March 12, 2008
The Price of Bread
Because I'm just ever-so-slightly OCD, after my last post I decided that I simply MUST figure out how much exactly it cost me to make bread from scratch. I calculated the cost of basic white bread from the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-by-Step Cookbook, and also the Betty Crocker's New Cookbook (both recipes make 2 loaves of bread, but the calculations are for one loaf). If you are to make the bread using the BH&G recipe, each loaf will cost $0.63. If you make the bread using Betty Crocker, each loaf will cost $0.51. The BH&G recipe uses milk, while Betty Crocker does not. I feel as though the BH&G recipe makes a better loaf of bread, but if you're going to butter or otherwise adorn your bread, the Betty Crocker one is just fine. Of course, as with figuring the cost of anything homemade, the price of water, electricity and time cannot accurately be determined. Making bread should only be done if you find it to be enjoyable. And to be frugal, you should probably do all of your bread-making in one day, or at least make bread on a day that you will otherwise be using the oven. Heating up and using the oven for just bread is not the best use of electricity, although on a cold day it is a nice way to warm up a room :) If you haven't checked out my previous post, please read it and give me your opinion!
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I am also interested in a good bread maker that won't take up a lot of room. I use a loaf pan, but finding the time is a challenge. I thought not working would free up some time :) I wouldn't trade being home with my two kids for anything in the world though.
ReplyDeleteIf you are making your own bread you can also make it more nutritious. I have heard that adding flax seed is great, and we like the taste of it. Also, you can get organic or buy from sources with fresher flours and wheats. We plan on joining a co-op when we get home to save money and to get better products. I will pass on what we get to see if anyone else is interested. They also sell in bulk so we can split shipments if anyone is interested.
Nutrition is one of the main reasons why I started making my own bread, besides the fact that it's frugal. I noticed that sandwich bread would stay "fresh" in my frig for 3 weeks, and that was kinda scary. Now that BB is older and loves bread, I don't want to give him a bunch of junk. I use whole wheat flour and wheatgerm in my bread, but I used the white bread recipe to figure the cost comparison because I knew white bread was the cheapest. I figured if I could make white bread cheaper, than I could definitely do the same for healthier bread, which is often double or triple in price just because it's "healthy."
ReplyDeleteThe co-op sounds great, Melissa. I've wanted to see about joining one but I didn't know where to look.