Today I was in the mood for some homemade bread. I’m a huge bread baker, making some at least every other week (and sometimes every week). I’ve made croissants, challah, cinnamon rolls, white bread, wheat bread, rye bread, egg bread, rolls, potato bread…you name it, I’ve made it. But if you’re new to making bread, or just looking for something easy to start with, you just can’t beat this recipe. And today I’m going to share it with you.
Looking for homemade bread without kneading, hassle, or fancy ingredients? Looking for a dough you can keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, so you can have homemade bread any night of the week? Look no further.
I’ve written posts before about the cost of store-bought vs. homemade food – check out my posts and recipes on the cost of cookies, homemade pizza (which we make from scratch-including the crust-every Friday), and eating breakfast at home vs. in a restaurant. Â And today I’m going to show you how not only is making this kind of bread easy, but it’s the most frugal choice as well.
Flour. Salt. Yeast. Water. Time.
Great bread is all built around just four ingredients, and time. You can make completely different breads depending on the ratio of the ingredients, how long you let them rise, whether or not you knead the dough, how long you bake it for, the baking temperature, and how you bake it. The simplicity of this recipe is why I love it so much – especially for the beginning baker intimidated by bread. The effort is small and the reward is huge.
Cost Of Homemade Vs. Store-bought Bread – Is It Worth It To Make Your Own Bread?
I once read an article in one of the major newspapers (I think the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times) about a snotty sounding bread-maker in New York City. In the article she was going on and on about how people shouldn’t make their bread at home, and they should just come buy it from her. I thought she was ridiculous, complained to my husband about her, and even today (years later) we still mock that article.
“But bread is cheap!” you might be thinking. Well, I think that’s exactly why most people don’t ever make bread at home. They think that bread is only a few dollars a loaf, and there’s just no way they could possibly make it at home. Doesn’t making bread take great skill, lots of experience, and professional ovens?
Nope.
Let’s break down the cost, before I go ahead and give you the recipe and instructions. Your mouth watering from the picture of bread up above? Well, go ahead and scroll on down to find the recipe. Make sure to bookmark this page or print out the recipe below-you won’t want to forget this.
Interested in learning more about how to calculate the cost of a recipe? I have the complete process I use outlined in my Cost of Cookies post.
- Flour = 6.5 Cups for $0.78
- Kosher Salt = 1.5 Tablespoons for $0.05
- Yeast = 1.5 Tablespoons for $0.27
- Water = 3 cups at $0 (free).
- Total = $1.10Â for the four loaves
Since this recipe makes four small loaves, the cost per loaf is a mere $0.28. So for just over a quarter, you and your family can have a loaf of fresh homemade bread for breakfast with butter and jam, honey butter, or peanut butter. Or serve it with soup for dinner, as a side, or get creative with a sandwich for lunch. Heck, you could even use the same dough to make rolls if you wanted.
How does this compare with store-bought bread? First, it’s impossible to find bread for a quarter. You might be able to find a full loaf for a dollar of inexpensive white bread, but it will be full of chemicals, preservatives, and probably frankly not taste very good.
You could also go out and buy a loaf of artisan bread, but I bet not for a quarter. Since this recipe makes four small loaves, it would make about two larger loaves-the more common size you might find in a bread shop. It’s really hard for me to say how much it would cost because there are no bread shops near me, but the nearest thing I can compare it to is Whole Foods bread. That’s probably $5 or $6 per loaf. You can make an awful lot of bread at home for that much money.
Homemade, Artisan, No-Knead Four Ingredient Bread – For Only Five Minutes Work
So here you go at last – the recipe and instructions on how to make this bread. Go ahead and print out the image, or just bookmark this page for when you want to make some of the easiest bread on earth!
Don’t Be Afraid – Make Some Bread!
Want a different flavored bread – experiment with it! This bread base is so easy and inexpensive that you can ruin a whole batch and only be out a dollar. So go ahead and add in some cooked onions, garlic, seeds, herbs, cheese, cracked peppercorns, or whatever else you’re in the mood for. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out!
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What does the tip slash the bread with knife mean? Do you do this after it rises?
Yes, right before you pop it in the oven. Otherwise it will split somewhere you don’t want it to (like the bottom of the bread) because it rises a lot in the oven
You had me at “5 minutes”… I cannot wait to try this recipe! I’m a bit fan of finding easy and quick ways to make our meals 🙂
Awesome, let me know how it turns out! Just keep an eye on it during that 2 hour rise & make sure you use a big bowl. This makes a lot of dough and if you’re not careful it can overflow
We buy a multigrain sourdough from Aldi for $2.99. We love this bread, so the price is totally worth it for us. However, we also buy the mass-produced multigrain, which is just ‘whatever’. Not worth it if there is a viable alternative.
“Don’t Be Afraid – Make Some Bread!” That’s me exactly. Baking has never been my thing, but encouraged by you I’m going to have a go!
Ah multigrain sourdough would definitely cost more than a quarter-and take a lot more time-to make. A real sourdough starter takes about a week to form from what I’ve read, and wheat/rye/other flours are more costly than white. I’ve made multigrain bread before, and whole grain, but not sourdough. I’ve been thinking of giving it a shot though!
I love fresh bread, though I usually use a breadmaker for the convenience. I want to try this though. The idea of having smaller ready-to-cook loaves around is appealing.
I’ve never used a bread maker but I bet they’re handy!
Breadmaking machines are awesome! Put in the ingredients and 3 hours later you have a perfect loaf. It is so convenient that since I have this machine I switched from baking bread every 1 or 2 months to nearly everyday. (family of 4)
Sounds great!
Thanks. Very inspiring. What flour do you use? Is it all purpose flour?
Yes I use all purpose. You could try mixing in some other flours but it may not work as well-they are heavy and could weigh the dough down.
And it really doesn’t need to be kneaded?
Yep, you couldn’t knead it if you tried. It’s too wet
Trying your bread now. How long do you let it refrigerate before you bake the bread?
Hope it comes out great! Last time I made it I did one loaf after a day, another after 3 days and the last one after a week.
Thanks for the feedback. I tried putting a small amount into my cast iron to bake now and I’ll let the rest chill overnight. It smells delicious. =)