If you are looking for ways to save a little on your weekly budget or even thinking of taking up a new hobby then baking your own bread is a great place to start.
The thought of this may be overwhelming, especially if you have never baked in your life. Worry not, the ingredients list is pretty minimal, and once you’ve mastered it, it’s pretty easy to do over and over again!
Read on for our top 10 reasons why you should start baking your own bread!
1) It’s Cost-Effective
In a time where money is tight for all of us, any way to save money is welcomed. The ingredients for most breads are as follows, flour, yeast, salt, sugar, warm water and oil. These are all things that you probably use on a daily basis so are used to buying and have already in your cupboard.
You can make bread in batches, lowering your costs further as you’re using all of the ingredients without the risk of them going off. You can then slice it up and freeze it, and take how much you need out each day.
2) It’s Sustainable for the Environment
Baking your bread at home is also a sustainable way to aid the environment. Almost all breads come in some sort of plastic packaging, that ends up in landfill.
Making your own bread at home means you can keep it wrapped up in parchment paper which is easily recycled time and time again if you want to! It also saves on transport costs, as you won’t be making the trip during the week for fresh bread.
3) It Always Tastes Great!
There’s no argument around the fact that bread from a bakery always tastes delicious. Baking bread at home brings the bakery to your very own kitchen!
Bread can be paired with so many things, it’s a staple in most households. Whether you make delicious sandwiches filled with meats and cheeses, or just simple toast with butter and jam, you can always guarantee bread, toasted or not, goes down a treat with everyone.
It will also make your home smell delicious, as the bread bakes and fills your house with that warm, freshly baked bread smell that you can spot a mile off when near a bakery!
4) It’s More Nutritious
When considering the nutritional value of bread, homemade bread is much better for you than the bread you buy in store. Store bought bread is often filled with additives to help preserve it, to extend its shelf life.
You are also able to control the salt content in your home-made bread, something you can’t do when you buy it off the shelf. You can choose to season your bread with alternatives, such as lower sodium salt or even herbs and spices.
Another way to add nutrition to your loaf is to sprinkle in some seeds to the mix or on the top. Seeds are a great source of fibre, whilst helping to reduce blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.
5) You Can Experiment With Flavours & Types
Possibly the most exciting part about baking your own bread at home, is being able to experiment with flavours and types of bread. The shops do offer a variety of different flavoured breads, but they’re typically more expensive and your favourite concoction might not always be on offer.
By making your own bread at home, the possibilities are endless, from sweet to savoury, you can quite literally try anything! This would be great if you were having a themed dinner evening, as you could make a bread to perfectly accompany your night.
6) Reduce Your Household Waste
If you are a small household, you probably wont go through a whole loaf before it turns stale. You might end up getting to the end of the week, and having to throw out half of your bread!
By making your own bread at home, you are able to make just enough to last you, and if you do end up running out, you can produce a new loaf in a couple of hours. Although it might seem ‘easier’ to just pick up bread from the shop, with a climate crisis happening around us, it's really important to look at ways we can reduce our household waste, even if it does require a little more effort.
7) Impress Friends & Family
Homemade goods are always well received by friends and family, and a fresh loaf would certainly be a way to show off your new skill! Whether you are just heading over for a coffee, or you just want to cheer someone up, a warm homemade gift in the form of bread would bring a smile to almost anyone!
It could also be a great idea at Christmas to gift your circle with a festive loaf, something that may not exactly be on their Christmas list, but they will sure be impressed by it. If you want something sweet to finish it off, then why not order some amazing cakes and brownies from Konditor?
8) Baking is Therapeutic & Rewarding
Some of us search for a new hobby in the hope of finding some respite from the rest of the world. Baking is known for being therapeutic, allowing us to practice mindfulness as we get lost in the kneading and mixing.
Baking is also an exercise that appeals to all 5 of our senses, which results in our feel-good endorphins! It is also a very rewarding activity, as you see a bag of flour and some elbow grease turn into something so delicious, that can be enjoyed by so many.
9) All of the Family Can Get Involved
Baking bread is a fantastic way to get all of the family involved. Due to it not requiring many ingredients, and no extravagant kitchen devices, it’s a relatively safe experience for all ages.
It can sometimes be hard to entice our children away from their screens, but an interactive task like baking is something that can become very appealing, especially when they know something tasty is coming at the end of it! It’s a great way to get your kids more involved in the home, and also allows you to spend quality time with them.
10) It Can Be Done Quickly
Having a last-minute family get-together and got nothing special to add to the table?! Worry not, a freshly-baked loaf can be added to the centrepiece, and all you have to do is pop it in the breadmaker, whilst you carry on setting everything else up for those coming round.
Everyone will be so impressed you’ve managed to whip up something fresh and tasty, little do they know just how little effort it actually took! And lastly, if baking really isn't your thing (and who are we to blame you?!) then you can also order some of the freshest baked bread online with our discount codes for Greenhalghs Bakery.
