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By the author of The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living and What to Eat When You’re Broke
Who doesn’t love a hot, fluffy loaf of bed, fresh from the oven, drenched in salted butter, so tender it nearly melts in your mouth? The storebought stuff in those cellophane bags doesn’t even seem like the same species of food once you grow accustomed to delicious fresh-baked bread. But, to buy it from a bakery can be costly and to make it from scratch can be time-consuming. My pro-tip for weekly fresh-baked bread on a dime? A bread machine can save you both time and money and can be a real boon for Frugalite foodies.
When I was in Europe the last time around, most meals were served with a slice or two of freshly made bread. I noticed that the stores had the cellophane bags, but they don’t call it bread. The bags were labeled “toast” as Europeans are pretty picky about their baked goods and wouldn’t dream of aligning the two products. After spending the better part of the year with all the decadent bakery items a bread-lover could want, I tend to agree.
When I returned home, I was determined to keep up with many of the healthy, delicious foods I had enjoyed in Europe, and at the top of that list was fresh bread.
Buying a bread machine on a budget
I’ve dealt with a lot of sticker shock at the grocery store since returning from Europe. While I want to be a food snob, I want to do it on a budget. With American prices, buying a $7 baguette a couple of times a week seemed completely unrealistic, and running a business, I don’t always have hours to spend in the kitchen.
So, I decided to get myself a bread machine. I did some research and narrowed it down to these two: this one from Cuisineart and this one from KBS.
But before spending Amazon money, I opted to search my local Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Much to my delight, I scored the Cuisineart I had my eye on for only $45. It was still in the box and had the instructions. Needless to say, I bought it immediately.
Bread machine cost and time analysis
It took me a few loaves to master my bread machine. The first loaf was the approximate size and density of a small meteor, capable
of punching a hole in the earth if it were to come into the atmosphere at high speed. By the third loaf I’d gotten the hang of it and now, I get a light, fluffy, incredible loaf everytime.
Here are my calculations, not including the use of electricity.
It costs 80 cents a loaf using standard flour bought in a ten-pound bag from Walmart and other standard ingredients. A loaf isn’t like a grocery store-sized loaf – it’s smaller. I’d probably make 3 to 5 loaves a week if I was making it for a family.
Using organic flour costs $2.00 – 2.35 a loaf. This ranges from regular organic bread flour to einkorn flour.
It takes me three minutes start to finish to measure out my ingredients and hit start on the machine. The innards are dishwasher safe, though I prefer to wash them by hand.
Get the most bang from your bread machine buck
Here are a few miscellaneous things I’ve learned:
- Wait an HOUR before slicing it. This firms it up more
- Store it in an airtight container for the first 24-36 hours. These are the perfect size.
- Store it in the fridge for the third day.
- If it’s not rising properly or is too dense, don’t be afraid to increase yeast, sugar, and/or salt. I find that mine works best with double the yeast of the recipe.
- Bread machine bread makes epic breadcrumbs, which can be used in many different ways. I scrape my cutting board into a freezer bag, and then any left over bread goes into the food processor and into the bag. You could also put your breadcrumbs in a dehydrator to make them shelf-stable. (This makes yummy stuffing, too!)
- A bread machine adds far less ambient heat to your house than baking bread in your oven. You still get the yummy smell though!
What are your thoughts?
Would you consider getting a bread machine or pulling yours out of the attic where it’s hiding? Do you use a bread machine regularly? What do you see as the pros and cons?
Let’s discuss bread in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
14 thoughts on “How a Bread Machine Can Save You Time and Money”
As soon as they make a reliable Bread Machine, I will buy one. They are lucky to last 6 months before they quit working.
DAK is a wonderful machine. Have used it for years.
I used to use a bread machine when we lived in the cabin. Made the bread and then transferred it to a loaf pan to bake on top of the wood stove. When we moved to the island I bought another used machine and used it for about 6 years twice a week. Sometimes I would bake the loaf in the machine and sometimes I would use it for just kneading. It bounced around so much that I had to keep it in the sink while it was mixing and it would probably still be working except the paddle snapped. I’ve heard other people say that they don’t last long. I must have been lucky and gotten a “Wednesday” model. They’re great for people with injuries or arthritis.
I loved my machine but the bread was never very soft. Eventually my family stopped eating it because they preferred the store bought “soft” bread.
If anyone knows of a good recipe I would love to try it.
I was having this issue too – I solved it by doubling the yeast, salt, and sugar. I also use only Himalayan pink salt. 🙂
I was adding too much flour.
What I like about making homemade yeast products is the journey….shaping the dough (the child in me). Plus I don’t have room for a bread machine & we are watching our carbs.
Thank you for the tip about fixing dense dough…doubling the yeast & sugar in the next batch. Perhaps 1 1/2 times the salt is better, since salt controls the rising of the dough.
I’m glad you addressed a benefit of a bread machine that applies to me, that is the waste heat factor. It would indeed be nice to have bread without heating up the entire oven. Other than that, if I need something easy and convenient I’ll just do some version of no knead bread, since that is about the same effort level as a bread machine. And a bowl is easy to clean. For me, getting another gadget I have to maintain and clean just isn’t worth it, but I recall my dad really liking his when I was growing up.
With the slapdash kind of bread I make (usually just one rise unless I’m doing sourdough or something fancy), a machine doesn’t make sense, but if that ever changes it’s nice to be reminded of what they can do! I can also see the benefit of a “set it and forget it” type thing if I had to be off at work or something like that.
I have a great recipe for making bread in a dutch oven (four ingredients, no kneading, but 8 hour rise on the counter). Nice and crusty on the outside and firmly textured on the inside. Goes great with my mercimek corbasi (red lentil soup).
My folks had a breadmaker and they loved it… for about three months. Then it took up space on the counter. I’d be afraid this would do the same, except if I was making bread more often.
I hope yours is a winner.
I need to dust mine off and do some experimenting. I was like many here. I kept getting really dense bread. I will try the double yeast/sugar trick and see how it turns out. There’s nothing like fresh, homemade bread. 😋
Years ago I bought a DAK bread machine at Goodwill for $19.99. I love it! I put my ingredients in for a 2 pound load and set the machine on manual. It beeps when it’s ready to knead the dough back down after rising. Then I take the dough out & form it into a ‘normal shaped’ loaf and set it on top of the oven as it warms, to rise. I too find the grocery store prices shocking.
That’s the same bread machine I have! I make bread every week since I still have a kid in school who likes sandwiches. While I do love my machine, I prefer the size & shape of store-bought loaves, so once it’s ready for its final rise & bake, I dump my dough out, knead it & shape it by hand, & it goes into my loaf pans with parchment paper liners (I do bake them in my oven, but the ambient heat doesn’t bother me & actually helps in the cooler months). I mist them with water and cover for their final rise and then bake them with a pan of hot water in the oven. They come out great! 😀 Thanks for the article and the tips at the end!
I got a cheapo Hamilton Beach bread machine. It is still working after several years. The bread has come out perfect every time. I use the recipes that came with it. I had no luck making bread before that, partly because, I think, our house is on the cool side, usually 70 degrees or lower. We use it a couple times a week and is so much better than “store” bread.
One question, one comment.
What’s the recommended source for yeast? Those tiny envelopes are probably the most expensive way to buy it, but purchasing a mass quantity online may not be the best idea if you don’t make bread often. Second, regarding the comments about dense bread: Sifting the flour prior to measuring should help. I don’t guarantee that it will solve the problem but you may not have to double the yeast/sugar if you do that.