yeast.

 

It's still MUCH cheaper than store-bought to use good whole wheat flour...and honey...:001_smile:

 

The key to successful bread-making is finding a recipe you like, and making it so often it becomes habit.

[dm379]

So how many slices can you get off of a 1 lb. loaf? Do you use a machine? Or by hand? Sorry if I sound dumb, it's a new concept for me. I don't think I've ever known anybody that baked bread on a regular basis. Growing up, baked bread was a Christmas/Thanksgiving thing only.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Well, that depends, too. My slices are kind of thick b/c I c.a.n.n.o.t. slice my bread neatly w/o a slicing guide which is a plastic thing you put the loaf into and the knife goes into the slots made by the side. It makes perfect slices but mine makes fairly thick slices. I get fewer slices than I would if I had a better guide. I have a friend who has one that is thinner like boughten bread and she says she gets about the same as a boughten loaf.

 

Oh, I also want to say that if you use the recipe I posted, even if you do slice as thinly as boughten bread, you'll still get more bread per slice b/c in my experience, the loaves are larger (quite a bit larger) than boughten loaves. If you're going for quality and quantity, this is great but if you are counting calories and such, it's something to note.

 

Sorry, just two more things I wanted to add about the cost. One is the investment cost. If you already have all your ingredients and a pan, of course you good to go. If, however, you have to buy a lot of stuff, it can be a tiny bit painful with that initial purchase. All you really have to have is flour, water, yeast, and a pan and a cookie sheet will do. It doesnt' have to be a loaf pan. If you've never baked bread b/f, you probably at least need to buy yeast. I would recommend the jar. Obviously it's more money up front but is less over the long run.

 

The other thing is this, you can save money almost every time you need a hostess gift or potluck item. PPl rave when I bring homemade bread to potlucks and give as hostess gifts. For less than 50 cents, you can wow with your offerings. Think of how much you usually spend on such items and compare it to 50 cents and a time investment.

Edited January 23, 2011 by MomOfOneFunOne

[Truscifi]

If you are just going for savings, you might also consider buying bread from a day-old bread store. There are 2 in my small town. The one I prefer sells every loaf for .99 or less, and when she gets a new shipment in and needs to make room she sells one of those small grocery carts full for $4 - it is 12-18 loaves depending on what kind you get. I freeze them and use them one at a time as needed.

 

I love making my own bread and do it for the health benefits and to get custom loaves that are just what my family likes, but when money is tight, I go to the day old bread store.

[LidiyaDawn]

It ends up costing us more in the long run because the bread that I normally buy is only $1/loaf and only dd14 likes the homemade stuff, so I still have to buy store bought for dh and ds12! :tongue_smilie:

[Halcyon]

I started baking my own bread a few weeks ago, and it's definitely a lot cheaper. Moreover, it's SO MUCH HEALTHIER :) We use the Artisan Bread book too, love it! We make whole wheat bread, oatmeal bread, rosemary bread...it's easy and delicious. Good luck :)

[LidiyaDawn]

We make whole wheat bread, oatmeal bread, rosemary bread...it's easy and delicious. Good luck :)

 

Yum, yum, and yum! I wish my family would eat this kind of stuff! I'm practically drooling here. :laugh:

[d.g.]

When I started counting every penny, I found that a basic batch of white "sourdough" bread (using the recipe from the Complete Tightwad Gazette) costs me $.49. One batch of dough makes 2 standard loaves, 2 round loaves, or up to 8 bread bowls, depending on size. Different flours change the price, but not all that much. I tend to stick with 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat, rye, or other whole grain flours. They come out pretty tasty and they're healthier than what I can get at the store. I can even add a smidge of sugar to the dough and use it as the base for a batch of giant cinnamon rolls.

 

I get pretty close to store-purchased thickness on my bread slices even without a guide, mostly because I have a very sharp bread knife and the bread I bake is pretty sturdy. A lighter/fluffier bread would be much more difficult for me to cut.

[stansclan89]

You also need to remember that homemade bread is more filling. My teenage boys love this. They can eat 1 or 2 sandwiches and be full rather than using 1/2 a loaf of bread.

[Jen in PA]

My homemade challah costs 50 cents a loaf to make.

