Money Crashers: 5 Benefits of Baking Your Own Bread at Home and How to Get Started

It's been five years now since our bread machine died and Brian decided, rather than replace it, to start baking all our bread by hand. Over the course of those five years, I've asked him from time to time if he would like to have a bread maker again, and his answer has always been no. I've also mentioned other bread-making methods to him, such as the no-knead method featured in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and its sequels, but he was never interested. He really enjoys the whole process of baking bread by hand, getting his fists into the dough, and he would actually miss it if it were no longer part of his routine. He's willing to make the minor concession of baking two loaves at a time, so he only has to do it every two weeks instead of every week, but that's as far as he'll go.

However, I realize this isn't a decision everyone would want to make. Some people would love to have fresh bread every week, especially at a third of the price they'd pay for a fancy loaf from the bakery, but they just have things they'd rather do with their time than knead bread dough.

My latest Money Crashers article is for them. In it, I discuss all the advantages home-baked bread has over the store-bought stuff—including price, flavor, nutrition, and the chance to customize recipes to fit your taste—and then explain how it's possible to get these benefits without having to set aside three hours every week for baking. I explore methods such as batch baking, using a machine, baking in your slow cooker, and using the no-knead method, discussing how each one compares to store-bought bread in time, cost, and taste.

To learn more about baking your own bread on a busy schedule, check out the article:

5 Benefits of Baking Your Own Bread at Home and How to Get Started