Let’s Bake Some Bread

Baking bread is one of the easiest ways to cut a few dollars off your grocery bill each week.  What do you spend on bread each week? If you are like my family we eat one to two loaves a week, even if we were to get the inexpensive bread that adds up to $3.50 a week, about $14 a month, or $168 a year.  What could you do with an extra $168 a year?

Baking bread may seem scary but it really isn’t hard at all. It also seems like it will take all day long with the proofing and rising and baking, but again it isn’t as bad as it sounds. Here are a few simple recipes you can use. My husband is the baker so he has a bunch of recipes he uses but those are a tad more complicated than what I like to use.

My favorite bread is a simple Amish White Bread.

Ingredients:

§  2 cups warm water

• 1/3 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbls active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups flour

Add sugar to a bowl and then add water (make sure it is approx. 115 degrees). Sprinkle your yeast on top of the sugar and stir gently for 30 seconds and let sit for 10 or so minutes. When the mixture bubbles up you know you can move on to the next steps. Add your oil and half the flour mixture and then your salt (salt after flour as the salt kills the yeast). Add in the remaining flour and mix. If you are using a mixer you can put on your dough hook to mix.  Add flour to your counter top or baking mat and place the dough on your counter and knead the dough for approx. 3 to 5 minutes, forming a soft round ball.  Lightly grease a bowl and then add your dough ball to the bowl, flip it over so all sides are coated with the grease. Cover the top of the bowl with a damp warm towel or saran wrap and let it sit for about one hour. 

Once again lightly flour your counter surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Once the dough has doubled in size you will remove it from the bowel and punch it down and then cut in half. You will then need to form your dough into the shape of a loaf. Pinch the ends, or tuck the ends under, this will help create uniformity as your bread bakes. You will want to prepare a bread pan (9x5) by greasing the sides. Put your dough in the pan and cover and let rise for about 30 minutes (when the dough doubles in size).  When you cover your dough turn your oven on to preheat to 350 degrees. 

When your dough has doubled in size, place in your oven and bake for 25 minutes or so, until golden brown.  Right before the bread is finish you will melt 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter to brush on top when you pull the bread out of the oven. Let your bread sit and rest for 10 minutes after removing from the oven (and brushing the top with butter) and then remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack.

I know, I know, that seems like a lot of work for a simple loaf of bread. But trust me it really isn’t a lot of work (just very detailed directions) and it really is worth it.  For starters the bread tastes amazing, way better than what you would get in the store. Second, you know what is in your bread because you put it there. Take a look at the ingredient list on the back of your store purchased bread. I bet there are more ingredients listed than what is listed above and some of those you probably can’t even pronounce. Last but not least making your own bread is less expensive in the long run than buying a loaf of bread or two a week.  Kristen from The Frugal Girl did a very thorough investigation into how much it you’ll save by making your own homemade bread. She estimated that you’ll save at least $0.50 per loaf if you typically buy the very cheapest bread on the market (that typically sells for $0.99 per loaf). However, if you typically buy a little bit higher quality bread (that usually retails for $2-$3 per loaf, than you’re going to be saving $1.50 to $2.50 per loaf easily.

So happy baking everyone, I can't wait to hear how well your bread came out and how amazing it tasted. My husband just made fresh French Bread so I am off to enjoy a nice warm slice with lunch.