A while back my husband asked whether we had any hot dog buns? I didn't know so I looked. I found some but couldn't remember when we may have purchased. They still looked fresh. They were soft. Smell was a little off, but not bad. But, for the life of me, I couldn't remember the last time I had bought any hot dog buns. So I looked on the package for a date. Sell by date was way past (so far past that it is embarrassing that I would have these in the cabinet!!) Over 2 months past the Sell By Date!! 2 MONTHS!! Yet by all appearances they were still edible. YIKES!
What is in those buns besides flour and preservatives? That's when I decided it was time to start baking our own bread, buns and other bakery items. Yes, it is more work but the reward outweighs the work. I am not judging and we all know that I will from time to time purchase bread or buns from the store, but I am going to make a conscience effort to bake from scratch whenever possible.
Nutrition: I like to know what I am putting in my body. Below are the ingredient lists from a basic loaf of white purchased from the store vs homemade. This doesn't even take into account the benefits of sourdough bread vs a standard loaf of white bread. But that is a different blog ....
Store Purchased Bread vs Homemade Bread
Flavor: Hands down I prefer homemade over store bought. The real taste test will be later this week when I have my grandkids over for dinner. I have a hunch I know the outcome and to be honest I will be very disappointed if I am wrong.
Time: There seems to be this huge misconception that baking bread is a huge time commitment. It's not! Hands on time is maybe 15 - 20 minutes to make two loaves. Yes, it does need to raise and the start to finish time is generally around 3 hours, but while it's raising you are free to do whatever you would like. (Watching bread raise rates right up there with watching paint dry!)
Variety: The possibilities are almost endless with what you can make from scratch. Especially if you start making sourdough varieties. Let your imagination go wild with your flavor combinations!
Cost: The cost of a store brand loaf of white bread vs a homemade loaf of white bread is comparable. You won't be switching to homemade on cost alone if you are only thinking about white bread. It will be the other reasons that are the driving force. BUT, have you bought any specialized loaves lately? A good sourdough or brioche? They are generally $4.50 - $6.00 whereas they can be made for around $1.00 depending on what ingredients you opt to add.
Next time you pick up groceries if you don't already have some, pick up a package or a three pack of yeast. You may surprise yourself and really enjoy baking your own bread.
More to come in future blogs about Sourdough Bread and Sourdough Starters.
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