In 2009, I blogged about making our daily bread with an inexpensive bread machine. My reasons were simple: It's easy, quick, and healthier than store bought bread. But now cost is a factor, too. According to a report at The Christian Science Monitor, the price of wheat has risen about 75 percent since July 2010. And the Dickinson Press reports the cost of wheat will soon rise to $10 a bushel - an increase of over 17 percent.

It's true we still have to purchase flour or wheat to make our own bread (unless we have enough land to plant our wheat crop!), but by cutting out the manufacturer, we can still save a considerable amount. In my hometown, the cheapest loaf of whole wheat bread costs nearly $4, and I can make my own loaf for under $1.

I do enjoy making bread by hand, but I find it impractical to do this several times a week. That's where the bread machine comes in. Mine is just a cheapie Oster (about $60 locally) and it works just fine (although I'd love to own a higher end model that makes a more traditional loaf shape). But I wasn't completely satisfied with my original wheat bread recipe. It tasted great, but it had more sugar in it than I'd like - and I prefer not to use vegetable oil.

So lately, this is the bread I've been making. I prefer using traditional whole wheat flour, but my husband likes the more bland flavor of white whole wheat flour. The kids like either. You can use either, and I often alternate week to week, just for fun.



What You Need:

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/8 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F.)
1/4 cup real honey*
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Bread machine

How To Do It:

1. Place the butter in a microwave-proof bowl and heat a few seconds at a time until the butter is nearly all melted. Allow to cool slightly.

2. Pour the water, honey, salt, wheat flour, bread flour, yeast, and butter into the bread machine. HINT: To help prevent the loaf from collapsing, place the salt in one corner, the yeast in another, and the butter in another.

3. Turn the bread machine to the wheat bread cycle and the light color setting.

* Read labels carefully. A lot of grocery story honey is diluted with sugar.