Save Money by Making Your Own Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

If you buy bread frequently, you could be saving money by making your own bread.

What?!? I know, you think I'm crazy by saying that, right? Well, you read that correctly. Even buying all of your supplies: your own ingredients, a Bosch Universal Plus mixer, and possibly a grain mill, you could still make money after about one year – or spend it elsewhere rather than buying bread that is not necessarily good for you.

First of all, did you know that lots of bread companies – including those who make whole wheat “good-for-you” bread – use high fructose corn syrup in their bread? If you do not know the tragedies of high fructose corn syrup in your diet, do a little research (Google it – there is plenty of information out there and I do not want that to be the focus of this post.) Plus, they use all kinds of preservatives and who knows what else. Besides, homemade cooking and baking is always better for you because you know exactly what ingredients you are putting into your food.

If you need the tools to make your bread – don’t fret. They aren’t that expensive when you look at the big picture.

I recommend using a Bosch Universal Plus machine to mix your bread. (Find a good deal on the Bosch Universal Plus and on our grain mills at HiStakes-Spelt.com.)
The Bosch Universal Plus has an excellent motor for dealing with bread dough, a great warranty, and it lasts at least 25-30 years. Very few machines can make that claim.

Check out our grain mills here - we only sell our favorite ones.



So, we did some math for you to show you how to make money by making your own bread and buy the tools you need (like the Bosch Universal Plus and a grain mill).

In the Beginning: We took an average family (we’ll call them the Smiths) who eats about three loaves of bread per week. The Smiths purchase whole wheat bread at $3.50 per loaf.

Changes: The Smith family purchases a Bosch Universal Plus and bread ingredients as listed in my 100% Whole Wheat Bread in your Bosch Universal Recipe.


Ingredients Cost per batch of bread (batch = 6 loaves)

Whole wheat flour $2.88
Golden Flaxseed $1.53
Dough Enhancer $0.34
SAF Instant Yeast $0.22
Honey $1.14
Water $0.05
(Canola) Oil $0.04
Salt $0.06

Total $6.36 for 6 loaves of bread
$1.06 for 1 loaf of bread

Savings: $2.44 (buying bread at $3.50/loaf versus making your own at $1.06/loaf.)

Weeks to recoup purchase cost of Bosch: 54.64 weeks (that is just over 1 year)
(Remember, this calculates the original bread purchase of 3 loaves per week, so I f the Smith family continues to eat 3 loaves per week, after one year, they have their Bosch paid for and are “making money” that they were using to buy bread!)
And if you need to purchase a grain mill, it will only take about 18-24 months to recoup the cost of the Bosch and the grain mill (depending on which one you choose) before you are saving all that money that you were using to buy bread. Besides, your health will improve from the increase of whole grains and fiber in your diet – what better reason to make your own bread?

This scenario worked for the Smiths and it could work for your family, too!!


Start making bread and saving money today!


**Disclaimer, we will not be held responsible for your increased bread consumption when you make your own bread.

Simple Spelt Bread -- Cheese Deal

My turn. Heather tried the "Very Simple Spelt Bread" recipe and said it wasn't that bad. I finally tried it and hated it. Not sure what I did wrong, but I couldn't eat the bread. It was dry, WAY to heavy and tasted strongly of baking soda. It was aweful!!
I did a few variations - is that what happened to this recipe? I used flaxseed rather than sesame seeds, I threw in 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum, and used honey rather than molasses. So? Any ideas? (Although, even if you have ideas, I might not try this recipe again.) It went bad really fast, too.
I think our cows enjoyed it, so the bread didn't totally go to waste.

Here is the photographic evidence that I really made the bread:
It kind of looked like pumpkin bread when it came out of the oven:


Now, on a happier note, I got a phone call recently, and was asked if I had any friends who might want to share a 40 pound brick of cheese with me. It was a steal of a deal, so I said I would call around. Everyone I talked to wanted in on the deal. So we got this 40 pound brick (which turned out to be closer to 44 pounds) and learned a lot about cutting cheese with a 16 gauge guitar string into 5 pound loaves. (The 16 gauge worked really well, by the way.) We wrapped each brick in saran wrap. (How do like that Sam's Club roll of saran wrap? It lasts us like 10 years - I love it!)

And here is the final stack (minus one). It was awesome to have that much cheese on my kitchen table.
I love a good deal!

BYU-I Home and Family Conference

Have you heard about this?

If you are at all close to Rexburg, Idaho, you might want to consider going to this "Preparedness Fair" tomorrow, March 21, 2009 starting registration at 8:00 am and classes go until 2:30. You can look it up online at www.byui.edu/ce/homeandfamily for the schedule of classes- there is a fee for going, but I think it will totally be worth it.

