Mandylubug Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Regularly instead of buying and if so have you figured out your total costs vs buying at store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Following. I tried, but it took a lot of effort. Now that I dumped the KA stand mixer and have one of those Danish dough mixers I wonder if I should try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I did for a while, even grinding the wheat. Two kids ago. ;) I do it occasionally now, but always make pizza dough and things like dinner rolls. Regular white bread is cheap. King Arthur Flour is regularly (not on sale) $4.79/5 lbs at my grocery. You'll get a little less than 6 batches out of that. (13.5 oz per batch) SAF yeast is around $5/1 lb at Costco. You'll get about 71 batches out of that. (10 tsp/oz, 2.25 tsp per batch) Then salt, sugar (I use honey), oil or butter, and maybe a egg. This is my favorite wheat recipe. Works for loaves, buns, everything. http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/181046/irresistible-whole-wheat-challah It's more because it uses vital wheat gluten (cheapest on amazon if you bake frequently). I make the dough in a bread machine. It takes no time. I put the pan on a kitchen scale, zero it out, then measure in the ingredients. Only dirties a spoon and a teaspoon. I've had a Zojirushi for years. I bake it in the oven though. Weight chart for everything under the sun: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/master-weight-chart.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I used to make all our bread and it was NOT cheap, but that was my fault. I use King Arthur flour and also added their special dry milk and potato flour- both help keep the bread soft and fresh for days. I also added their harvest grain blend, which is a multi seed blend. We rarely eat bread these days so I don't make it unless it's winter and I'm using it to round out a soup or stew meal. But when I made it, two large loaves a week was plenty for us. Store bread just didn't fill us up as well so the kids would eat more of it. My two homemade loaves stretched farther than three store loaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Regularly instead of buying and if so have you figured out your total costs vs buying at store? It is probably less expensive to buy bread than to make it. However, I cannot buy bread that is as healthy as the bread I make...when I make it. :-) One hundred per cent whole wheat bread that started from wheat berries, no chemicals at all, honey instead of sugar, olive oil instead of mystery oil product ...no, my bread is healthier. And it tastes better. That's why I make it...when I make it. Mr. Ellie and I don't eat much bread nowadays, but I still have my grain mill and my Bosch (which I use for all sorts of things in addition to bread). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I figured out the cost once and it came to around the $2/loaf for us and that is with my own ground ancient grain. I don't use a mixer or anything. I was taught to do it all by hand by my mom and grandma and I need to feel the dough. To buy a loaf that is even labeled with the grain I use it would cost us $5-$6/loaf. For the cheapest bread I can find it would cost about the same as what I spend to make my own bread. If I went to white bleached flour I could drop the cost per loaf to around $1. I make 8 loaves at a time and freeze a bunch. We eat about a loaf a day minimum as dh uses a lot of sandwiches for work. In the winter we go through more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Never did a cost analysis. I like the control I have over the ingredients. I even grind my own flour. Now that my dh is gluten free I don't bake bread as often as I used too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It makes it seem a lot easier. I didn't know the first recipe was going to give me a hard crust loaf. You can keep the dough in the fridge for 2 weeks if you don't use it all right away. My dh uses the bread machine to make our bread, but gets it out after it mixes and rises to shape it and put in our oven. We don't like the loaf pan on the bread machine. If you start using whole wheat flour, do so slowly and in small amounts, building up to more. It is so tasty to make whole wheat rolls and you want to keep eating them, and then you'll be running off to the can if you use too much wheat starting out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Yes, I often make my own bread, but I'm not a "grind your own wheat" kind of girl, so my bread isn't as healthy as it could be. It's basically Italian bread, no whole grains involved. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I never figured it out, but since where I live a nice crusty artisan-type loaf of bread with no hfcs costs about $5, I am pretty sure it's cheaper to make it. Fluffy white bread is probably cheaper to buy than to make. I don't grind my own wheat but do buy whole wheat flour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 The last time I looked at the price on a loaf of bread that I would actually eat (I'm not a wonder bread kind of gal) I was shocked enough to stop complaining about making bread. It's not THAT hard. I do the refrigerator rise method. Sort of...I mean, I'm so lazy that I just get to it when i get to it and put it in the fridge if I don't before bedtime or a day long field trip. I still made bread when I had a roommate who was getting more than he needed from the food bank. I guess technically I didn't have to because calories but I did anyway because yuck. I do grind my own wheat, but my best online friend gave me a vitamix when I had a bunch of teeth out so it's no big deal. I did make a point of bringing my first bag of wheat berries home in my bicycle trailer because I could just picture my haters and trolls saying, "She's the type who would bring a bag of wheat berries home from the co op in her bicycle trailer!" as if it were a BAD thing. