Cost Analysis of No-Knead Bread
May 7, 2008
This is a cost analysis of the no-knead bread recipe that I posted on Monday. As a student my funds are limited, so I wanted to know if making my own bread was economically advantageous. I know it tastes better, but if it costs too much, it may not be feasible for me to make it frequently. The prices may be slightly different for you due to regional variations, but the cost of ingredients will probably rise with the cost of store-bought bread, so the comparison should be similar.
The ingredients needed for two small loaves of bread or one medium-sized loaf:
- 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (one normal packet)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt
Flour
At the Kroger near my house, a 5 pound bag of flour costs $1.69.
- 5 lbs x 16 oz/lb = 80 oz of flour per bag
Using the conversion table found here, a cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4 ounces.
- 4 oz/cup x 3 1/4 cups per batch = 13 oz of flour needed per batch
- 80 oz per bag / 13 oz per batch = 6.15 batches per bag
I will round this down to six since you might need a little more for dusting your loaf when cutting and baking it. And the cost per batch?
- $1.69 / 6 batches = $0.28 per batch for flour
Salt
(Note that the price I have is for table salt. Expect kosher to be a little more expensive, but there can’t be too much of a difference.)
A 26 oz container of salt costs $0.59 and using our handy chart, a tablespoon is 2/3 of an ounce. There are three teaspoons to a tablespoon, so:
- 2 1/4 tsp. per batch x 1/3 tbsp./tsp. = 3/4 of a tablespoon of salt used per batch
- 3/4 tbsp. per batch / 2/3 oz/tbsp. = .5 oz per batch
- 26 oz per container / .5 oz per batch = 52 batches per container
- $0.59 per container / 52 batches per container = $0.011 per batch for salt
I’ll go ahead and round that up so it is $0.02 per batch.
Yeast
The yeast is much simpler. Each packet contains 2 1/4 teaspoons and a group of three packets costs $0.97, so it is $0.33 per batch.
Total and Comparison
$0.28 for flour + 0.02 for salt + 0.33 for yeast = $0.63 per batch
So, it is 63 cents per batch of no-knead bread. I know this is not including time, and perhaps more importantly, the cost of electricity to heat your oven, but it is acceptable for now.
Where I live, you can get a 20 oz loaf of sliced, white bread for a dollar. So what is the cost per ounce of each bread?
- No-Knead: $0.63 per batch / 13 oz per batch = $0.048 per oz
- Store-bought: $1.00 per loaf / 20 oz per loaf = $0.05 per oz
So, they are equal at $0.05 per oz when you don’t include the electricity for your oven. I have no idea what an oven costs to run, but either way the electricity would make the homemade loaf a little bit more expensive. Still, they are so close that the great increase in quality from the homemade bread is probably worth the few extra pennies for me.
In a few months I am going to eat only home-baked bread for a month. The cost is nearly equal and it will be much more delicious – I’ll let you know how it turns out.
photo credit: Paco Espinoza
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May 7th, 2008 at 9:39 am
First the homemade bread contains only flour, yeast, salt and water (possibly a little sugar). The bulk breads from the store contain so much more, so the bread doesn’t go stale.
Find a store that sell flour in larger bags. See if you can find a place which sells yeast in 2 lb bags. If kept in the freezer, yeast will last a year.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:41 am
By all means try to find the SAF dry yeast. I pay about $2/POUND!!!
Great blog. Thanks for it.
Leo
May 7th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
rapid rise yeast is $3 for a 3-packet package in grocery stores in my neighborhood — annoying! i do want to try the no-knead recipe at some point though!
May 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I agree that store bought bread will have more ingredients and chemicals so it doesn’t go stale as fast. I still buy bread, but I bake most of my bread, however, I still have trouble with the yeast. It has become my sworn enemy. Hehe.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
ntsc and Leo: I’ll look into bulk yeast when I start baking more. That is great that it lasts up to a year in the freezer. Good way to cut down the cost more.
katy: Wow – that is really expensive!
Ben: Sworn enemy? That is pretty intense.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:26 am
By the way that 5 lb bag is now well over $2, as a 25 lb bag at Costco yesterday was $9.99, which is up like $6 from a year ago.
Put the yeast bag in a zip loc and squeeze as much air out as possible. The yeast should not freeze in a lump, so you can measure out what you need and put the bag right back.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Another tip for when you get the one or two pund packs of yeast – seal up most of it in the freezer and keep a little in the fridge in a smaller container (I keep about 1/4 cup in the fridge container) this way the stuff in the freezer doesn’t have to be pulled out and unsealed every time you make bread. It should last longer that way.
May 17th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Thanks for all the advice on storing yeast. I am glad I can get it in bulk and not have it go bad before I can use it. Now I just need to bake more bread!
November 12th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
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January 18th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Man, you don’t need a whole packet of yeast for this recipe. Just 1/4 tsp is enough, if you let it sit longer for the first rise, 8-16 hours.
June 26th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
[...] the same as the cheap, artificial stuff you can buy in the grocery store. According to somebody who ran the numbers, this bread costs about 63 cents per [...]
June 26th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
[...] the same as the cheap, artificial stuff you can buy in the grocery store. According to somebody who ran the numbers, this bread costs about 63 cents per [...]
July 5th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
[...] the same as the cheap, artificial stuff you can buy in the grocery store. According to somebody who ran the numbers, this bread costs about 63 cents per [...]