Little Nyssa Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Hi there, so many people have chimed in about making your own bread! Does it really save you money? And... how much time per week do you spend making bread? Thank you for any or all comments!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 For us, it does. I make ALL our bread - daily bread, rolls, garlic bread, banana bread, pizza crust, etc. Our daily bread costs me about 50 cents/loaf. And, it tastes better than store-bought. But, I didn't buy the Vita-Mix to grind our wheat (it was a gift from my parents for Christmas one year). I didn't buy the mixer (Viking - another gift from mom and dad). I just buy the wheat berries from a local food coop. I just made bread today and timed it! I spent 45 minutes grinding wheat, mixing ingredients, letting rise (15 minutes), mixing more flour/salt. I spent the next 10 minutes forming the bread into loaves. It rose for about 25 minutes. Spent around 25 minutes in the oven. So, from start to finish - almost 2 hours for six loaves. But, most of that time was waiting. I also now make all my own pasta. I used to pay $1/pound (TJ's organic whole wheat). Now, I pay about 10 cents/pound!!! Dh bought me a pasta maker for Christmas for $69. I figure we'll make up that cost pretty fast!!! It took me about 30 minutes to make about 4 pounds of pasta. (That includes grinding the wheat!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I baked all of our bread for a long time, but I haven't baked any in over 6 months. I remember that I did save quite a bit of money making it myself. I bought my flour, but I'm pretty sure the savings is more substantial if you grind you own wheat. I know lots of mommas here bake their own bread and will chime in. I'm going to start again, and I can't wait!! Have fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 For the finacial aspect you have to take into the type of bread you buy. If you are spending the money on a nutrient rich loaf of bread...then yes! it saves money. As far as time. It took me 5 min to throw the flour, salt, yeast and water in my kitchen aid (using the dough hook) then I plop it in a bowl and leave it covered on the counter for around 16 hours. After that...I will roll a chunk for cinnamon rolls, make rolls for sandwiches, and stretch some out for baguetts. That's the norm here...but I get creative sometimes too! edited: Pizza "duh!" I forgot to mention pizza crust! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It will definitely save you money over buying good quality artisan breads. It may not necessarily be cheaper than buying processed refined white flour sandwich bread. Personally, I'm having to relearn the whole bread baking game as I don't eat wheat anymore. Gluten-free flours aren't cheap, and my results so far have been less than acceptable. I'll keep trying, but in the meantime, I'll buy a GF bread mix, or a GF pre-made loaf. I am still making the standard ww that is the guys' sandwich bread, and the weekly batch of rolls for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I make some things from scratch, but it ends up costing us more. By the time we buy the flour and yeast we have already spent more than we could buy a loaf of five grain bread from the Publix bakery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 When I don't make our sandwich bread, we spend about $36 a month on store bought. I do always manage to make breads for dinner and pizza crust, thanks to Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I also use their recipe for bread for my husband's sandwiches to take to work for lunch. The active time for making bread, IMO is minimal, and based on how much bread you need to make. I would need to make about 3 loaves of sandwich bread a week, active preparation time being about 20 minutes per loaf. I mix and knead by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevilla Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 A good bread machine means that you would spend very little time making loaves (rolls take longer b/c you have to divide and shape the dough for oven baking). I can spend $2-3 at Trader Joe's for baguettes/large loaves of bread for soups - or I can bake my own for very little money. Sandwich bread I find lasts longer if I buy from the store b/c they slice it thinner. I wait for sales and stock up then (freeze additional loaves). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Forgot to mention another reason it is cheaper for me. My boys eat a ton! I could buy sandwich bread for cheaper, but they would eat 3 sandwiches. This way, I can cut them down to 1-2 sandwiches. Same with pizza cinnamon rolls and bread with dinner. They need less when it is nutrient dense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My bread with my recipe is about 50 cents per loaf. That's less than boughten unless, of course, you get it for less than 50 cents. So compared to any loaf, it's probably less. It is most especially less expensive if you compare it to what it is. My bread is ww flour, raw honey, yeast, salt, oil, and water. To buy bread that wholesome, you really have to pay. Buying yeast by the pkt drives up the cost. Buying everything at once makes it feel expensive at first but if you have some things and only need to buy some, it's feels less. It will seem expensive if you buy a lg jar of yeast (which is less in the long run), a couple of bags of flour, a bottle of oil, new honey, and new salt all at the same time. A few years ago, my husband figured the cost per loaf by taking the total of each ingredient bought new divided by the number of times it would make bread. He did that for each item and then added them together. So, if you buy a $10 jar of yeast but it makes 30 loaves that's about 33 cents per loaf. Mine doesn't come out to that but I can't now remember how many loaves are in a jar or how much it is, I'm just trying to demonstrate with easy numbers. ;) Do that for each item and then add. Simple. As I said, ours is about 50 cents per loaf. Buying in bulk keeps the cost down, too, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I have never done the math on how much a loaf costs to make. Is it a cost savings over the $1/loaves my dh thinks we should buy? Maybe not, but it's definately healthier, and I have complete control over the ingredients, which is necessary. I make a simple white bread, which I make 4 loaves at a time. I do it all by hand, as I think it turns out better, and I don't have a mixer big enough. I have a great big 13 qt mixing bowl. :D From start to finish, I've got bread in 3 hrs. 15 min yeast power, 15 min mixing/kneading, 1 hr rise, 10 min shaping, 30 min rise, 35 min bake. That's a total of about 25 minutes of work. I also do 5 min a day bread, but honestly this doesn't last us as long. Dh loves the firm crust, and will eat a loaf in a sitting. I also make focaccia bread (a pizza bread), pizza dough, french bread, and rolls. I have a bread machine, but only use it when dd10 wants to make a loaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyFL Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It will definitely save you money over buying good quality artisan breads. It may not necessarily be cheaper than buying processed refined white flour sandwich bread. Personally, I'm having to relearn the whole bread baking game as I don't eat wheat anymore. Gluten-free flours aren't cheap, and my results so far have been less than acceptable. I'll keep trying, but in the meantime, I'll buy a GF bread mix, or a GF pre-made loaf. I am still making the standard ww that is the guys' sandwich bread, and the weekly batch of rolls for them. Audrey, Please post if your experiments lead to something great. We don't have to be gluten-free here but I'm thinking that it would be good to take a break once in a while from all the wheat we eat. I would love to have a nice textured bread made with a different grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It cost me more to make bread at home but only if compared to super cheap, full of air super market bread. It is much cheaper than quality bread and I control the ingredients. I make mine "cornell forumula" which is highly nutritious. My kids aren't great eaters but if they only have a piece of bread I know it is nutritionally sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I've never priced mine out, but the one thing I know is that it tastes much better and I know exactly what's in it. My basic recipe calls for flour (I've been making half ww, half white until I can buy a grain mill), water, salt, yeast, oil and honey. I also add some vital gluten and dough enhancer, but a little goes a long way with those and I usually buy from pleasant hill grain. I get Yeast from there for about $4 for a 1lb foil bag. I usually buy 3 at a time and keep them in the freezer. I'll open one and fill a jelly size mason jar to keep in the cabinet and the rest is vacuum sealed in a mason jar and frozen until my jelly jar is empty. My family also prefers my bread to store bought. My dd would like me to perfect a french baguette type, to have with soup. I'm working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I haven't been able to tell from reading thread like these, has anyone done a full-burdened cost? That is,does anyone's price include how much electricity is used by the bread machine or how much gas is used by the oven and assigned those costs to the cost-per-loaf? I make bread because it's fun! I feel so giddy when I have the breadmaker going and another in the oven. But, I've been hesitant to look at what my full-burdened cost would be... :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 If you're talking about healthy, whole grain bread, then absolutely. I can buy two bags of flour for what I'd pay for one loaf of store-bought whole grain bread. Not to mention the gym membership savings if you do all the kneading yourself. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I haven't been able to tell from reading thread like these, has anyone done a full-burdened cost? That is,does anyone's price include how much electricity is used by the bread machine or how much gas is used by the oven and assigned those costs to the cost-per-loaf? I make bread because it's fun! I feel so giddy when I have the breadmaker going and another in the oven. But, I've been hesitant to look at what my full-burdened cost would be... :001_huh: I wouldn't even know how to do that. I'm not really going to sweat it for 23 minutes in the oven but there are other things I'd like to do that with. How do you do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I wouldn't even know how to do that. I'm not really going to sweat it for 23 minutes in the oven but there are other things I'd like to do that with. How do you do it? Estimate. If an electric oven has a power rating of 2000 W and you run it for half an hour, you use 1kWh which, at 10ct/kWh in our city, would come out to 10 ct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Estimate. If an electric oven has a power rating of 2000 W and you run it for half an hour, you use 1kWh which, at 10ct/kWh in our city, would come out to 10 ct. Thanks regentrude. While it may seem like I'm pinching pennies in two, here's the rub: it's competing against $0.00 for me. Yep, I can never justify the costs of the bread in the store -- $4.99 or more for the types I like. So, I can just do without. But, just because I like breadmaking shouldn't excuse my lack of total costing when indulging in making it. Just something I was wondering about tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It probably does cost less for me to bake my own, but I've only ever estimated the cost. We're not big bread eaters - a loaf will last a week or more around here. Because of that, bread isn't a big part of our food budget, so I don't worry about buying even artisan bread. I buy at most, three loaves of bread a month. I still like baking bread though. I enjoy the process, love how it tastes, and love that I control the ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My homemade cracked wheat whole wheat oatmeal bread only costs $0.50 for a 1-pound loaf. I make 4 loaves per week for our family of 6. YUM. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It is going to depend on how much bread you are eating and what kind. If I just buy sandwich bread for my family of 3 - one loaf of white bread for dh and 1 loaf of 12-grain for me and dd per month I spend $3.00 per month. Over 12 months that is $36.00. I don't find it a significant savings. Over a 10 year period that $360.00 is still less than one month's truck payment. I do not think it is a significant saving to bake my own sandwich bread even if I bought four loaves of bread a month. The Italian and other bread I bought at the market cost roughly $6.50 for a 2 week period. Over a year that is $156.00. Over 10 years $1560.00. My next step is to see if I can make all that bread for less than $156 per year. To be accurate I need to include the cost of my time along with the cost of ingredients. I may end up making "fancy" bread a couple times a week and buying sandwich bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It is going to depend on how much bread you are eating and what kind. If I just buy sandwich bread for my family of 3 - one loaf of white bread for dh and 1 loaf of 12-grain for me and dd per month I spend $3.00 per month. Holy canoli! That's a good price. :) Where I am, the food costs for even "air bread" are much more than that, which is another reason I've always given myself a pass on figuring the cost of doing it myself. I don't think I'll report back when I do figure my electric costs for the breadmaker and the gas costs for the oven. I'll probably be too busy packing and moving off this island. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It isn't cheaper than cheapo Wonder Bread from the bread outlet, but it is chaper than the organic, no-HFCS, fiber-rich stuff we used to buy. It was probably cheaper when I made it from regular flour, store brand yeast, milk powder, etc. in the bread maker, but I've been making bread out of Peter Reinhart's whole grain book, and I had to buy some special ingredients and such, so I don't know now. I really need to figure out the cost... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It isn't cheaper than cheapo Wonder Bread from the bread outlet, but it is chaper than the organic, no-HFCS, fiber-rich stuff we used to buy. It was probably cheaper when I made it from regular flour, store brand yeast, milk powder, etc. in the bread maker, but I've been making bread out of Peter Reinhart's whole grain book, and I had to buy some special ingredients and such, so I don't know now. I really need to figure out the cost... I can buy the organic, no-HCFS, fiber rich stuff at the local discount bread store for $1 a loaf. Right now we are not eating much bread though for sandwiches and I have been making homemade Italian style loaves for everything else. It takes maybe 15 minutes of my time to actually work it. For me the difference is in the taste and freshness of the bread. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret in GA Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It's totally cheaper for us because my family is spoiled and they like artisan bread and they want it fresh. I could never seem to time the bread so that we weren't wasting or running out. Now that I make it, I can make more if we are running low. Or make rolls. Or make whole wheat. Or olive bread. I will say that I spend about $1 a loaf (I would spend less, but I don't buy flour in bulk). Publix bread is 3.99, I think? I've always been a bread baker, but this book is worth every penny and it really is revolutionary: http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297084920&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks regentrude. While it may seem like I'm pinching pennies in two, here's the rub: it's competing against $0.00 for me. Yep, I can never justify the costs of the bread in the store -- $4.99 or more for the types I like. So, I can just do without. But, just because I like breadmaking shouldn't excuse my lack of total costing when indulging in making it. Just something I was wondering about tonight! This is the same for me. I just don't buy all that much bread. We go through maybe 2 loaves of sandwich bread a month and that is really pushing it. In the summer we may use more hamburger buns, but that is about it. When I first moved here, I was baking bread in my bread machine a few times a week. I put on so much weight eating all that bread. I decided we really don't need the extra calories with each dinner - so no bread. The family doesn't really even notice anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 This thread is intriguing -- I had been wondering the same thing. The upfront costs (mill, bread machine) seem high and I buy the least expensive store bought WW -- but have been thinking to look into this... Could someone please define "artisan bread" for me? I keep seeing that phrase being used. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I didn't buy everything at once and I couldn't imagine that for many ppl this would be wise stewardship (though for some it may be). For me it wouldn't be. When I first started I bought yeast in a pkt, regular ww flour in a bag, and I had all other ingredients (oil, water, salt, and honey). I did not have bread pans or stones, mill, et c. I made a boule on a cookie sheet. Soon after starting to make my own and reading about it, I realized that buying yeast in a jar was more economical than pkt yeast (costs less averaged out and tends to be more reliable). So, for the next batch of bread, I got yeast. I wanted loaf pans but yeast made more sense since we were happy with the boules. I waited a while and then added a loaf pan. As it happened, two came together. I've been making bread for years and that's pretty much where I am. I would really like to get some cast iron loaf pans and a mill. In the interim, I got a KA stand mixer. I will get a pasta attachment next and a mill after that. I'm in no hurry to get lots of extras since I make a very nice, very wholesome loaf with what I have. I have weighed my priorities and have decided that I'd rather start with ww pasta than move on to a grain mill. If I see really good old fashioned (not newly minted, imported from china, or "pre-seasoned") cast iron loaf pans, I'll snatch them up no matter -- well, unless they cost a mint. I DO NOT recommend buying e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g at once. Only buy flour, yeast, honey, oil, salt (or whatever is in your recipe), and pay your water bill on time. Hopefully you already have at least some of that. Everything except the flour and yeast were naturally occurring elements in my pantry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delighted3 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Here is an interesting article I found about whether or not making bread saves money or not. HTH, Joy http://groceryshrink.com/2011/02/guest-post-does-homemade-bread-really-save-money.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Sometimes. I've never figured out the per loaf cost and my current recipe includes butter, because DH really likes soft sandwich bread and without some sort of fat I can't replicate that. It's probably a little cheaper then the $4 a loaf healthy bread here, but not by that much. We prefer the taste and it's more filling though. We eat less and are more satisfied, so it may even out. I also make our pizza crusts, hamburger rolls, dinner rolls, and other breads. DH makes biscuits. It's also handy to never have to run to the store just for bread and end up getting 5 other things. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 This thread is intriguing -- I had been wondering the same thing. The upfront costs (mill, bread machine) seem high and I buy the least expensive store bought WW -- but have been thinking to look into this... Could someone please define "artisan bread" for me? I keep seeing that phrase being used. Thanks! Artisan bread is a fancy way of saying bread that is made by hand. :001_smile: I didn't buy everything up front. You can start with regular flour, store-bought yeast, salt, water, and maybe some honey and butter or milk. It is still better for you than store-bought bread. I asked my parents to get me a bread maker for Christmas one year. It's not fancy, just a Sunbeam they got on sale somewhere, but it's held up for 5 or 6 years now. (Now I'm recently back to making it by hand, though, so I don't think you even need that.) Then I started buying better flour, then flour in bulk. Then I bought a few books, a few more tools. My next step is a mill, but that will be a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabertmom Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 For what it's worth, I think of artisan bread as something more than just homemade bread. I wouldn't consider it artisan bread if it's made in a loaf shape. I wouldn't consider it artisan bread if it's "just" a baguette. It's something more--hand shaped, allowed to rise a long time, crisp on the outside, good "dent" on the inside. If you happen to have a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook hanging about, take a look at their artisan bread recipes compared with their other homemade bread recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 For us, it does. I make ALL our bread - daily bread, rolls, garlic bread, banana bread, pizza crust, etc. Our daily bread costs me about 50 cents/loaf. And, it tastes better than store-bought. But, I didn't buy the Vita-Mix to grind our wheat (it was a gift from my parents for Christmas one year). I didn't buy the mixer (Viking - another gift from mom and dad). I just buy the wheat berries from a local food coop. I just made bread today and timed it! I spent 45 minutes grinding wheat, mixing ingredients, letting rise (15 minutes), mixing more flour/salt. I spent the next 10 minutes forming the bread into loaves. It rose for about 25 minutes. Spent around 25 minutes in the oven. So, from start to finish - almost 2 hours for six loaves. But, most of that time was waiting. I also now make all my own pasta. I used to pay $1/pound (TJ's organic whole wheat). Now, I pay about 10 cents/pound!!! Dh bought me a pasta maker for Christmas for $69. I figure we'll make up that cost pretty fast!!! It took me about 30 minutes to make about 4 pounds of pasta. (That includes grinding the wheat!) Wow! You are an inspiration to me! I bake bread occasionally, but need to get my own grain grinder so I don't have to go somwhere else to grind it (which doesn't happen very often). I son't want to steal the thread, but do you mind sharing your bread & pasta recipe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 For us, it does. I make ALL our bread - daily bread, rolls, garlic bread, banana bread, pizza crust, etc. Our daily bread costs me about 50 cents/loaf. And, it tastes better than store-bought. But, I didn't buy the Vita-Mix to grind our wheat (it was a gift from my parents for Christmas one year). I didn't buy the mixer (Viking - another gift from mom and dad). I just buy the wheat berries from a local food coop. I just made bread today and timed it! I spent 45 minutes grinding wheat, mixing ingredients, letting rise (15 minutes), mixing more flour/salt. I spent the next 10 minutes forming the bread into loaves. It rose for about 25 minutes. Spent around 25 minutes in the oven. So, from start to finish - almost 2 hours for six loaves. But, most of that time was waiting. I also now make all my own pasta. I used to pay $1/pound (TJ's organic whole wheat). Now, I pay about 10 cents/pound!!! Dh bought me a pasta maker for Christmas for $69. I figure we'll make up that cost pretty fast!!! It took me about 30 minutes to make about 4 pounds of pasta. (That includes grinding the wheat!) You are my inspiration.:D One day I hope to be making all of these things. Currently I buy all our sandwich bread, but I make all of our specialty bread, pizza crusts, rolls, etc. As far as time. It took me 5 min to throw the flour, salt, yeast and water in my kitchen aid (using the dough hook) then I plop it in a bowl and leave it covered on the counter for around 16 hours. After that...I will roll a chunk for cinnamon rolls, make rolls for sandwiches, and stretch some out for baguetts. That's the norm here...but I get creative sometimes too! Recipe??? My homemade cracked wheat whole wheat oatmeal bread only costs $0.50 for a 1-pound loaf. I make 4 loaves per week for our family of 6. YUM. :) Recipe??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.