The other day on Facebook, a person told me that you shouldn’t bake your bread at home because bakery bread was so much superior and cost less. Now then, the person didn’t clarify whether this “bakery” was a stand-alone bakery or a grocery store bakery, where the bread is often made from frozen dough and finished on site. But as I mulled over it, the cost has never been why I made homemade bread. For us, it is about taste and the ingredient list. And for actual real bakery bread, it isn’t cheap. It is $7 to 12 a loaf!
And I’d go as far as to include the Soviet Union in my mindset. The boys and I were studying why it was in the Soviet Union that people didn’t bake bread at home for decades. While the lack of personal kitchens was a factor as the agrarian population moved into the cities, it was more that the cost of grain was very high (because they were not producing enough in the fields). The government took much of it to produce bread in factories, which kept the people dependent on them for basic survival. The bread was cheaply priced, at a loss to the government, but it was worth it for the control. The simple skill of baking bread at home was lost there, and rather quickly. So for the citizens, it was cheaper to buy bread. They couldn’t even afford to buy wheat if they could source it.
We buy flour in 25 to 50-pound bags as we bake a lot. This gets the price down even lower than the prices below. We pay $15.89 for 25 pounds of standard white all-purpose flour, about 64 cents a pound. And buy our yeast in 1-pound bricks at $8.49. We buy both in a restaurant supply store to save more (no membership needed).
It takes us less than 2 pounds of flour and 2¼ tsp of active dry yeast to make 2 loaves of sandwich bread. I am making 2 loaves of white bread for less than $1.50, including sugar, salt, and oil.
And I am not reliant on anyone for a loaf of bread as long as I keep the supplies on hand.
Feeling fevered, I headed to the store and took photos of the current white all-purpose flour, bread flour, and commercial bread costs. To see what both 10-pound and 5-pound bags cost at a regular grocery store.
Organic white all-purpose flour. 10 pounds for $16.19. It is $1.62 per pound.
Gold Medal Flour Bread. 10 pounds for $12.59. It is $1.26 per pound,
Gold Medal white all-purpose flour. 10 pounds for $9.99. It is $0.99 per pound.
King Arthur white bread flour. 5 pounds for $$10.09. It is $2.02 per pound.
Gold Medal white bread flour. 5 pounds for $7.19. It is $1.44 per pound.
Bob’s Red Mill white bread four. 5 pounds for $7.29. It is $1.46 per pound.
Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour. 5 pounds for $5.49. It is $1.10 per pound.
The Takeaway:
Even the most expensive flour at $2.02 per pound (King Arthur bread flour, 5-pound bag) will make 2 loaves of bread for $5. I’d say I proved my point. It IS more affordable. Yes, you have to build your time in, and the cost of baking; what you get back is well worth it.
Commercial Bread:
The most “affordable” loaf of bread that wasn’t the lowest grade possible was on sale for $3.49 a loaf. It usually sells for $5.29. This is a soft bread that stays fresh far too long.
Texas Toast, the staple of grilled cheese in the PNW, is not cheap at $5.19 a loaf, though it was on sale at $4.49.
Franz is a PNW corporation that produces much of the bread sold in grocery stores. It’s large loaves that stay oddly soft a long time. While on sale this week, it’s average price is nearly $6 a loaf.
Dave’s Killer Bread was once a PNW brand, run by Dave. It’s not anymore and is now run coast to coast by a large corporation. At $7.59 it isn’t cheap. Years ago I actually was given a sample of his bread by Dave himself. And it was a lot more affordable then.
This is a normal price for organic commercial bread. $6.29, and the loaf is quite small. Who knows what “sustainably baked” means? It’s from a large factory so one has to wonder. Nothing but buzzwords. (Oh wait, I looked it….”We match 100% of the electricity we use in our bakeries with renewable wind energy credits.” So yes, buzzwords.)
This Is How Simple Bread Is:
You only need a few ingredients to make white sandwich bread: Yeast, water, salt, sugar, oil, and flour. What we eat doesn’t have to be complicated.
To compare to commercial bread:
Naked Bread, white:
ENRICHED UNBLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN AND FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, YEAST, VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, SALTED BUTTER. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:, SALT, DOUGH CONDITIONER (ASCORBIC ACID), DISTILLED VINEGAR, ENZYMES.
CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK
Orowheat Organic Rustic White:
ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], WATER, CANE SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, SEA SALT, VEGETABLE OIL [SOYBEAN OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, CANOLA OIL], CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, GRAIN VINEGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, SESAME SEEDS
Franz Buttermilk:
Enriched Unbleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin And Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Potato Flour, Buttermilk Solids, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% Or Less Of Each Of The Following: Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Ascorbic Acid, Cultured Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Enzymes. Contains: Wheat, Milk
Franz Texas Toast:
ENRICHED UNBLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN AND FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, YEAST, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SALT, SOYBEAN OIL, DISTILLED VINEGAR, YEAST NUTRIENT (AMMONIUM SULFATE), DOUGH CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, ASCORBIC ACID, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), EXTRACT OF MALTED BARLEY, DEXTROSE, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, TURMERIC (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), CALCIUM PROPIONATE (MOLD INHIBITOR), ENZYMES.
Now onto the good stuff: Simple homemade bread. And a recipe that is so easy to follow.
White Sandwich Loaves
Ingredients:
- 2¼ tsp dry active yeast (1 packet)
- 2¼ cups warm water (110-115°)
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 6¼ to 6¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading potentially)
- Oil for bowl
Directions:
Add the yeast and warm water in a stand mixer, and let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
Add in the sugar, salt, oil, and 3 cups flour. With a bread hook, combine.
Add more flour, ½ cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. You may or may not use all your flour (depending on humidity).
Sprinkle flour on a work surface and knock the dough out.
Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding flour, as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic (not sticking to your hands).
In a large mixing bowl, add a swirl of oil to it. Place dough in and flip over to get oil on both sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel.
Set aside to rise in a warm area (in cooler homes, place on a heating pad, set on low) for 1½ hours or until doubled.
Punch down the dough and cut it in half. Gently roll each piece into a rectangle, then fold over like an envelope.
Place each loaf into a lightly oiled 9×5″ bread pan.
Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375° and bake loaves for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on top.
Remove and knock out onto a cooling rack.
Once cooled, bread can be sliced and frozen for later use. Remove frozen slices as needed and thaw on the counter.
Makes 2 loaves.
~Sarah