[justamouse]

I also swear by a good bread knife, and letting the bread cool enough. I never could get a thin slice before my mom bought be a bread knife for Christmas. It's not terribly expensive, but the teeth on it are wide apart. I can now cut paper thin slices. Before it took the whole loaf for out lunches-now we use half a loaf.

[SonshineLearner]

My mom figured it out... for her..., with freshly ground wh wheat flour... and other good ingredients.... 80 cents a loaf.

:)

[MomOfOneFunOne]

It's interesting to see that bread is still roughly 50 cents per loaf. If that's what it was several years ago when my husband figured it out, the cost of bread making hasn't gone up much, if any, in three yrs.

 

I don't think mine was all the way up to 50 cents, tho.

 

 

Interesting.

[Janna]

Where do you get your yeast in bulk? I just made bread for the first time last night and no way could I say it was about $.50/loaf because the yeast packet itself was close to 3 dollars. There were 3, so approx. $1/packet and one packet per loaf. I'm guessing my one loaf of bread was approx. $1.50-$1.75. Certainly sill considerably cheaper than what I spent on store bought WW, but I'd love to get the yeast cheaper.

[justamouse]

Where do you get your yeast in bulk? I just made bread for the first time last night and no way could I say it was about $.50/loaf because the yeast packet itself was close to 3 dollars. There were 3, so approx. $1/packet and one packet per loaf. I'm guessing my one loaf of bread was approx. $1.50-$1.75. Certainly sill considerably cheaper than what I spent on store bought WW, but I'd love to get the yeast cheaper.

 

Costco sells a huge bag of it--I'm thinking about 8 dollars? And it takes me almost a year to get through it.

[stansclan89]

Costco sells a huge bag of it--I'm thinking about 8 dollars? And it takes me almost a year to get through it.

 

 

It's about $4 at our costco and is a 1 pound brick (vacuum packed bag).

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Yeast in a pkt is A LOT more expensive than in a jar or in bulk. I wish I could get it in bulk here.

 

I also hear that it's more dependable. I personally have only had the pkts fail once or twice but I have read that they fail pretty often. Just not my experience. Of course, I didn't use the pkts long, either. Once I figured out bread making, I quit the pkts pretty quickly.

 

The jars are on the shelf right next to the pkts at my store. I don't have a costco and have never purchased yeast in bulk.

 

Just a wee fyi. I read once and find it to be true that after opening, you have to keep the jar of yeast in the fridge. When you need to use it, you have to bring it to room temp *b/f* adding the warm water. There have been times that I thought my yeast had failed or gone bad b/f I knew that. Sometimes it would work okay and sometimes not. Now that I always bring it to room temp, I have never had yeast fail.

 

hth

[Janna]

Holy smokes! That's a lot of yeast! :) How does one store that yeast once the seal has been broken?

[stansclan89]

Holy smokes! That's a lot of yeast! :) How does one store that yeast once the seal has been broken?

 

I keep mine in the fridge. We do bake bread 1 or 2 times a week (every four or five days maybe?) and 4 large loaves at a time. I use it before it goes bad.

 

If you won't be able to use it fast enough, it can be frozen.

[Amy1k]

I buy the yeast from Costco (actually, I've only bought it once so far ;) ) and store it in my fridge with a very strong little clip holding it closed (I believe it was a favor I received at a Pampered Chef event).

[Giraffe]

I store my yeast in the freezer in a sealed jar - it has a gasket and a latch so it stays closed tight. It's been over a year and it's still going great.

[FairProspects]

I must be doing it wrong, because I swear it is not any cheaper than buying bread (although healthier) at $1 at the grocery store.

 

I had to buy yeast, dried milk, bread flour (which was expensive compared to regular flour), whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, and using organic honey (I will not use that chemically tainted stuff from China) it was expensive. I remember the set-up of ingredients costing $20-40 alone.

 

How are you all doing this so cheaply?

[Amy1k]

Well, I suspect it has a lot to do with the bread you choose to buy at the grocery. For high-quality bread, you'll save a ton. For plain, white, sliced, supermarket-brand bread? You probably won't save anything.

[nmoira]

 

Where do you get your yeast in bulk? I just made bread for the first time last night and no way could I say it was about $.50/loaf because the yeast packet itself was close to 3 dollars. There were 3, so approx. $1/packet and one packet per loaf. I'm guessing my one loaf of bread was approx. $1.50-$1.75. Certainly sill considerably cheaper than what I spent on store bought WW, but I'd love to get the yeast cheaper.

