Did you immediately smell it? Just thinking about homemade bread causes my senses to immediately recall the comforting scent of bread that just came out of the oven. There’s just something about a slice of fresh, warm bread, slathered in butter or honey (or both!) that makes me feel at home. There is nothing like homemade bread.
I know, I can already hear your protests: I don’t bake; I don’t have time, etc. I see what you’re saying but I think that if you gave it a chance you might find that it’s worth it. I make all of our bread at home by hand, and have for 2 years now. I feel like it adds a lot to our home, the time is worth it to me, and because this is Domestic Cents I feel compelled to add that it is a great money-saver.
Here are some of the pros and cons to making your own bread.
Pros
- Cost
- Taste
- Homey feel
- No preservatives or fillers (you can pronounce all ingredients!)
- The thrill of learning a new skill
- You can always have bread in the house (no worry about running out)
It will probably cost you the same to make a loaf of homemade wheat bread that it costs to buy that airy, preservative-filled, sugary (yup), nutrition-less (getting the point here?) white bread. I buy my yeast in bulk at a health food store. I can get about a pound of it for around $5, an enormous savings from what I’d pay in the grocery store. I also buy my white flour in 25 lb. bags. I still purchase my whole wheat flour from my local grocery store because I have not found a better deal anywhere else (of course, I live in the country, so that may not be the case for you). I also bake 4 loaves at a time and freeze 3 of them so I only have to bake for my family about once a week. I’ve gained some excellent recipes, which I’ve tweaked to our liking. I make varieties such as Italian Herb bread to have on Spaghetti Sunday; Cinnamon-Raisin bread for toast; Granola Wheat and Honey Oatmeal Wheat bread for every day and also all of our dinner rolls.
Cons
- Time
- Getting the hang of it
The thought of working with active dry yeast may be a little intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can be very useful. I find that the time required doesn’t bother me. I only bake bread on days that I don’t plan to leave the house for at least 3 hours (the average time required to bake a loaf of bread from beginning to end). Like anything else, it takes a little practice to get very good at it, but with a few basic principles you’ll get it in no time.
Check in tomorrow and I’ll give you a quick lesson on the basics of yeast bread. Ever tried to make it?
Why I do what I do ~ Tonight is my youngest niece’s 2nd birthday party. It feels like the end of an era. I’m sure there are more babies to come, but for now they are all growing up on me … when did that happen?
photo credit: grabadonut
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I love making homemade bread too. However, I don’t make it very often, partly because of the time it takes.
The other reason is that I decided I wasn’t saving any money, because by the time I bought the yeast and all the other ingredients I was spending about the same amount as just buying a loaf.
I need to check my health foods store and see if they sell yeast in bulk. That could make a difference in my decision.
Also, I hadn’t thought about making a bunch and freezing it. Thanks for the idea!
It has been driving me nuts that the only bread in the grocery store without high-fructose corn syrup costs more than $3 a loaf.
I have made bread before, but not enough to have become comfortable with doing so. I’m going to try again and see how it goes. A pound of yeast must last forever, huh?
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@Amanda – A great tip for freezing, slice it BEFORE you freeze it. An electric knife (like you would use to carve a turkey) makes perfect slices!
@Country-Fried Mama – a pound of yeast would last quite a while for someone that only bakes for their family. The way I’m able to keep the cost down is buy purchasing my baking products in bulk. It makes a big difference.
both of my parents make homemade bread, and i think that its better than store bought. I love eatting it because i know what is put in it. and it TASTES wickd good.
I have been making Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes for the last couple of weeks. Its nice because I don’t always have time or patience to kneed. The drawback is the hard crust it produces. Do you have a recipe that makes a softer crust? I’ll be back tomorrow to see what you share.
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@Liz – All of the breads I make are knead-breads so they all have a nice, soft crust. If you want to stick with that recipe you might want to try brushing the top of your loaves with softened butter (or olive oil) right after they come out of the oven. That should soften them up.
Have you ever seen the bread books by Father Dominic Garramon? His white sandwich bread recipe in “Baking Bread with Father Dominic” is the best I’ve ever had and quite easy to make. Right now we’re saving all our bread crumbs in order to try is bread crumb bread.