Benefits of making bread at home | Whole Food Earth® (2024)

FAQs

Benefits of making bread at home | Whole Food Earth®? ›

Homemade bread is cheaper

Homemade bread has a lot of health benefits if prepared with high-fiber ingredients (e.g., whole grain flours, ground flaxseed, whole oats) which also increase the protein content. Fiber is important in regulating digestion and plays a role in lowering cholesterol.

There can be several advantages to baking your own bread rather than buying it from the store. One of the main advantages is that you have control over the ingredients that go into your bread. When you make your own bread, you can choose to use whole grains, which are more nutritious than refined grains.

Bake bread at home or buy local

Baking your bread at home gives you more control over the ingredients, the process, and the quality of your bread. You can also save money, reduce packaging waste, and enjoy the satisfaction of making your own food.

Bread made at home is made from ingredients that are almost all processed and the making of the bread is further processing. Almost all of this processing is aimed at making the base ingredients more edible.

In the middle of the spectrum, there are processed foods that have a few added ingredients but still resemble whole food ingredients in some way. Canned vegetables, freshly baked bread and pasteurized milk are processed foods.

Unless you have a medical condition such as celiac disease, wheat allergy, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, there is no need for you to avoid bread! In fact, bread can be included as part of a healthy, balanced diet every day – yes that is correct, every day!

Johanna Hartzheim, co-founder and head of product at Wildgrain, a bread and pasta delivery service, recommends eating homemade bread within three days but says it will last up to a week. "The bread will start to dry up and become a bit harder over time, but it takes much longer until it becomes moldy," she says.

Similarly, homemade treats allow for the incorporation of healthier fats like olive oil or avocados instead of the hydrogenated oils and trans fats prevalent in many store-bought products. Moreover, when baking at home, you have the flexibility to adjust recipes to suit dietary preferences or restrictions.

The yeast cells grow, the gluten protein pieces stick together to form networks, and alcohol and carbon dioxide are formed from the breakdown of carbohydrates (starch, sugars) that are found naturally in the flour. Yeast uses sugars by breaking them down into carbon dioxide and water.

Why do people make bread at home? ›

Homemade bread is cheaper

For those who look to save money and reduce food waste, making bread at home is a win-win. Bread recipes require very few simple ingredients, such as flour, salt, yeast, water, grains and seeds. These are products that most of us always have at home.

It's simple – a significant amount of fertiliser dosage enters the atmosphere each time it is used. The chemicals that are emitted include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen and ammonia. As well as being more damaging compared to other aspects of the bread-making process, it's seemingly the most preventable.

These ingredients can include things like potassium bromate, hydrogenated oil, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and azodicarbonamide. Luckily, making your bread at home means that your bread will end up free of these types of additives.

In a nutshell, if you're buying basic, cheap sandwich bread, it's probably cheaper than you can make it at home. But if you compare two loaves similar to what you could make at home — one made with high-quality ingredients as opposed to one made with lesser quality ingredients — home baking becomes much cheaper.

Healthier Options

Using a bread maker means you'll know exactly what you've put into your bread, unlike store-bought alternatives which can be pumped full of synthetic additives.

Homemade bread is also made with more nutritious ingredients and is healthier and better-tasting than store-bought loaves. But buying store-bought bread may be more cost-effective than making it yourself if you just need one loaf of super basic, plain sandwich bread for breakfast or lunch.

Similarly, homemade treats allow for the incorporation of healthier fats like olive oil or avocados instead of the hydrogenated oils and trans fats prevalent in many store-bought products. Moreover, when baking at home, you have the flexibility to adjust recipes to suit dietary preferences or restrictions.

Artisan bread is thought to be a healthier option than store-bought bread. While there haven't been clinical studies to clearly define the differences, artisan bread is made from wholesome fresh ingredients whereas store-bought bread contains processed ingredients and preservatives to stretch the shelf life.