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 We make most of our bread. We only buy bread for guests because we get lazy when we have company and don't want to work as much as it would take to keep up with the demand. I doubt we save much money per loaf, but we do eat less. That saves money. Bread is more of a treat than a routine thing now. Nobody here likes store bought loaves anymore- especially the cheap ones. We got spoiled. My DDs usually make it for us and do a good job but it's not the most healthy kind. They make white bread with salt, sugar, and water. I started making it because DD has a dairy problem and it was easier to make it at home than search ingredients. My DDs don't like the wheat bread from the machine and since they are doing the work, they can pick the recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Never did a cost analysis. I like the control I have over the ingredients.Me, too! Plus, there's the quality factor. Store bought bread doesn't even compare in quality. The more you get used to eating homemade bread, the more gross store bought bread becomes! I make my own hamburger buns (which last in the freezer for weeks, as opposed to store bought ones that do horribly in the freezer) and sandwich bread. It's not a price issue for me. It's the ingredients and the taste and quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I make all of our bread except in very rare circumstances. It's definitely cheaper for me, but I buy wheat in giant bags and grind it myself. I also use a little SAF yeast, salt, sugar, oil, flax seed, and gluten. It costs about $1 to make 3 loaves of bread including the electricity to bake the loaves. Buying three comparable loaves would cost at least $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Sooo I need to google info on grinding my own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Sooo I need to google info on grinding my own If you're near Woodstock, GA, this place is great for supplies: http://www.breadbeckers.com (I may be losing my mind thinking you were in GA...) I read amazon reviews ad nauseum before buying a grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Not near Woodstock but in GA.....may be a good excuse for a "field trip" day though :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 It's pretty much how Ellie explained it. I don't make bread to save money but to have a better product where I can decide what goes into the bread. I also enjoy the process and the finished loaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 There are few things as comforting as the smell of fresh baked bread in the house and as wonderful and basic as a warm from the oven slice of bread with butter melted into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 well my dh is a baker by trade so... He makes lovely sourdoughs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingHope Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I soak my wheatberries to sprout them and then dehydrate them in my excalibur (a 1970's hand me down) before running them through my grain mill. Add yeast, raw honey, and olive oil (like Ellie mentioned) and voila...sprouted wheat bread. My homemade bread is probably cheaper than the store (for organic sprouted wheat bread) since I buy my honey and wheatberries in bulk from Azure Standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 cost wise, it really depends on what flour and other ingredients you choose, and what sort of bread you're comparing it to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It makes it seem a lot easier. I didn't know the first recipe was going to give me a hard crust loaf. .Their buttermilk loaf is, in my opinion, the real gem of this book. It's not crusty by the way. And their recipes all call for WAY too much salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I make our bread regularly. I use Mark Bittman's NYT no-knead recipe. It calls for 3 cups of flour, which is just a bit under a pound of flour. I get the King Arthur stuff, so it's about a $1.20 per pound. The only other ingredients are 1/4 t yeast, 1 1/4 t salt, and water. So, roughly $1.25 for a 1.5 pound loaf. The sandwich bread my hubby likes is $2.20 per loaf on sale. Prices in the Pacific NW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 It really, depends on making sure you are comparing apples to apples. Is the bread I make more expensive than the cheap white bread at the supermarket? Yes. Is the bread I make less expensive than the bread at the really good local baker's? Yes. And I don't grind my own flour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 So after pricing grinders, I don't think I will invest there first off. I have a KA mixer and I have loaf pans already. I just need to buy flour and yeast. I use self rising for my baking needs currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 And there's just something really satisfying about making your own bread. I don't know what it is. I love it. And I just make white bread. I still think it's healthier, since there are no preservatives and all the additives and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I make artisan bread. I think it costs around 5 or 10 cents per loaf. It's just flour, water and starter. Substantial savings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 It's a bit more than a buck a sandwich