I felt it time for me to update my post on baking bread. I have made a couple of changes that have reduced the cost and improved the loaves.
I like making my own bread for a couple of reasons. First it is cheaper than the cheapest loaf I can find locally. Second I know exactly what goes into it. Third it is really easy to do either with a bread maker or without.
The recipe I use makes two 700g loaves. Obviously this will not work with baking them in the bread machine. So I only use the bread machine on dough only. It does all the mixing, kneading and rising. When it is done I split the dough in to two pans. This eliminate the odd shaped loaves and the hole in the bottom. The first change I made was was the loaf pans. The original ones were ones I had on hand but I went out and bought 2 longer pans that are meant for 700g loaves. This change made the loaves shorter and a more normal shape.
I always use a digital scale to measure my ingredients. It is more accurate, faster and makes it easier to adjust for differing ingredients. The faster comes from me putting the insert on the scale and zeroing it, then adding ingredients zeroing between each one.
The other changes are in the ingredients. I replaced the milk in the recipe with water. Nobody can tell the difference. I removed the chia seeds. They are good for us and I liked them but everyone else hates them and they were expensive and getting more so. I still put them in my Oatmeal. That is another post from long ago that needs updating.
So the new recipe is:
- 495g Water
- 58g Margarine
- 24g Lemon juice
- 51g sugar
- 10g salt
- 620g Whole Wheat Flour
- 150g All Purpose Flour
- 9g Yeast
- Add all the ingredients to the bread machine insert in that order. I use a scale with the insert on it and zero the scale between ingredients. Set the machine to dough only. When it is done remove and divide into two loaves. Form into logs and place into greased pans. I use butter for the greasing. Let rise again for 35 minutes. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes
| Ingredient | Last Purchase Price | Cost in Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| 495g Milk | Replace with Water | $0.00 |
| 58g Margarine | $6.49/3lb box | $0.27 |
| 24g Lemon juice | n/a | n/a |
| 51g sugar | $12.97/10KG bag | $0.07 |
| 10g salt | n/a | n/a |
| 620g Whole Wheat Flour | $7.97/10kg bag | $0.50 |
| 150g Flour | $7.97/10kg bag | $0.12 |
| 9g Yeast | $8.99/450g Vacu Bag | $0.18 |
That brings my cost for a batch down to $1.16 which is $0.58 per loaf. When you compare that to the cheapest loaf I can find locally at $1.49 per 350g loaf it not even close.
Someone once commented that they didn’t feel they were saving because of the electricity cost. Searching Google I got for where I am, with an average oven, about $0.16. In places with higher electricity rate it could be $0.60. So that would be between and extra $0.08 and $0.30 per loaf.
Now I am from Canada so all the prices reflect that. The saving should be the same but food usually cost less in the US.