I purchase 3 one pound packages of SAF yeast at a time from Pleasant Hill Grain. It's high quality yeast at an excellent price.

[nmoira]

 

Holy smokes! That's a lot of yeast! :) How does one store that yeast once the seal has been broken?

I keep mine sealed air-tight in the freezer, keeping a 4oz glass jar in the fridge for day-to-day use.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I must be doing it wrong, because I swear it is not any cheaper than buying bread (although healthier) at $1 at the grocery store.

 

I had to buy yeast, dried milk, bread flour (which was expensive compared to regular flour), whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, and using organic honey (I will not use that chemically tainted stuff from China) it was expensive. I remember the set-up of ingredients costing $20-40 alone.

 

How are you all doing this so cheaply?

 

Well, 50 cents is still less than a dollar. Plus, I don't put all that in my bread. This is the recipe I use most often: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5716.0

 

I use ww flour from the bulk section (I've never used bread flour), water, (raw, local) honey, yeast, and oil. They just don't add up to much. If you have to buy them all at once that can seem expensive but still, if you divide the cost by number of loaves, it's way less. I buy my ww flour and flour at WF, the yeast at Reasors, the water comes from my tap, and they honey comes from a guy we know.

 

If you'll get the cost of an item, say yeast, divide by the number of loaves in the jar, find out the amount per loaf, and then do that with all the ingredients. You'll find out how much per loaf instead of "OI! I had to spend $Whatever on bread!" when if you have to buy every single item brand new for your first loaf.

 

and maybe you need a less expensive loaf. Bread flour, cracked wheat, and dry milk are not *required* bread ingredients. Maybe you could find a recipe you like that has less stuff.

[d.g.]

and maybe you need a less expensive loaf. Bread flour, cracked wheat, and dry milk are not *required* bread ingredients. Maybe you could find a recipe you like that has less stuff.

 

:iagree:

 

My basic bread takes sourdough starter (just flour, water, yeast), water, salt, and regular flour. If I have whole wheat or rye on hand, I'll use it for half the flour. If I'm making the dough into my rustic cinnamon rolls, I'll toss in a bit of sugar. That's it.

 

 

Bread doesn't *have* to have all of the extra ingredients. They will affect the flavor and texture of the final loaf, but just flour, water, salt, and starter (or yeast, for non-sourdough) will still get you bread. Look around, do some digging, and I'm sure you'll find a recipe that's reasonably inexpensive and will get you the results you want! :001_smile:

[Janna]

I keep mine sealed air-tight in the freezer, keeping a 4oz glass jar in the fridge for day-to-day use.

 

Oh, that's a good idea. Thanks!

[cjzimmer1]

I buy yeast from Sam's Club it's 4.68 for 2 lbs of yeast (it's 2 packages of 1 lb each). It's much fresher than even the jars from the grocery store. I've bought yeast from the grocery store and it's always hit or miss. The stuff from Sam's is always great. I leave the unopened bag in my cupboard and the opened one goes in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

 

The reason I can make bread cheaply is because I buy all the ingredients in bulk. None of the ingredients come from a regular grocery store because it's way too expensive there.

 

Yeast and olive oil comes from Sam's.

 

Salt comes from Sam's or my food co-op.

 

Wheat (50 lb bags), honey (1 gallon or 5 gallon) and gluten (2 lbs)come from the food co-op.

 

We're not huge sandwich eaters but I absolutely love having the ability to produce bread whenever we need or what it. Saves immensely on "quick" stops at the grocery store because I need bread to takes sandwiches somewhere and end up spending $50. I think just being able to stay out of the store saved me enough money long term to pay for my Nutrimill and mixer.

[Janna]

I went out tonight with some friends for dinner and afterwards we went to Costco (they are both members, I am not). I found a vacuum sealed package of yeast, 2 lbs, for $3.95. So I bought some. I can't believe the markup on yeast! To think I was paying that same amount for 3 pkgs of yeast that contained only enough yeast in each package for one serving! Thanks for the heads up on bulk yeast (and the freezer storage) - I would never have thought about it before!