I am hoping I get to go to the "Cooking with Wheat" class and I would love to go to the "Food Preservation - A Family Affair: Canning, Hot and Cold Packing, Pressure Cooking, Freezing, and Drying" as well as the "Manage Your Finances Before They Manage You" classes.

They have over 40 classes for you to choose from. They encourage community patrons - even couples to go and learn. It looks like so much fun and so informative. Check it out and get registered tonight online so you can go and enjoy your day tomorrow.

Hope to see you there.

Here is the link one more time: www.byui.edu/ce/homeandfamily

American Family Preparedeness

Here is one of my contacts for additional food storage items: Mark Richardson 208-524-1558 or 208-524-7475. There are a lot of options here. There are usually 3-5 things on the monthly special through Mark Richardson. You do have to add tax & shipping is only .25/#10 can (if you can pick it up here in Idaho Falls). If you don't live locally, give him a call and see what you can work out with him. Another fabulous resource for those of you living outside the State of Utah is Emergency Essentials! Go to www.beprepared.com and sign up for their monthly catalog, sign up to be a "group leader". If you have friends/family/church/work groups interested in food storage you can get great savings on the "group buys" they offer. Often times and order of 6 of the same items will get you the group rate, so it can be done with a small group too! Best part is you get it tax free & NO SHIPPING!! I've been doing the catalog order the past few months and it's wonderful!! Such a huge variety of things for not only food storage for emergency preparedness too!

There are A LOT of food storage options available in so many areas (granted UT & ID are spoiled a bit, UT especially!), so keep your eyes open and get on the internet and get catalogs/newsletters for preparedness sites, you'll be surprised how much you can learn to do on your own too!

Good News for Diabetics and Hypoglycemics

Disclaimer: I do not have diabetes or hypoglycemia however, I found this to be a great idea for food storage options! So, read on even if you are extremely healthy...

My friend was asking me the other day if I had ever heard of or tried diastatic malt.

My response? Nope... never have heard of it, let alone tried it! What is it? What do you do with it?

I know, you are asking the same thing, right? Well, let me tell you a little bit about it - what little bit I have learned thus far.

According to a well-known book "Set for Life" by Jane P. Merrill and Karen M. Sunderland, "diastatic malt is barley or other grain soaked in water and spread until it sprouts, then dried and aged. It has a sweet taste."

Diastatic malt is a natural sweetener that completely takes the place of sugar in breads while still accomplishing the same purposes as sugar.

Use 1-2 cups whole wheat
3 cups lukewarm water

Now, these instructions come from Merrill and Sunderland's book "Set for Life." I have heard lots of good things about this book and it would definitely be worth owning. (Sorry for the lack of a picture, but for the whole book - you can get it here):



As I was saying, you sprout your wheat in a quart jar, (soak for 24 hours, drain well and use a sprouter. Cover with a cloth. Rinse and drain your wheat at least 2 times a day until your sprout is just longer than the seed. Should take about 48 hours.

For diabetics, SPROUT SPELT, for a lower glycemic load! According to NutritionData.com, Cooked Spelt has an estimated glycemic load of 21. Which is relatively low compared to wheat which ranges from 63-75 in the whole grains. (You can look up more specific foods on your own.)
I'm sure sprouted spelt is a little different - but still easier on your body to digest.

After sprouting, dry your sprouted grain - either in the food dryer or in the oven (at about 150 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, until thoroughly dry.)

After it is dry, place your dried sprouted wheat in a blender and blend it on high for about 30-45 seconds or until it has a fine meal consistency.

You can store diastatic malt in the fridge or freezer in a tightly closed glass jar. It will keep indefinitely.

You can reduce the amount of sweetener in the recipe or replace the sugar with this diastatic malt using 1 teaspoon of malt for each 2 loaves of bread or every 5 cups of flour. You can also use it as a natural sweetener on cereal or in other baked items.

Good luck! I hope this opens new options for you if you miss eating bread because of diabetes or hypoglycemia. Or if you happen to run out of expensive sugar - you could use this as a backup option.

Get your Garden Seeds Now!

I've heard on NPR and in the commodities news that already seed sales are and up and flowers sales are down. People are more interested in filling in empty gaps in their flower beds with extra fruits & veggies than with expensive filler plants this year due to the economic changes. This may or may not be the case (I haven't been tracking this that closely), but it does make sense. Also, I've heard through the grapevine that since California has had so many fires, their crops are not expected to have great yields this year. Normal things like lettuces & fruits may be very pricey this summer when they'd normally have "in season" prices. Just something to think about.