loaf. From flour purchased in bulk or at the outlet store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I go through phases of baking more and then buying more, just depending on how busy life is otherwise. I did figure out the savings to baking once a number of years ago, but I don't have the info handy. For me, at least, it's definitely significantly cheaper to bake. At the moment, I'm in a baking less phase, because I've been busy getting my son ready to move into the dorm and looking for (and then adjusting to) a second part-time job. I assume that, once my son is settled, I'll have more time for baking. Of course, there will be just my husband and me at home, meaning we won't actually need a lot of bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I make baguette, pizza dough and tortillas. We usually use baguette for sandwich bread, French toast, etc. I don't know the cost per unit. I can get baguette for 69-cents in town, though. I doubt I make it cheaper than that, but (totally not bragging because it's my mil's recipe, not mine) ours is much, much better. I think my pizza dough would be a lot cheaper. Those pre-cooked pizza bases cost at least $3-$4 dollars for a pack of 2. I'm pretty sure mine is cheaper than that, but it does have olive oil in it and olive oil is not cheap. I don't know about wheat tortillas. Some brands of wheat tortillas are insanely cheap, but I can't stand packaged tortillas. I can't buy corn tortillas around here, so I am pretty sure mine are cheaper than trying to find them elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Yep or the bread maker does. Approx $1 a loaf versus $3 in store, plus the loaf is around 1/3 bigger and heavier so it's well cheaper. And if I make special types of bread it's an even bigger difference as they are more expensive in store. Plus we live semi rural and five minutes with the bread maker is better than 20 mins to the shops when you run out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I have ( and still do ) make all of our bread. I have done this for 20 years. I spend over half a day baking each weekend, mostly I make bread rolls. I then freeze them in meal sized amounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 No idea. But as I sit here eating a slice of fresh out of the oven bread with real butter I know nothing beats the taste :). And I've finally found a recipe that makes a loaf at a time without me having to do maths ad that rises in the fridge over night so that I can bake when I get up and actually have fresh bread for breakfast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I did for a while. Definitely more expensive than store brand white bread, but cheaper than my preferred brand of 100%ww bread at full price. I had a difficult time sticking to the baking routine, though. And when my favorite bread started going on sale regularly, I took the easy route. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I find mine too be way better and cheaper than the store. Heres a great comparison: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2010/08/wednesday-baking-does-homemade-bread-save-money/. I think her prices are reasonable. Today I made English muffins - 27 for her bread cost of less than a dollar. I cheated and used white bread flour because I was being lazy, but my ground what would be cheaper. For 6 English muffins I'd pay between $2.50-$3, so I saved $9-$11 dollars. I used the bread machine to make the dough so it was a no brainer recipe to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Following. I tried, but it took a lot of effort. Now that I dumped the KA stand mixer and have one of those Danish dough mixers I wonder if I should try again. OK, now I want to know what a danish dough mixer is. :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 No idea. But as I sit here eating a slice of fresh out of the oven bread with real butter I know nothing beats the taste :). And I've finally found a recipe that makes a loaf at a time without me having to do maths ad that rises in the fridge over night so that I can bake when I get up and actually have fresh bread for breakfast.Please provide this recipe/method! That sounds very convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Just out of curiosity, to the OP: are you asking because you think making your own bread will save you money on your grocery bill, or because you already make bread and feel like you need to be able to make it yourself for less then a store would charge? I can't imagine the nice, bur fairly standard, bread I make costs more to make than the 7$ and 9$ loaves from the bakery. Against what bread are you comparing? And it is ok to spend .25 more on something we like doing. So if your homemade bread costs more than cheap-o supermarket bread, but you like making it and eating it, is that ok? It costs me more to knit a hat for my kid than it would to buy one in walmart but the finished product is beautiful and I love knitting. So, that makes it worth it to me. Even if he loses it in three day, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Please provide this recipe/method! That sounds very convenient. It will be metric so you need to do your own conversion ;) 10grams fresh yeast 1dl rye flour Approx 6dl regular flour (I keep adding until it doesn't stick to my hands) 3dl water room temperature 1tbsp oil 1tbsp honey 1tsp salt 1tsp bread spices Dissolve the yeast in some of the water then add the rest of the ingredients flour last (I always start with the rye flour and then add the wheat until the consistency is good) Line a bread pan with a sheet of baking paper. But dough in pan. Let it rise under a kitchen towel in