Bread maker or Shop bought???

Cliecost

Hi,

Excluding the cost of a break maker (as they vary in cost or quality).

What would work out cheaper: bread from a bread maker or store bought bread?

Taking into account the costs of all ingredients of a normal loaf for an average size bread maker compared to a brand name bread such as hovis, kingsmill, warburtons, ect...

I'm guessing store bought will be cheaper but it'd be interesting to know what the difference would be.

Thanks

SailorSam

You're comparing different things, i reckon when i make a loaf in the Panny it costs about 50p. I don't know how much the cheapest loaf is in Tesco probably less than 50p and it will be bigger than the one i make. But my HM one is 30% white; 70% wholemeal, and has a handfull of dried herbs and seeds in it, so tastes nothing like the supermarket loaf.
There was a good programme on the Tv during the week, there's going to be about 6 episodes about making bread by hand, you don't need a breadmaker.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes

See the Paul Hollywood one.

BitterAndTwisted

If 500 grammes of ordinary white flour costs around 25 pence you'd have to add another quid in electricity to come anywhere near the shop-bought price of an equivalent loaf. I doubt a break-maker would cost a quid a loaf, though and the comparison in quality is vast. Half the fun of a bread-maker is coming up with different recipes to ring the changes. Nearly two quid for a loaf of something like Hovis or Warburton's doesn't come anywhere near it.

honeythewitch

From a 69p bag of flour from Lidl i make three loaves. One 400g flour to make a "french" loaf (obviously not the right shape) a 500g flour loaf with either cheese/onion, sultanas, mixed fruit, olives etc, and a 600g flour plain loaf for sandwiches.
For the french and sandwich loaves I only add yeast, salt and a splash of oil so the cost is minimal.
it would be impossible to compare the cost of the loaves with added ingredients because I use plenty of real cheese and onions rather than flavouring, and three times more fruit.
Aside from the cost the bread is much nicer (because you adjust it to how you like it) and is without the additives.
It is simple to make bread with or without a bread-maker but unless you are baking other things too or making several loaves to freeze it will use much less electricity in the bread-maker.

Billie-jo

Even a ready weighed mix of bread cost only 59p in A1di and all you have to add is water, tastes great much better than mass produced bread. If you doing your own and not a ready mix I still work it out at around 50p or less so far cheaper to make your own in my opinion and the taste is just not comparable. Home made bread either by hand or machine far out does the supermarket loaf.

Cliecost

Thanks for the info. I was considering getting a bread maker, now I know I will.

I know how to make it by hand its just finding the time, so my reasoning behind getting a bread maker is that it can make the bread at night.

sonastin

I reckon at the moment it costs about 30-something pence for a small white loaf from the breadmaker. I usually get about 10 "thick-cut" size slices from it. I can't remember how many slices you'd get in a standard loaf of warburtons or hovis or whatever but I'd guess maybe 15? So you're looking at less than 50p for the equivalent amount of bread.

The taste and texture is very different. I occasionally crave the cheap white plastic bread but from the BM its definitely better quality. And you know exactly what is in it. I like the idea of having a go at making it by hand but before I went down the breadmaker route, I was too daunted to even look up how to do it myself! Now the BM provides the convenience of everyday bread and when I have time spare, I'll try to do it myself.

For me, the main reason for getting the BM was a lack of freezer space - I have more room in the pantry for flour and now we can always have loads of bread "in stock" without having to fill the freezer.

citygent1911

I got rid of my bread maker ages ago - just not impressed by the lack of control over the dough.

For far better quality - make it yourself!

Loads of great bread recipes out there, and there's a new series just started on BBC2 by the guy off Great British Bakeoff all about baking bread from scratch.

Unless you can't do it yourself for physical reasons, there's no excuses )

Cliecost

citygent1911 wrote: »

I got rid of my bread maker ages ago - just not impressed by the lack of control over the dough.

For far better quality - make it yourself!

Loads of great bread recipes out there, and there's a new series just started on BBC2 by the guy off Great British Bakeoff all about baking bread from scratch.

Unless you can't do it yourself for physical reasons, there's no excuses )

Standard white loaf:
Prep 20 mins, Cook 25 - 30 mins, Plus 2 hours proving.

There's my reason for not doing it. If you're a stay at home parent or unemployed, then there's no excuse.

For everyone else, there is an excuse :rotfl:

Tenyearstogo

But you don't need to stand and watch it proving. You just leave it. Make the dough when you come home from work and are cooking the rest of your dinner. Leave the dough to prove while you eat and wash up. Do whatever you do after dinner for a bit, then bake it and take it out before bed.

lynnemcf

I dont have a breadmaker, I have a kitchenaid and it makes fabulous dough. I've made dough with packet mixes (80p from Sainsburys) and with Paul Hollywood recipes and Holly from the bake-off final has this FANTASTIC recipe http://www.recipesfromanormalmum.com/2013/03/12/three-flour-loaf/ Home made bread is delicious!