Costing Bread

While at the Farmer’s Market last weekend (to buy peaches for another pie attempt), I noticed that a loaf of bread was $7. Earlier I had noticed that grocery store bread was also expensive. I wondered to myself, I wondered, “what does my bread cost?”

I put most of the bread ingredients on the shopping list. Today, the Laird went grocery shopping. The image above is the cost breakdown. $1.11 per loaf.

It’s a bit off. He bought Canola Oil instead of Olive Oil (the oil measurement is in tablespoons, not grams) and 2lb brown sugar (for the pie attempt) was on the list rather than the baking 10lb white sugar. But close enough.

What did you do on your lunch break?

Update: Everyone I’ve shared this with mentions time. It may take 30 minutes of effort time, but I doubt it.

Pull Kitchen-Aid to front of counter. Get scale out. Tare the measuring cup. Let water run until hot. Fill to a cup. Verify it’s 240 grams (sip out the extra). Pour into mixing bowl. Get yeast out of ‘fridge. Scoop 1 tsp into mixing bowl. Put yeast back. Slide sugar forward. Scoop 1 Tbl into mixing bowl. Push sugar back into place. Step back to open lazy susan and grab oil. Splash 1 Tbl into mixing bowl. Put oil back. Re-tare the scale. Reach up for salt. Add 7g to scale. Put salt back. Re-tare the scale. Reach forward to the flour. Add 400g to scale. Put flour back.

That’s usually done while my breakfast bacon is frying, so it basically doesn’t count as time and it’s only two or three minutes.

Wait a bit (until breakfast sandwich is made). Dump in flour and salt and engage the mixer. Wait until the bowl clears (while eating breakfast sandwich). Turn up mixer and set 7 minute timer.

Pull rising bowl out of cupboard. Grab spray grease from cupboard, spray the bowl, put the grease back. Pull plastic wrap from cupboard. Remove dough from mixer, pre-shape, put in rising bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Put plastic wrap away. Carry bowl into sunlight. Set 45 minute timer on phone.

Get bowl from sunlight. Pull bread pan out of cupboard. Grab spray grease. Remove plastic wrap. Spray bread pan and plastic wrap. Shape loaf. Put into pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Carry pan into sunlight. Set 60 minute timer on phone.

Get pan from sunlight. Turn oven to 425. Remove plastic wrap and throw in garbage. Put pan in oven. Set 20 minute timer.

Turn off oven. Grab cooling rack. Grab oven mitt. Remove bread from oven. De-pan onto rack. Wait for it to cool.

Put bread in breadbox. Put all dishes in dishwasher. Start dishwasher. Wait two hours. Empty dishwasher.

That took longer to write than it does to actually do it.