Do you bake your own bread?

[disneymom3]

So, I am trying to find ways to cut the budget around here while keeping us all healthy. It doesn't seem like making bread would be too hard. There is a special holiday bread I make each year that is not too hard. Any good recipes out there not covered in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that I should know about?

Now, if I could just get my own cow.....it's the gallon of milk every day and a half that is killing me!

PS I don't have a bread machine.

 

[Towncrier]

I used to bake bread all the time. I found that it was a good stress reliever. And nothing beats homemade bread. I don't have a bread machine either. Just a good Kitchen Aid mixer with lots of horsepower. My wife found a recipe for white bread that doesn't have an overpowering yeast odor (which I love but apparently she does not). It's pretty simple to make. I can't remember it off the top of my head, but I can post it for you when I get home from work.

My personal favorite is hard crusted french or italian breads.

I'm not sure how much money you will save by baking your own bread. I buy my yeast and bread flower in bulk from Sam's Club. The simplest breads are water, flour, yeast, and a pinch of salt. You have to consider the cost of fuel to bake the bread. And it does take a bit of time and patience. So you might not save a fortune, but I suppose it might be cheaper than loaves of Wonder Bread.

Now you've got me wanting to go home and bake some bread.

 

[Jcricket Fan]

My mom has been making a white bread for many many years and it is wonderful!
I will see her on Friday and get the recipe for you...she doesn't use a bread maker she tried once and the bread just didn't come out the same...so its the old fashion way which she says is very easy!

Colleen

 

[mommytotwo]

Sorry no recipes here other then bread machine recipes that I use and make.

 

[totalia]

Hmmm fresh homemade bread with warm butter on top. Yummm.

I used to make it. I haven't for a long time though. I never had a bread machine either.

 

[helenabear]

Honestly to bake a loaf of bread by yourself, it isn't that much savings in cost when it comes down to it (thanks to the cost of yeast... granted I never did buy in bulk). I can easily find a loaf of bread at the store for $1-1.50 (not a name brand though). It probably is much healthier though to make your own. I don't have a breadmaker either, but I have one heck of a mixer and when it comes to making holiday breads, I will do them myself.

However, making your own biscuits is a HUGE saver in many ways. I am 'lazy' and make drop biscuits all the time. They are quick and don't require yeast (only baking powder). I'll give you the recipe that I use if you like. And I add in cheeses and other things all the time to them (parmesean and garlic when having Italian particularly)

 

[Kermit]

I used to make all of our bread. Now I have 2 little ones and haven't made bread in quite a while, but I do enjoy it.

Buy in bulk to save money. You can get good prices on yeast from a health food store. That's a good place to buy flour, too.

You probably won't save over the cheap bread at the grocery store, but that's not a fair comparison. You're making a much healthier, heartier product that's more like what you'd buy from the bakery. If you bake with whole wheat flour, it's quite good for you. Start with half unbleached white flour and half whole wheat, then work your way up to all whole wheat.

 

[jimmalru80]

We just don't have the time.