Making Your Own Bread Can Be Easier Than You Think

Bread kits are the frugal homemaker's answer to saving time on baking bread.

My mom has the best whole wheat bread recipe-and I love to make her bread. I can make bread for as little as 11 cents a loaf. But the time put into measuring flour, yeast, salt, NFD milk (non-fat dry milk), gluten, dough enhancer, sugar and the liquid ingredients, and then washing the measuring utensils adds up. Still, I will not stoop as low as to buy bread for $1.81 a loaf at our commissary.

So, while I was expecting Zachy, Mom taught me to make bread kits. You measure all the dry ingredients (everything except water and oil) into quart-size bags, canning jars, or Ziploc containers. I originally started making just four kits at a time.

Now I usually make as many bread kits as I have containers for and then stack them nicely in my freezer. The bread kits don't have to be frozen or refrigerated; it just makes them last longer by keeping the ingredients from going rancid.

When I'm ready to bake bread, I get out my bread kit and bread machine. I put my 1-3 T. oil in the bread machine with 1 1/3 cups very warm water, add the bread kit and let it knead and rise. I like to bake the bread in my oven (instead of the bread machine). So I take the dough out of the bread machine after it's kneaded and risen, form it, place it in the pan to rise a second time, and then bake. Sometimes I bake two loaves at a time to share with neighbors. That's when I'll use my Kitchen-Aid to knead the bread and then let it rise in a big Tupperware bowl, separate it into two loaves, form them, let them rise in their pans, and bake both in the oven.

Bread kits save me a lot of time and hassle. I wash all the measuring cups once after making sixteen or so kits. On baking day, I eyeball the amount of oil (so I don't have to wash a measuring spoon), I don't wash the glass measuring cup that only measured water (I just put it in the dish-rack to dry), but I do wash the bread machine pan and the loaf pan and the counter I formed the loaf on.

My Mom created this whole wheat bread recipe. I recommend using white wheat flour instead of red wheat flour-- not to be confused with white flour (which is refined).

1 1/3 C. very warm water
1-3 T. Canola oil
3 1/3 C. whole wheat flour or 2 1/3 C. whole wheat flour + 1 C. oat flour
1-4 T. non-fat dry milk (more = finer texture)
1/3 C. granulated sugar or ¼ C. honey
2 tsp. dough enhancer
3 T. gluten
1-1 ½ tsp. salt
1 T. yeast (if baking in oven) or 1 ½ - 2 tsp. yeast for baking in bread machine

Add all ingredients to bread machine in the order given.
Set on whole wheat bread and press start if baking in bread machine.

1. Add all ingredients to bread machine in the order given.
2. When baking in oven, set bread machine on dough only.
3. Spray or grease bread pan.
4. When bread machine is done, take dough out, punch down and form loaf in bread pan.
5. Cover and let rise in bread pan about 30 minutes.
6. Cook for about 30-35 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven.

To make bread kits, omit water and canola oil and put all dry ingredients in a quart jar or container or freezer zipper bag. Store in freezer.

Using a bread kit for baking: Bring bread kit to room temperature. Place water and oil in bread machine and add the bread kit. Continue as above.

Bread kits make life easier and thus me happy. Homemade bread makes the whole family happy.