Tuesday is here and I need to jump in on Tightwad Tuesday again for a few reasons. I need the accountability of what I’m about to mention in the next paragraph, I enjoy reading all the other great posts in the pool, and, not a need but a want, I love seeing the picture below.

April is going to be a month of changes for us here at the little rainberryblue household. It is going to be a Make It Instead month, in which I will be making instead of buying when it comes to food. I posted on this the other day about how I plan to make granola bars, bread, yogurt, crackers, etc instead of buying them. I have some renovations I want to do this spring/summer including a bathroom reno (complete with adding a window) and replacing the floor that connects my kitchen and living room together. I also really need to start saving towards a car as mine is eleven years old and is on its way out. I’m not sure how much I want to put into a car that I will get nothing for at the end. So money-saving practices and activities are in full swing here. It’s been a concious thing for quite some time now, however the April Make It Instead personal challenge is new.

The day that I first posted about my challenge, I made a loaf of bread. And, as I plan to make another loaf or two tomorrow, I’m posting again on that. Tomorrow will be the third time I’ve used Crystal’s EZ Whole Wheat Bread recipe (Crystal is over at Everyday Food Storage) and I’m happy that after the first initial flop (I made two loaves and then were both full of holes and doughy in the centre), the second loaf (I made just one in case it flopped again) was wonderful. The heel is all that remains but as I don’t like the heel of the bread unless it’s eaten as soon as the bread has cooled, it will be kept for the birds. I already have a cracker jar and part of a bread bag full of breadcrumbs from previous store-bought loaves.

Brushed with butter while hot to soften the crust. No crusty bread here.

Crystal’s recipe includes wheat gluten, dry milk, and potato flakes. I figured out the substitution for potato flour and used that intead. The result is a beautiful chewy, moist loaf that slices perfectly and keeps very well. I’ve made bread several times over the years and used a variety of recipes but I’m really liking this one and can’t see myself changing it any time soon. And with bread in the stores here averaging between $2.69 and $3.69 Canadian per loaf for the non-Wonder Bread varieties (Dempster’s whole grain or COuntry Harvest), making your own is definitely cheaper even with the minimal work required. I’ve also never found a bread with a short ingredients list and often wonder why the need for all those ingredients, even in the bread that is made in the store bakery. I know what goes into the bread I make and I know that it’s fine for B with his sensitivities.

And is there any better air freshener than a loaf rising on the counter or baking in the oven? Save those pennies: bake a loaf of bread.