Bread on a Budget (2024)

FAQs

Is it really cheaper to make your own bread? ›

In a nutshell, if you're buying basic, cheap sandwich bread, it's probably cheaper than you can make it at home. But if you compare two loaves similar to what you could make at home — one made with high-quality ingredients as opposed to one made with lesser quality ingredients — home baking becomes much cheaper.

Gently press your finger into the dough on the top. If the dough springs back quickly, it's underproofed. If it springs back very slowly, it's properly proofed and ready to bake. Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is overproofed.

Home baked bread is a great and easy way to cut down on your grocery bill. Making your own bread at home can cost half as much per loaf than what you would pay at the grocery store.

What bakers call the “poke test” is the best way to tell if dough is ready to bake after its second rise. Lightly flour your finger and poke the dough down about 1". If the indent stays, it's ready to bake. If it pops back out, give it a bit more time.

The Verdict. Bread machines require some upfront investment and involvement. But they undeniably save significant money over time, especially for frequent bread eaters. The convenience, tastes, and health perks are added bonuses.

Johanna Hartzheim, co-founder and head of product at Wildgrain, a bread and pasta delivery service, recommends eating homemade bread within three days but says it will last up to a week. "The bread will start to dry up and become a bit harder over time, but it takes much longer until it becomes moldy," she says.

In most parts of the nation, you can't just start selling baked goods whenever you like. You'll need to apply for a home bakery permit, registration, license and/or certificate first. Bakeries in residential buildings don't need to register with the federal Food and Drug Administration.

How much it costs to bake a loaf of bread. To make a basic loaf of bread you need flour, water, salt and something to make the bread rise. (You can use yeast or a starter if you're baking sourdough.) Mary Grace estimates the ingredients for a loaf will cost somewhere between $1 and $1.50.

Too much yeast could cause the dough to go flat by releasing gas before the flour is ready to expand. If you let the dough rise too long, it will start having a yeast or beer smell and taste and ultimately deflate or rise poorly in the oven and have a light crust.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Can I refrigerate bread dough after it has risen? ›

You can chill your dough during either the first or second rise.

Making bread from a machine is marginally cheaper than buying it, as long as you eat bread frequently enough to offset the cost of the appliance. Specifically, I see this as an investment that's smart for households that go through bread quickly, like large families or homes with multiple roommates.

Time saved: Baking bread can be an enjoyable experience, but if you can't spare the hours to manually knead, prove and mix your dough each time, a breadmaker can significantly speed up the process.

That said, most homemade breads are likely healthier than store-bought breads, which are often high in sugar and preservatives. One benefit of making your own bread is that you can control the ingredients. For example, you can use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, or add healthy toppings like nuts and seeds.

Homemade bread is healthier

You don't have to decide between nutrition and price if you bake your own bread at home. Supermarket shelves are full of cheap bread made with lousy quality bleached flour, additives and preservatives and containing lots of sugar and very little fibre.