Well, just when Mr. Money thought I couldn’t get any more frugal or crazy as he probably thinks, I’ve shown him. Not only did I do laundry and hang it out to dry, I also baked bread. That’s right, I made homemade bread.

Last month I decided I was going to give it a try because I was sick of all the crap that is put into bread you buy at the store and I was tired of paying $3 a loaf for store brand organic whole wheat bread. My plan didn’t work out so well last month. I tried using my bread machine, and needless to say, my beautiful homemade bread tasted like sawdust. With a little glue.

In all my domesticness yesterday, I went grocery shopping and bought all the ingredients to make my homemade bread. I had high hopes for it this time. This time I was skipping the evil bread maker.

Here’s the recipe:

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil (you can use vegetable or olive oil)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast

Next time I may substitute the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour to be a little more healthful.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid mixer)

Add flours and yeast and knead until bread is smooth and elastic. I put the mixer on the second speed and watched it. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let sit for about 40 minutes, until it’s doubled in size.

Punch it down; knead until smooth and then form into your loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, watching carefully.

Remove from oven, cool, and enjoy!

This bread turned out so much better than my last loaf! As it came out of the oven, I cut a piece and buttered it. It was heavenly! Not only did I (hopefully) save money, but I also avoided having to eat High Fructose Corn Syrup in conventional breads. I will definitely be making this again!

Posted under Food, How To