Bread Maker and Saving Money

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The beer, also, should be at room temperature when you mix it, at least according to the recipe I use. I see some don’t. 🙂
 
Don’t forget to put delicious herbs in the beer bread, too, especially with cheese. And some recipes call for a few tablespoons of melted butter poured on top before baking. Mmmmmmm!

Betsy
 
Shin said:
The beer, also, should be at room temperature when you mix it, at least according to the recipe I use. I see some don’t. 🙂
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Uhh, didn’t think about that. My beer was naturally room temperature, as I didn’t have room in the old fridgeroo for all of it.

Given that you use self-raising flour as well, I’m not sure how much difference there would be if you put the beer in cold. Might run some highly delicious scientific tests and find out :cool:
 
I`ve never tried beer bread! I will have to give it a shot. Anyone have a recipe they would like to share?

Sincerely,

Maria1212
 
Maria:
LilyM said:
The basic recipe is 12 fl oz beer, 3 cups self-raising flour (I’ve used wholemeal) and 3 tbsp sugar. You can experiment with adding different seeds, or different flours, or putting some cheese in the mix or whatnot.
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All you do is mix the three ingredients together until they’re smooth like a cake mix, then put it in a greased 9" x 5" bread tin and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 or 60 minutes. Couldn’t be simpler.

Sorry I forgot the baking instructions earlier :o
 
LilyM said:
Maria:

All you do is mix the three ingredients together until they’re smooth like a cake mix, then put it in a greased 9" x 5" bread tin and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 or 60 minutes. Couldn’t be simpler.

Sorry I forgot the baking instructions earlier :o
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Thanks! I look forward to trying this!
 
Hi Maria–I bake bread and pizzas all the time and find baking w/o a bread machine much better. The old fashioned method of baking, I think, has a spiritual component that should not be overlooked. As a chef, I find a wholesome quality and dimension to handmade bread baking as well a delicious results!! Also, I read about a woman who bakes her own bread and marks each loaf with a sign of the cross before she bakes them as gratitude for “our daily bread”.

God bless,
MC1058
 
My Zojirushi has 2 paddles and mixes really well. Worlds better than the one I had before it. I don’t remember the brand or know the cost of that one though (it was a wedding gift). I think there are good and bad ones out there, but I’ve only had experience with these 2.
 
mc1058 said:
Hi Maria–I bake bread and pizzas all the time and find baking w/o a bread machine much better. The old fashioned method of baking, I think, has a spiritual component that should not be overlooked. As a chef, I find a wholesome quality and dimension to handmade bread baking as well a delicious results!! Also, I read about a woman who bakes her own bread and marks each loaf with a sign of the cross before she bakes them as gratitude for “our daily bread”.

God bless,
MC1058
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Food that you pray over always tastes better. 😃
 
mc1058 said:
Hi Maria–I bake bread and pizzas all the time and find baking w/o a bread machine much better. The old fashioned method of baking, I think, has a spiritual component that should not be overlooked. As a chef, I find a wholesome quality and dimension to handmade bread baking as well a delicious results!! Also, I read about a woman who bakes her own bread and marks each loaf with a sign of the cross before she bakes them as gratitude for “our daily bread”.

God bless,
MC1058
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I agree with you about the spiritual component of baking bread. It is a luxury when I have the time to do it. But I work very long days during the week and have a long commute on top of that. I think a break maker would be nice for during the week so I could wake up to the smell of fresh bread and then bring it to work for breakfast or eat it with my homemade soup at lunch.

I do a lot of baking on the weekends and then freeze it so I can bring it to work for lunch. I also use a slow cooker. I can turn it on when I go to bed and then when I wake up my lunch and dinner are already made.

I often bake muffins on the weekend and then freeze them so I can eat them during the week. They don`t taste quite as good once they have been frozen though.

I have heard the quality of bread from bread makers really varies. But it does seem cost effective over time. I bought flour and yeast at Costco. They didnt have whole wheat flour though so I am not sure if they were out or if they dont carry it. But I think if I purchase the majority of my ingredients there, it will save a lot of money.

I think I will try a bread maker and if I don`t like the taste I can return it.

Sincerely,

Maria1212
 
ThyKingdomCome said:
My Zojirushi has 2 paddles and mixes really well. Worlds better than the one I had before it. I don’t remember the brand or know the cost of that one though (it was a wedding gift). I think there are good and bad ones out there, but I’ve only had experience with these 2.
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zojirushi is one of the best brands out there, according to my internet research anyway. It has fantastic reviews on Amazon and other websites. The zojirushi mini caught my eye online. It only has one paddle but takes up less counter space and makes a 1 lb loaf so it is perfect for smaller households. I am single, and while I can always bring leftovers to work for the office, the smaller size sounds nice.

It is a big investment but if I use it consistently it would be worth it. I use my juicer every single day and use all of my other kitchen appliances on a very regular basis so I am not the type to buy something and then let it collect dust. It is a big purchase though which is why I am researching and thinking about it carefully.

