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Hi friends! Welcome back to my little corner of the Internet. Today, I wanted to share one of my new homemaking hobbies – baking bread! I’ve been baking bread for more than a month now, and it’s truly changed my perspective on saving. I hope this post inspires you to do some baking because it’s… well, the best thing since sliced bread!
#1: It saves money
The numbers will depend on where you live, but I’ve noticed that pretty much any bread I buy, I could make for less. Different bread recipes call for different sets of ingredients, but the three basic ones are flour, yeast and salt, all of which have long shelf lives and can be bought in bulk.
Outside of flour, electricity from oven usage is usually the largest expense, but I don’t pay for electricity in my apartment so that’s a non-factor. If I ever move to a house where I do have to pay electricity, I think I’d try bulk baking my loaves, pre-cutting them, and freezing them. Back when I lived on my own and bought bread, I’d always put it in the freezer and toast the slices I wanted to eat. I’ve never noticed a difference in taste between freezer-toasted bread and counter/fridge-toasted bread. For now though, because I’m enjoying the process of baking so much, and my boyfriend and I are able to finish the loaves I bake no problem before they go bad, I’m not bulk baking.
Another cost-effective benefit I’ve noticed is that since I started baking bread, we’ve been making less trips to the grocery store. Going to the store inevitably means we’ll stock up on other items we could have gone weeks without, so limiting the amount of times we set foot in expensive downtown grocery stores is the best way I’ve found to save on our food bill.
In terms of baking equipment, I prefer to stay minimalist and use just two baking dishes, a mixing bowl and my hands. Some recipes call for a stand mixer and/ or bread maker, but there are also a lot that don’t, and I honestly find kneading bread to be quite satisfying and relaxing. If you really want a machine to lessen the workload, you can get them for decent prices off Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace.
#2: It’s healthier and tastes better
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of how in store bought breads, half the loaf is air. When I’m having a buttered slice with soup, I want good, hearty chunks to dip with, not soggy shreds! When I make the bread at home, I usually let it rise for an hour, and after it’s done baking, it’s got a bounce but isn’t needlessly airy. I also know there’s no additive and preservatives in my bread – because I didn’t add any.
In term of healthy bread recipes, I’ve made this simple bread recipe a few times. For my next batch, I’m giving this whole wheat bread recipe a try.
#3: It’s fun!
I’ve already mentioned how I find kneading bread therapeutic. I also love the smell of baking bread filling the apartment while you wait. And finally, there’s also a ton of satisfaction in taking your end product out of the oven and slicing it open, knowing you made magic happen. As they say, bread is the staff of life, and you just made some!