room temperature for half an hour then put in the fridge. In the morning turn oven on to 250C and take the pan out of the fridge. When oven is warm put the pan in and set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes turn temp down to 200C and let it bake for another 20 minutes. Hope that makes sense :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Zee's recipe sounds somewhat like the Artisan Bread Recipe I use. 3 cups of lukewarm water Dissolve 1.5 T of yeast Then add 1.5 T sea salt Mix in 6.5 cups of flour - I use 5.5 cups of organic bread flour and then 1 cup of spelt or rye. You can play with the proportions I sprinkle quite liberally fennel seed and caraway into the dough. You could use any bread spices you like. Mix it together until you get a bread dough. This does not necessitate long kneading. Put dough in fridge and use portions of it to bake your loaf. Take a dough ball out and shape quickly (again no kneading necessary) let sit for maybe 20 minutes. One grapefruit size dough ball will bake into an average size loaf at F425 for about 25- 30 minutes. ETA: No machines of any kind needed. I do all mixing together by hand. There is no kneading required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Dough rising as I write. This recipe uses my husband's spent grains from home brewing. To me, most store bread is unpleasant tasting. My homemade loaves are certainly less expensive the bakery bread--usually better as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Jane, how do you use the grains? Are they mashed from cooking? Can you describe it, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 OK, now I want to know what a danish dough mixer is. :confused1: http://www.amazon.com/Danish-Dough-Whisk-Size-Large/dp/B002PABWJQ :) Replaced the big clunky KA stand mixer with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Ok at the risk of sounding very stupid, what is a dl? Deciliter :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I bake my own bread and it is much cheaper than bread of a comparable quality (i.e. specialty bakery; there is cheaper bread in the supermarket, but I would not want to eat it) All that goes in is flour, water, salt, and yeast for the wheat bread; my rye bread is natural sour dough and no yeast. If I were buying flour in bulk (and not just 10 lb bags), it would be even cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Just out of curiosity, to the OP: are you asking because you think making your own bread will save you money on your grocery bill, or because you already make bread and feel like you need to be able to make it yourself for less then a store would charge? I can't imagine the nice, bur fairly standard, bread I make costs more to make than the 7$ and 9$ loaves from the bakery. Against what bread are you comparing? And it is ok to spend .25 more on something we like doing. So if your homemade bread costs more than cheap-o supermarket bread, but you like making it and eating it, is that ok? It costs me more to knit a hat for my kid than it would to buy one in walmart but the finished product is beautiful and I love knitting. So, that makes it worth it to me. Even if he loses it in three day, lol. I have no experience or price that I am truly comparing. I have made bread before but haven't considered making most of our breads. I just bought 6 loaves this past week to freeze and just thought how ridiculous it was to take up so much prime real estate in my small freezer. I buy that many to last 2 weeks and to save a grocery trip. We live 30 minutes from the closest grocer. It'd be nice to cut down purchasing so many. I currently buy cheap store brand wheat bread for the kids and 3 to 4 dollar loaves of sour dough or multigrain for DH and myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 So after pricing grinders, I don't think I will invest there first off. I have a KA mixer and I have loaf pans already. I just need to buy flour and yeast. I use self rising for my baking needs currently. Girl friend, it's a "grain mill." :-) King Arthur flour is supposed to be pretty good. I buy the unbleached white flour to make English muffin bread (an America's Test Kitchens recipe) and it's pretty tasty. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Girl friend, it's a "grain mill." :-) King Arthur flour is supposed to be pretty good. I buy the unbleached white flour to make English muffin bread (an America's Test Kitchens recipe) and it's pretty tasty. :-) hahaha touche.... I beg you forgive my lack of proper jargon being that I posted after midnight. I will check out that brand flour at the store today. I'm also hunting down seeds for a fall garden. Dh says he's worried about my change of hobbies as of late. Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Jane, how do you use the grains? Arquie they mashed from cooking? Can you describe it, please? In making beer from scratch, a certain amount of grain is mixed with a certain amount of water to create the sugars for brewing. After the liquid is drained, a soggy mess of cracked grain remains. I let this cool in a big colander, then run these "spent grains" through the food processor. I freeze the processed spent grains in half cup portions since most of the recipes that I see using them require a half or a full cup. Here is the bread that is now rising: http://snappyservicecafe.com/homebrewed-to-home-baked-spent-grain-bread/ Admittedly, I am new to this concept but expect to do more with spent grains. Other people whom I know recycle their spent grains as chicken feed or make dog biscuits from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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