Bread Makers, cost per loaf.

[Scramble]

Ok dug out the bread maker and plan to make bread more often.

Just wondered has anyone worked out he cost per loaf of a 1lb or 1.5lb basic loaf.

Also it won't have all the rubbish in it that supermarket bread does-- that they don't have to put on the label.

Well I meant if a breadmaker will only make a smaller loaf than you're average 800g one (I know nothing about them).

Actually though, if it gets eaten more quickly (because it tastes nicer) perhaps that needs factoring into the price calculation?

You have prompted me to finally start a thread asking for nice bread recipes. Been meaning to do it for ages.

For us it works out cheaper because the nearest place to buy a loaf is 4 miles away and that's a petrol garage with small shop attached with jacked up prices. The small Co-op and Somerfield are about 9 miles away and about 25p dearer than across the water.

Cheaper to go and stock up on Carr's flour across the water once a month than run to the shops every time we need a loaf.

Tastier, too!

I make breadcrumbs out of the heels.

We do a large loaf every time.

Also factor in the butter etc you will spread on the lovely bread and the weightwatchers meetings after you eaten so much bread

I buy yeast in a tin that lasts for ages.

LOL

but seb, it's healthy

here

hopefully someone will be along with some inspiring recipes for our breadmakers. I've fallen back into the trap of spending over a quid on a supermarket loaf and I KNOW my breadmaker bread is cheaper and far superior!
By the way I get breadmaker flour from Lidl, only about 40p a bag. No idea where its from, I mix it with Marriages flour from the health food shop to get a better quality but less expensive loaf.

Calzone, agree about how much cheaper it is to use fresh yeast, and how much better the bread is by hand!

But you over-estimated the price - fresh yeast isn't 90p for 4-5 loaves. I pay 99p for a block of yeast from Sainsburys, which gives me at least 100 loaves (approx 1 1/2 lb size).

Agree also that you don't need butter or sugar in bread. Even in breadmakers you don't need the fat or the dried milk powder and you only need about a quarter of the sugar they suggest - use the full amount of sugar and it's really foul I've always found. And about half or less of the salt recommended and half of the yeast recommended. So cutting costs all the way!

I've actually used fresh yeast in a breadmaker, despite the dire warnings that this won't work, and actually it works better than the dried stuff. So my costings work out really well - only flour, water, tiny bit of salt and not much yeast. If using dried yeast in a breadmaker, tiny bit of sugar too, if by hand no sugar needed.

Hand-made bread is still heaps heaps better than breadmaker bread though. Although if you're used to buying supermarket bread, I suppose breadmaker bread is better than that.