Cheapest and/or best bread recipe you use?

mrs_sparrow

Hi all, I have started using my bread maker instead of buying brea. They had an offer in Tesco where it was 3 for 2 on bread mix but that has ended now so it's back up to 66p a loaf. I am using about 5 loaves a week so this is not making it much cheaper than buying bread.

Can you give me a cheap recipe that actually works.

Also would like to try 'best of both' type loaves as we do not like brown but white bread makes me feel really bloated after a while.

Maybe a recipe for a different style of bread perhaps?

Looking forward to hearing suggestions. Thanks.

joedenise

I don't really think about whether or not it's money saving to make your own bread but it certainly tastes much better than shop bought bread.

You can mix wholemeal and white flour to make a 50/50 loaf - it will still look like wholemeal bread but will be lighter than a completely wholemeal loaf.

Denise

Justamum

My basic recipe is

500g bread flour - a mix in any proportion of white and wholemeal is fine. I usually use 20% wholemeal (so about 100g)
1 tsp instant yeast
10g salt
300ml water

Mix the flour and yeast together. Dissolve the salt in the water, then pour on to the flour and mix well. You might need a little bit more water to properly incorporate everything. Knead for 5-10 minutes - you shouldn't need extra flour. If it's sticky to start with after a couple of minutes it will become a nice soft non-sticky ball.

Leave to rise covered in a bowl until doubled in size (that will depend on where you leave it). Knock back and put in a bread tin. Leave to rise again until it's just reached the top of the tin. Heat the oven to 230c and bake the bread for 30 minutes.

I usually make 4 loaves at a time. It does work out cheaper than buying bread - a bag of Tesco white costs 63p and Tesco wholemeal is £1.24, and you get three loaves out of each loaf. It's more substantial so you eat less - I could eat a whole loaf of bought bread and still feel hungry, whereas two slices of homemade bread fills me up.

I haven't forgotten sugar in the recipe - I never use it.

SailorSam

You're not going to save any money by using packets of bread mix, use flour.
I do a 70/30 mix. 70% wholemeal and the rest white. I have read on here that plain white flour works just as well as white bread flour (not tried it). I've found Asda and Lidl the cheapest most of the time.

sonastin

In my BM I usually use 3/4 tsp dried yeast (allinson green tin), 400g bread flour (in any proportions of white and wholemeal that I fancy), 1tsp each of salt and sugar, 1tbsp of oil and 280-310ml water depending on how much white/wholemeal I've used (less for white, more for wholemeal).

Haven't tried plain flour as the price difference between SM's own white bread flour (~60p atm) and value plain flour (~52p) doesn't really seem worth risking a ruined loaf for. Although I have topped up with plain when I was 50g short of bread flour a few weeks ago.

JulieM

My favourite mix is half granary/half white bread flour.

Justamum

SailorSam wrote: »

I have read on here that plain white flour works just as well as white bread flour (not tried it).

There isn't enough gluten in plain flour to make a decent loaf. Although I do use it for making pizza bases as it's easier to roll out without springing back again.

honeythewitch

Justamum wrote: »

There isn't enough gluten in plain flour to make a decent loaf. Although I do use it for making pizza bases as it's easier to roll out without springing back again.

In theory, no, but many a time i have used it in place of bread flour and it has been fine.
It varies a lot, because the gluten in all flour changes according to the harvest, but it is always nice toasted,and if you run out of bread flour it is well worth giving it a go with plain.
Use a little more sugar and yeast and let it rise longer.
It is a gamble but if you use the cheapest "value" sort it isn't much lost if it fails.

Ben84

Simple bread recipes are pretty much entirely made of bread flour. There isn't a lot of room here to save money through the recipe, so your best option perhaps is to hunt for cheaper bread flour. I do also save money by buying the dove's farm yeast in the orange cube packaging, rather than the much more expensive individual sachets. An even more frugal person might however keep a sourdough going, but I like the convenience of instant yeast when I want it without worrying about it when I don't want it.

Justamum wrote: »

I haven't forgotten sugar in the recipe - I never use it.

I never use sugar either, although I assume it would make the yeast work faster? I might experiment, particularly now the average temperature is lower and faster rising could be useful.

One thing I did wonder about however was the 10g of salt you suggested. That seems massive. I only put half a teaspoon in 500g of flour.

peachyprice

500g Bread flour
7g fast acting yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3tbs oil
300ml warm water
(no sugar, I hate the flavour it gives)

Fool proof recipe that works every time.

Justamum

Ben84 wrote: »

One thing I did wonder about however was the 10g of salt you suggested. That seems massive. I only put half a teaspoon in 500g of flour.

That amount seems to be average - it works out at about 1 tsp (sort of rounded) and I've seen some recipes which say to use more. I suppose it's all a matter of taste. Here's Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall's basic white bread recipe http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8782605/River-Cottage-Baking-recipes-The-basic-bread-recipe.html