Budget Tip - Bake your own Bread

If you and your family eat a lot of bread, that money can stack up, especially if you are buying good quality bread.  Were're talking about $1 homemade vs. $5 store bought for a single loaf.  Making bread at home can be very easy though.  I've been making our own bread for maybe 9 or 10 years.  The traditional method takes quite a bit of practice/experience and trial and error, but I've been thoroughly enjoying the laziness convenience that is the No-Knead method.

My good friend at work got me started with no-knead bread, but YouTuber ArtisanBreadWithStev showed me how simple it really is.  He has a great introduction video that is definitely worth watching.  I'm partial to using a sourdough starter so this is the recipe that I use most often, but when I want to use dry, packaged yeast, I use this recipe.  You can still make a variety of flavors and shapes with the no-knead method, and you don't need any special equipment.

I love that I can control what goes into the bread we eat.  Ours doesn't have any preservatives, unnecessary binders, or other junk.  Obviously it's got a much shorter shelf life than the plastic bagged bread you find at the grocery store, but any extra loaves you make can be stored in the freezer.  And stale bread has it's place in the kitchen too: homemade croutons, breadcrumbs, panzanella, French toast, bread pudding, hello!