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by Arlene Wright-Correll

Not many people are alive today who can remember that by late 1923 a loaf of bread cost 200 billion marks in Germany.

Today, as of this writing, which is February 2008, the price of bread in the USA is much higher than in the U.K. and Europe. In 1914 bread in this country was 5 cents a loaf and by the time I was a kid it ran from 19 cents to 25 cents a loaf. As of this writing it runs from $1.98 to $2.98 in most supermarkets and it is not good bread and probably not healthy for you. Good crusty bread such as one will find in specialty bread stores or specialty bread sections of gourmet markets will run you a minimum of $3.98 a loaf and up. Even Panera bread stores are feeling the pinch. Their plan to open 41 new stores this year will be reduced to 26 new stores.

What causes this? At this point we have two things, the high cost of fuel and the high cost of wheat. While wheat crops are up in the USA, they are down in Europe and the freaky weather causing droughts in Australia may not give them relief for years. We here in the USA can expect the same kind of problem with Global Warming and that is happening right now.

In Israel nearly 800 bakery workers have been taken off production lines due to their recent flour crisis, according to the representative of that country's bakeries, who are holding talks with the government.

As of this writing the price bread; in the US; is predicted to go to as high as $5.00 a loaf by the year end and you may still have your head in the sand to think that is crazy because it may well be unacceptable to your mind set. We have seen gas go up and up and many things in the past 6 months from dog food to cleaning products have been raised in most stores by 30% so why not bread?

So how does one beat the high cost of bread? As the author of a bread book called "The Bakers Dozen" the answer is quite easy. Simply by making your own and if you don’t know how or don’t have the money to buy a bread machine, then learn how. Making bread is the easiest thing in the world. The only thing easier is doing it with a bread machine especially for working people. Just simply load it up before going to work, turn it on and when you come back you have a loaf of bread.

The thrift shops and Goodwill stores most always have a bread machine or two in stock. Just make sure you can bring it back if it does not work. Check out eBay as they always have some and just make sure the shipping doesn’t make it to high to purchase. Places like discount stores have them as low as $39.00.

When you buy one get one that makes a 1.5 pound and a 2 pound loaf, remembering you can always cut your loaf in half vertically and freeze half. Then take the other half and lay it the other way and cut that part into slices. As the mother of 5 who used to make bread for the minimum of 7 people in the household, I still make it for one or two simply by cutting and freezing a two pound loaf.

My bread costs me between 54 cents and 65 cents a loaf depending on the type I make.

If you are making bread for your family the first time and they are fussy eaters who are used to the "pap" store bought bread they may not like the texture of a great slice of homemade bread. A trade secret I have is that I put a tablespoon of Vital Wheat Gluten in every recipe when I add the dry ingredients and it makes a lighter, smoother loaf of bread.

You are thinking that when the costs of bread go up so will the cost of flour and you are correct. I frequent the salvage stores and when they have flour on their shelves I buy all they have and freeze it in plastic bags. What I like about the flour in salvage stores it is usually the kind I like to buy such as King Arthur unbleached flour or Hodgin Mills Flour which are the more pricier and better types of flour. In the summer time I freeze it, in the winter time I just put the extra bags of flour in a big plastic container and leave it out on my screened in patio in the cold. Only once did I have a bag that wound up with weevils and that 5 pound bag that cost 25 cents was dumped onto my bird feeder and the birds loved it. It lasted longer and was a lot cheaper than birdseed that keeps going up in price.

In my book, "The Bakers Dozen" there is tons of "how to" information, information on bread makers, and great recipes and especially the one from my late mother-in-law Hazel Wright who’s easy recipe makes 5 loaves at a time.

Some extra tips here include keeping your yeast and Vital Wheat Gluten in the door of your refrigerator and when you take out what you need, just put your amount in a small bowl or dish (not together) and let them get to room temperature. Also if you are using a bread machine put your liquids in first then add all dry ingredients and the last thing to add is your dry yeast.

If you are making bread by hand you can use the cubes of yeast and you can buy a bunch and put them in the freezer where they will keep for a very long time. Just make sure you are letting it defrost first before you use it.

When I use my bread machine I put my butter in my water and nuke it for one minute and it is the perfect temperature when I pour it into my cold or room temperature bread machine pan.

It is smart to be prepared for all of life’s contingencies even the high cost of bread. It is not only smart; it is thrifty and healthier for you and your family.

Then you can take the extra money you save and treat yourself or someone you love to some of Arlene's Home Farm Flowers.

You can find more "How To" articles of this author here.