1. Deliciousness
Very few things are more delicious than hot bread right out of the oven (slathered in butter), in my humble opinion.
2. Cheaper
You can save a lot of money by buying your ingredients in bulk. Even if you don’t buy in bulk, you will definitely save money.
3. Fresh and Nutritious
In general, food loses nutritional value over time, so your fresh bread is super nutritious.
4. You can make it exactly the way you want it
Do you want 100% whole wheat bread? Do you want multigrain bread with oatmeal and millet? Do you want your bread to be high in fiber, gluten-free, a little sweet or a little sour? Do you want your bread sweetened with honey, sugar, or maple syrup? Making your own bread makes you the master of your carb universe. All you fellow control freaks will appreciate that.
5. Know your ingredients
Here are the ingredients of my whole wheat honey bread:
soy milk, canola oil, honey, salt, whole wheat, gluten, yeast
Here are the ingredients of Sara Lee’s Delightful 100% whole wheat bread: Water, Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Cottonseed Fiber, Yeast, Brown Sugar, Contains 2% or Less Of Each Of the Following Salt, Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil, and or Cottonseed Oil), Yeast Nutrients (Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate), Dough Conditioners (May Contain One or More Of the Following Mono and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Peroxide), Honey, Wheat Bran, Wheat Protein Isolate, Sulfiting Agents, Vinegar, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Sucralose, Cornstarch, L-Cysteine, Sorbic Acid, and Calcium Propionate (Preservatives)
6. Easy and convenient
In my house, it is a national emergency if we run out of bread. If I notice at 4 pm that we are running out of bread, it is honestly easier to take 5 minutes to put the ingredients in the bread maker (7 minutes if I hadn’t cleaned the pan since the last loaf), and have bread 3 hours later than to load my children in their car seats and go to the supermarket.
7. Even the mistakes taste good
One time I forgot to add yeast to my buttermilk white bread. My husband said it was his favorite loaf ever. When I was getting my recipes right, sometimes the bread was a little brick-like, or the top would fall in and be concave. You know what? It still tasted good.
8. Your children will eat it
My picky toddler loves my whole wheat honey bread. If you let your picky eater push the start button on your bread maker, he or she will most certainly eat the bread that comes out of it.
9. Fill your home with the smell of baking bread
Some folks find it easier to get out of bed in the morning when the house is filled the aroma of baking bread.
10. Folks will be impressed by your domesticity
And, in my case, might overlook what a poor housekeeper I am.
Interested in making your own bread? Check out my Lazy Person's Guide to Homemade Bread:
Part 1 -- 5 Steps to Get You Started
Part 2 -- Homemade bread even cheaper (buy in bulk)
Part 3 -- Vegan whole wheat bread
Coming Soon: Part 4 – Additional bread supplies (nice but not necessary)
Coming Soon: Part 5 -- Special Treats (white bread, rolls, etc.)
This post is part of Top Ten Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday.
All right Betsy. I'll make homemade bread if you can find me a recipe that tastes like Dave's Killer Bread. Have you had it? It's amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteI just love your blog Betsy. I think you have made a compelling argument here for why I should make my own bread.
ReplyDeleteI'm not eating bread at the moment but I do love the idea of making my own when I add it back to my diet and will absolutely add a breadmaker to the list of kitchen gadgets I want to buy.
Always looking for new recipes to try ... off to check yours out now. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLOL! It would be nice for people to be impressed w/my domesticity!
ReplyDeleteActually making bread is the next thing on my to do list! :)
I make my own bread and just started using coconut oil to replace the canola oil. I was afraid it would taste too coconutty, but no one can taste the coconut! Delicious and more nutritious!
ReplyDeleteNisha, don't know about that bread. Please fill me in.
ReplyDeleteNona, I hope you get to eat bread again soon. You must have some serious will power.
Celia, This is my second comment about coconut oil from 2 different people. I guess I have missed the boat on that one. Someone fill me in!
Oh! This post makes me wish I baked. Or cooked. Or something. :D (in reality, I can't turn the oven on without the fire department on standby, just in case). I LOVE homemade bread - the smell, the texture, the taste. Heaven.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me long for cooler weather. My kitchen has no AC so not much baking happens during the summer, but I'm already ready for some hearty soups and stews and homemade bread. My kids love one I call Kitchen Sink Bread. It's made of several grains, with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, whole millet and anything else interesting I have on hand.
ReplyDeleteI use a bread machine -- even inside the house, it doesn't heat up the kitchen TOO much, thecoolmom. I've also had it in the garage, but then you don't get to smell the bread baking. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to get the fire dept. involved if you used a bread machine, Anna. And you can always find them on Craig's List.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I made sourdough bread for awhile but stopped because I got tired of taking care of my starter. It was like having a pet! I've never owned a bread maker but I just might have to buy one! We go through a lot of bread & I do like the idea of knowing what is going into the bread.
ReplyDeleteLove it!! I start mine in the breadmaker, then let it rise in a regular pan and bake it in the toaster oven if I'm not baking anything else. I worked for a while and went back to store bought - and seriously, my family didn't miss me nearly as much as they missed the homemade bread :)
ReplyDeleteTotally love this!!! I also totally LOVE homemade bread! My mom used to make us bread all the time as a kid. I have a bread maker, but my biggest complaint is that it's too small. With three BIG hungry boys in my house, and girl who likes bread, I find that we would go through a loaf in just over a day. But boy is it good!!! I think I'll make some when I get home!!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I love my bread maker. I wasn't sure I'd use it often when we bought it, but now I'm making bread every other day! Delicious!
ReplyDeleteWell you certainly have made me want to go out and buy a breadmaker!! Great list, very informative and persausive!
ReplyDeletewww.crystalizedreflections.blogspot.com
Amazing list of reasons. I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I read through it. Fabulous list!
ReplyDelete