So, when you see seeds on sale at your local stores & nurseries, get them early this year, just in case. You never know if they'll run out of stock and be able to get more. Plus, if you've ever wanted to try gardening, make this year "your" year and start learning how to grow some of your own food! If you don't have outside space, look into container gardening, there are many things you can do if you have limited space.

Another great item for your food storage!

I've been wanting to get some garden seeds for my food storage for some time now and I finally got some. These will last a long time in the can and it's got a fabulous variety. I heard a caller on AM radio this week saying that "food" is probably the most worthwhile investment you can make right now", he was half joking but half right on the money in my opinion!

I know spring hasn't sprung yet, but it will before we know it, especially if we're not prepared. So start planning your gardening plans early, it will give you something to look forward to (if you live in cold, windy & dreary Idaho this time of year)!

I made the Very Simple Spelt Bread!

Yes, it was very easy. A simple quick bread that could be used for breakfast (as toast), lunch (for a sandwich), or dinner (in place of roll). We actually had it alongside our steak, potatoes, salad, and green beans for dinner tonite. It was good with a bit of butter and even better with a drizzle of honey.

The recipe calls for sesame seeds (which I don't care for), but I used half flax & half steel cut oats instead. I also added one tablespoon of honey (as I saw in variations on the recipe link). It was very good- a tad on the heavy side, but that's what you get with a whole grain, non-yeast bread.

Other variations included raisins and cinnamon, which sound fabulous for this type of bread.

So, there you go- I did it, you can too! Happy baking!

*note, if you don't have spelt flour, any whole grain flour (especially wheat) would probably be just as good, but you'd want to check for substitution amounts- you'd likely use 1/2 c to 1c less flour if not using spelt.

New easy spelt recipes - spelt crackers and spelt bread

Today is a day for research. I am researching new recipes and new ingredients. My main search today deals with Xanthan Gum (as you may have noticed on my Twitter/Tweet - in case you follow me).

I have found a couple of interesting recipes I want to try. Haven't tried them yet, but they look so incredibly simple and like something my blog and website friends might enjoy that I am just going to share them with you here:

This one is whole spelt flour crackers - make your own crackers at home!
The article is from the New York Times by a Heidi Julavits. Check it out here:

Spelt-Flour Crackers from the New York Times Magazine
someone else's variation - same basic recipe

AND DON'T FORGET you can get spelt berries from us to make you own very nutritious spelt flour at HiStakes-Spelt.com/spelt

And this one is a new spelt bread recipe with no yeast, no gluten (other than fragile spelt gluten) and it is super simple to make. Check it out on

AllRecipes.com - Very Simple Spelt Bread

I am looking forward to trying these out. Let me know if you beat me to it and how it works. Enjoy!

Allow me to take a moment...

to make note that my new friend Heather is going to help me write some blog posts for a few weeks. She has some great food storage ideas and has done an awesome job on the posts she has done thus far. (Canning butter and bringing the canner home.)

So, watch - at the bottom of the post it will say who wrote it (if you are interested).

I appreciate Heather for being willing to share some of her expertise with us. I can't wait to learn more from her and I am looking forward to learning from a few other special blog guests I am hoping to have.

Stay tuned...

Bring the Cannery Home!

Ever rented the can sealer before? Did you know you can do A LOT of canning in your own home? The cannery is a wonderful place to get food storage items and can them in a quick orderly fashion. However, they are limited in the foods they offer. Renting the can sealer is free and is very user friendly; it's really a great way to customize your food storage for your family! I have so many things that we actually eat (in my storage) and it gives me a lot of comfort knowing that I know how to use & cook with (most) of the things in my storage, so I don't have to learn in the midst of a crisis. I'm still working on a good rotation system, haven't figured that one out yet.......

Here's what they look like set up:

I rented a can sealer last week and did the following items: spelt rotini, quinoa, spelt flakes, rice, brown rice, various pastas (sm shells, bowtie & penne), soup mix, granola and buttermilk pancake mix. I've rented can sealers several times and I've pretty much gotten my "years' supply" so that's why I've started some things that have shorter term shelf lives (granola, pancake etc). I can rotate these things within 1-2 years and then do more of them as I run low. But my pastas, soup mixes & rice will last 25-30 years!

I usually order my food in bulk from a local grocery store (Winco), they typically take 1-3 days to get my order in and they have a HUGE variety of things to order. I've also gotten some good deals from Sams Club. I pick up the can sealer, cans, lids, oxygen absorbers from the cannery and I'm good to go! Please note, the can sealers have to be scheduled in advance.

Here's my spelt rotini- I was soo excited to add this to my storage, I don't do well with whole wheat products, so this is a fabulous option for me.

Please keep in mind that there are many ways to add to your food storage and learning new things can be fun and empowering, especially in times like we're facing today, it's always good to be as independent from society as you can be!