Bread -- how much?

[Rena]

I'm curious about how much an average loaf of homemade bread costs ...

Bob Mills Low Carb bread mix runs for about $4.69 at Netrition. Is that more than what it would cost to make it from scratch? I'm talking for those of us who don't buy all these special ingredients in bulk.

[shawn116]

That is a good question Rena I was wondering that myself.   I bought a bag of unblanched almond meal today in a local heath food store.  The only size they had was a 10oz bag.  Don't think it will make more than one or two recipes    and it was $5:49    I am planning on ordering on-line (hopfully cheaper) but I wanted it now to compair it to what I made myself.  LOL  Some of these products are so new to me.  geez

[Rena]

Thanks, TooSweet. And yeah, we pay those kind of prices for the smaller bags, too. I have 4 kids, so it's not like I can stop buying regular bread or afford to make enough to feed everyone. I'm just curious how cost effective this is in the long run for us. Bread-wise, I mean, as the other stuff is no big deal. I'm not a big bread eater, but my husband is and he brought up the cost and whether it was something we could do long term.

[shawn116]

I know just what you mean.... that is why I was trying to make it myself.  I can find the almonds in bulk much cheaper than the flour.  I came real close to making almond butter though...LOL  I'm trying to convert my hubs and my daughter while she is home for the summer, so I need to be able to make things that are good.  Most of the other is easy but the baking is a challenge.  I'm having fun trying to figure it out though....LOL  Thank goodness for everyone here and of course Doug and Umpa   

[umpa]

One bag of unblanched almond flour measures out to 2 cups of flour.You don't pack it in the cup.(i know it says 10 oz.) I pay 3.87-$4 a bag.The flaxseed flour/meals are the cheapest they run $2.50 -$3 a bag at any grocery store.Alot of the health food stores have bins that they sell the almond flour in bulk.I have never made almond flour by grinding almonds but I think mouseissue has.What price can you put on good health ?Just the savings on insulin and metformin will pay for the bread
Its funny though,once you can bake your own bread its not a issue anymore! I bake 2 loaves a month.
We just don't eat alot of bread,even though we can.I think when someone tells you that you can't have something then its a issue.But once you figure out you can bake your own and its healthier its not a issue.

[Rena]

Thanks, Umpa. Two loaves a month really puts it into perspective. As I said, I don't eat a lot of it, but Rick would if he could. I'm thinking the higher cost will do him some good in that respect. Even so, I think he could handle 2 loaves a month. I'm taking it you refrigerate it to make it last longer. Whenever I want bread I just make a One-Minute Muffin and that could be anything from an actual muffin, to bread, to pancakes. I did have a slice of Rick's low-carb bread last night and it was good. More like a 'treat' now.

Thanks, again! I'll let Rick know.

[mouseissue]

Yep... I've taken dry roasted whole almonds I bought at Costco and ground them up in my food processor.
The resulting flour has tiny brown speckles in it from the almond skins (which add fiber).
This flour seems to work in any recipe calling for almond flour.

I have not tried it with blanched almonds which are more expensive.
The only real difference would be the absence of the almond skins.

I have not compared them.
But I'll bet the homemade flour is much cheaper than prepackaged.

If you decide to also make you own, just be sure not to fill your food processor more than 2/3 full of nuts.
AND... Only run in short bursts with the pulse button until the almonds are broken into small pieces.
At that point, you can let her rip until it has a flour consistency.

[Rena]

Good to know, Tony -- thanks!

I haven't found the NOW almond flour locally and haven't ordered any online because we still have some of the Bob Mills kind left. Personally, I don't care for the taste that much, which is odd because I LOVE almonds. I do like flax, but wish it wasn't so high in fat and calories. I know, I know ... but still.

[TabyTaby]

I haven't heard of low-carb bread mix anyhow, those prices ya'll listed are great because I paid over 12 dollars for my Bob Mills almond flour  at Kroger Signature...no joke. I thought that was normal, but I'm rethinking now.

[Rena]

Yeah Des -- The almond flour seems to be the most expensive here too. I think we paid close to $9 for our last batch. Odd thing is, I don't care for it that much and would much rather have something made with flaxmeal instead. I would like to get some of the NOW almond flour though since it's so much lower in carbs. I'll do that when I get closer to my goal and start baking more. I'm keeping things super simple right now, at least until we go on our trip.

Rick buys the Bob's Red Mills Low-Carb bread mix from Netrition. It's pretty good, but I think it's something like 5 net carbs per slice. I had some extra carbs the other night so I had a slice of it and it was good. I have yet to make any of Umpa's breads, but I did make Izzet's bread once. Rick's the bread eater though, so I think he can handle $5 per loaf if he wants it that bad. As for me, I'm happy with the One-Minute Muffin mix. I made pancakes today with that recipe. Stupid me forgot the baking powder, but they turned out okay. They remind me of the buckwheat pancakes I used to eat as a kid. Rick hates those, so it's not something we had very often. I also stopped using the egg yolk to cut back and they taste just fine.

I would like to have a lower carb almond flour on hand to make a single-serving cake or something. I don't do well having full-sized cakes around. They haunt me until they're gone. Later, once I've lost all my weight, I'll get into baking more. But for now ... I've got Mickey shorts to fit into!

[TabyTaby]

Love you Rena! You're great! I don't know much at all about low carb baking :\ wish I did...never heard of that stuff you mentioned. Preparing for my job 24/7 on call weekends, weekdays, and holidays eats up much time *sigh and you know how irritated I am with my life right now...missing my pasta, and felafel and cake and ugh...kind of depressing. I think I would have given up if not for that horrifying pic I posted today LOL but I'm almost darn near dying for some pasta...or french bread...none of the other breads I've tried...flax and almond bases included, do it for me...would love to have some I could dip in vinegar and oil, french bread style hate my life sometimes. Eh well, I hate fat too