No Bread Machine Needed: 4 Easy Bread Recipes That May Save You Money

Mention homemade bread and it’s easy to picture a bread machine taking up half the kitchen counter or someone spending the day kneading dough, waiting for it to rise and hoping the finished loaf actually looks like bread.

But “homemade bread” covers a lot more than a traditional yeast loaf.

→ Biscuits are bread.
→ Tortillas are bread.
→ Bagels are something you can make yourself.
→ Quick breads can go from mixing bowl to dinner table without waiting hours for dough to rise.

Making some of these foods yourself can also help reduce grocery costs, especially if flour and other baking basics are already regular pantry staples.

Will homemade always be cheaper? No.

Your ingredient prices, local bread prices, energy costs and what you normally buy all matter. And your time counts, too.

But these four recipes are simple enough to show that you don’t necessarily need special equipment or advanced baking skills to add a little homemade bread to your grocery-saving toolbox.

1. Quick and Cheap Homemade Biscuits

Dollar Stretcher reader EM shared this remarkably simple biscuit recipe that uses only three ingredients.

And don’t let the mayonnaise scare off anyone who doesn’t like mayo. As EM points out, her husband doesn’t like mayonnaise but loves these biscuits.

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Stir the flour, milk and mayonnaise together until combined.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently pat it out. Cut or shape the biscuits as large or small as desired.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked through and lightly browned. Oven temperatures and baking times can vary, so begin checking them as they approach the end of the baking time.

Recipe courtesy of Dollar Stretcher reader EM.

Why This One May Save

There’s no yeast, rising time or specialized equipment.

If self-rising flour, milk and mayonnaise are foods you already keep on hand, you can make fresh biscuits without buying refrigerated dough, baking mix or bakery biscuits.

It can also be a useful “we’re out of bread” recipe that saves an extra trip to the store.

And avoiding the store for one forgotten item can prevent buying a few unplanned items while you’re there.

2. Homemade Bagels

Bagels look like one of those foods you couldn’t possibly make without special equipment.

You can.

This recipe from former Dollar Stretcher contributor Alison Wood does require yeast, kneading and rising time. The bagels also get their characteristic prep step: briefly simmering in water before baking.

So this isn’t a five-minute recipe like EM’s biscuits.

But most of the time involved is waiting rather than working.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 packages yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 quarts water, for boiling
• 1 egg white

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let the mixture stand for several minutes.

In another bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly.

Slowly add the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Once the flour has been incorporated, place the dough on a floured surface and knead for about five minutes.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour.

Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a bagel.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Working about three at a time, place the bagels into the simmering water and cook for one minute. Remove and drain them, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown, turning once during baking for more even cooking.

Yields: 12 bagels

Recipe courtesy of former Dollar Stretcher contributor Alison Wood.

Make the Bagels You Like

One advantage of homemade bagels is that the basic dough doesn’t have to stay basic.

Depending on what you have available, experiment with appropriate additions or toppings such as cinnamon, raisins, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion or an everything-style seasoning blend.

Just remember that adding specialty ingredients also adds to your homemade cost.

If your goal is to save money, start with what you already own.

3. Homemade Tortillas

Tortillas are another bread product that can seem more complicated to make than they really are.

It takes some hands-on time because you need to roll and cook each tortilla individually. But there’s no yeast and no hour-long rise.

Alison’s recipe makes approximately 15 tortillas from basic ingredients.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 cup oil, or 4 tablespoons shortening
• Water, as needed to form the dough

Directions

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

If using shortening, cut it into the dry ingredients until the pieces are approximately pea-sized.

If using oil, stir it into the combined dry ingredients.

Gradually add enough water to create a kneadable dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little more water. If it becomes too sticky, add a little more flour.

Knead the dough for about five minutes, until smooth.

Divide and roll the dough into approximately 15 medium-sized balls.

Lightly flour a large work surface and rolling pin. Roll each ball into a tortilla of your desired thickness.

Transfer one tortilla at a time to a lightly oiled skillet over medium-low heat.

When small bubbles begin to appear, flip the tortilla and cook the opposite side (like cooking pancakes). Remove from the skillet when cooked and repeat with the remaining dough.

Serve warm.

Yields: Approximately 15 tortillas

Recipe courtesy of former Dollar Stretcher contributor Alison Wood.

Where the Savings May Be

Flour tortillas don’t require expensive ingredients, which gives homemade a chance to compete well on cost.

But compare with what you normally pay.

If you regularly find tortillas on BOGO or buy an inexpensive store brand, your savings may be modest.

If tortillas have gotten expensive where you live or you need them frequently, homemade becomes more attractive.

There’s another potential benefit: you can make them when you need them rather than discovering halfway through taco night that someone ate the last tortilla.

4. Rustic Round Bread

This final recipe is a different kind of homemade bread.

There’s no yeast and no rising time. Baking powder and baking soda provide the leavening instead.

The cheddar, butter and herbs make it more expensive than a very basic loaf of homemade bread, so I wouldn’t choose this recipe primarily because you’re trying to produce the absolute cheapest bread possible.

Think of it instead as an easy accompaniment that can help turn an inexpensive soup or other simple dish into a more substantial meal.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed thyme
• 8 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Cut in the cold butter until the pieces are small and approximately pea-sized.

Add the egg and milk and stir just until everything is moistened. The batter should have a consistency similar to cornbread batter.

Transfer to a greased and floured 8-inch round cake pan.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the bread is cooked through.

Yields: 6 servings

Recipe courtesy of former Dollar Stretcher contributor Alison Wood.

Use It To Stretch a Simple Meal

This is the kind of bread that can make a pot of inexpensive soup, beans or another lighter meal feel more complete.

And that can be another way homemade bread saves money.

The bread itself doesn’t necessarily need to be extraordinarily cheap.

If adding a homemade bread helps turn inexpensive ingredients into a dinner everyone finds filling and satisfying, it may help keep a simple meal in the meal rotation.

Do You Need a Bread Machine To Save Money Making Bread?

No.

A bread machine can be convenient for someone who makes bread frequently, but don’t assume you need to buy one before trying homemade bread.

None of these four recipes requires one.

In fact, before purchasing any specialized kitchen appliance for a money-saving project, I prefer to see whether the habit sticks first.

Make bread by hand a few times.

If you enjoy it and begin doing it regularly, you can decide later whether a bread machine would save enough time and effort to justify the cost and storage space.

And if you eventually want one, bread machines are the type of appliance worth checking for secondhand. People often buy specialized kitchen appliances with good intentions and then discover they don’t use them much.