Sincerely,

Maria1212
 
You’ll be disgusted to know that I make bread without a mixer or a machine. And I have arthritis so I can’t knead excessively. Yet, once you have the skills, it can be done easily. I’ve even been known to mix the dough with a soup spoon. Yep, the awkward larger sized spoon that comes in the flatware set.

It is all in the techniques, and the type of bread you desire. For the busy cook, I’ve heard a lot about bread that you mix up a fast, easy batch of and then refrigerate for weeks. The cook just removes portions of the dough as needed and bakes it. Myself, I haven’t tried it, since I am perfectly happy with my sourdough projects. But it would be a total timesaver for you. And cheap. It would be easier for you than using a bread machine regularly, assuming you could adapt your breads to the technique. There is an entire book on the subject (at least). Here is one website with info and a basic recipe.

Also, some breads can be frozen nicely, so consider making larger batches and utilizing the freezer. Already baked rye rolls is what I have done this with.
 
Pug said:
You’ll be disgusted to know that I make bread without a mixer or a machine. And I have arthritis so I can’t knead excessively. Yet, once you have the skills, it can be done easily. I’ve even been known to mix the dough with a soup spoon. Yep, the awkward larger sized spoon that comes in the flatware set.

It is all in the techniques, and the type of bread you desire. For the busy cook, I’ve heard a lot about bread that you mix up a fast, easy batch of and then refrigerate for weeks. The cook just removes portions of the dough as needed and bakes it. Myself, I haven’t tried it, since I am perfectly happy with my sourdough projects. But it would be a total timesaver for you. And cheap. It would be easier for you than using a bread machine regularly, assuming you could adapt your breads to the technique. There is an entire book on the subject (at least). Here is one website with info and a basic recipe.

Also, some breads can be frozen nicely, so consider making larger batches and utilizing the freezer. Already baked rye rolls is what I have done this with.
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I am very impressed!! Thanks for the tips!!!
 
Jermosh said:
I have celiac and its saves consider amount of money as compared to store bought gluten free. Tips:
Buy loose yeast and keep in the fridge, or you can make a mother. Always make sure your yeast blooms before putting in machine.
Get a model that has pre-progamed and delayed.
Other then bleached flour, keep all other flours in the freezer, whole wheat flour can go rancid quickly if in the right enviroment.
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First off,Thanks for sharing tips …Celiac bread maker ??? I don’t have an idea regarding this …Can you tell me the features of this and how much this cost?
 
Maria1212 said:
One of my New Year`s resolutions was to really work hard at was decreasing unnecessary spending. I am single and had felt like I was wasting a lot of money on a food budget because items would go bad before I could use them up. This year, with a lot of planning, I am doing much better. I have saved a lot of money by shopping at Costco. I freeze items and then thaw them as needed.

Since this fall I have saved a lot of money by making soup from scratch on the weekends. I freeze the soup in individual tupperware and then take them to work for lunch.

I spend a lot of money on bread. I love pecan rasin bread and consider it a luxury. I am considering buying a mini breadmaker. It makes one pound loaves and I think it would be economical in the long-run compared to what I spend on bread at the store. The quality sounds like it would be better too.

For folks who own breadmakers, do you think it saves you money in the long-run? I know a lot of people buy breadmakers and then never use them. I own a lot of kitchen appliances and use them every day so think I would use a bread maker on a weekly basis but am wondering if it is cost effective. I use my juicer on a daily basis so know if I had one, it would not just collect dust. But I am on the fence as to whether it would save me money.

I`d welcome thoughts from folks on whether you think a bread maker has saved your family money.

Sincerely,

Maria1212
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My husband bought the book “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes”… We do not have a bread maker, but it’s not really hard to bake bread and it did save us more than just money… We can decide how big of a loaf we make (depending on how much we eat), we can save it in the fridge for a couple of days before baking it (so we could in theory bake it right before we want to eat) and my favorite one is that it is simply better to not have all those preservatives and artificial flavors etc… It’s easy, it’s cheaper, produces less waste and it’s just healthy.

May God bless you.

In Him,
Janet
 
Janet1983 said:
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes
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Maria1212,

Yes, Janet has the name of the book that I had in mind, maybe it ended 5 minutes a day. The website I gave you earlier, the article on it is done by the people who wrote that book. Give it a try. 🙂
 
Janet1983 said:
True… I didn’t go and check the title…
artisanbreadinfive.com
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Thanks! I will five it a try. I just finished making blueberry muffins from scratch. I love baking when I have the time! We got hit with a blizzard so it is the perfect excuse to stay indoors and bake.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the great tips. Even if I end up trying a bread machine, there are still times I will want to make it from scratch.

Sincerely,

Maria1212
 
I make my own bread from scratch all the time. I do not use a bread maker, however. I am not sure what advantages they bring.

Making your own bread is a lot of fun and definitely saves money.

I recommend reading the Breadbakers apprentice.
 
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