Fresh baked bread may seem like a luxury to many people. Purchasing bread at a bakery or even in the bakery section of a supermarket or a department store can cost upwards of four to five dollars! And that's if you want it when it's fresh. Of course, you can always go to the reduced rack and pull a loaf from there, but then you're running the risk of getting a stale loaf. Which is why, if you want your bread to be fresher and of higher quality, you may want to look into making your own bread at home. And, if you're pressed for time, why a breadmaker is a great investment.
Is it really more cost effective?
Yes, actually. Purchasing the ingredients to make your own loaf of bread at home actually equals out to being more cost effective over time. When figured out, making bread at home works out to anywhere between $1.50 to $2.00 per loaf, depending on where you live and what the cost of ingredients is. That's practically half the price of fresh baked bread from a bakery!
But what about value loaves?
Of course, you can always bring up the subject of the value loaves of bread that are anywhere from $0.85 per loaf on up to $1.00 per loaf. But here, you're sacrificing on the quality of the bread. The value loaves have been pumped full of additives and preservatives to mask lower quality ingredients and to increase shelf life. This is how they are able to cut costs and price it so low. And that's why, when you're talking about the cost effectiveness of making bread at home, you've got to compare apples to apples. Fresh bread compared to prepackaged bread is like comparing rye bread and pumpernickel. They're breads, yes, but of two completely different kinds.
I simply don't have the time!
Everyone is pressed for time. And if you're on a busy schedule, you may not be home for a couple hours to make some bread. Or, you may simply be too busy around your home - working from home, maybe you've got kids, or maybe you've got a lot of work you've brought home with you. This is where kitchen gadgetry really can be a lifesaver. When you have a breadmaker, all the work of making a loaf of bread is taken out of the equation. Because the breadmaker does it all for you, and the breadmaker can even be set up on a delay to start making the bread while you're still at work or while you're sleeping!
And, when properly cared for, a breadmaker can last you quite a long time. Some people have breadmakers they've been using for ten years! All you have to remember is to invest in a quality breadmaker.
The thing to remember when figuring out cost efficiency of making bread at home is to compare breads appropriately. There's more to it than the final dollar, of course, when you factor in health benefits and better quality bread. And while it may seem like a big investment up front, if you've got yourself a quality breadmaker, as with any other kitchen appliance, you'll see that the cost efficiency always works out in the end!