BreadMaker

brenstar05

So, I thought that buying a breadmaker so that I could make homemade bread with natural ingredients was going to be a good thing. But I'm realizing how many calories are in this bread, as opposed to the light varieties you can buy in the store. Based on the calculations, one slice of my homemade LIGHT whole wheat bread is approximately 175 calories... compared to the store bought variety I used to eat which has 45 calories per slice. Is this increased calorie count worth the nutritional benefits of homemade?? Just looking for others thoughts on the topic....

just_Jennie1

Compare the ingredients in your 170 calorie homemade bread vs. those in the 45 calorie "light" bread. Chances are good that your bread has less ingredients and those that can be pronounced.

If it fits into your daily calories then bake it and eat it.

And now I believe I will be making bread today. Thanks!!

pittsblue99

I love homemade bread (heck, I love bread period lol). We have a bread maker that honestly has never really been used because it never worked right. But I am in the same situation - when you compare the calories in breads, it is hard to justify making it at home. I know that is probably the wrong way to look at it but I do. The nutritional differences are probably worth the extra calories because you are using "real" ingredients to begin with. If you read the labels on a loaf of store-bought bread, half the time you cannot even pronounce half the ingredients. Are there different types of flours that you can experiment with to see if you can cut down the calories more?

JUDDDing

Look for different recipes.

I made a pretty decent chocolate bread (!) the other night for 140 calories a slice.

runnergrlfl

I make bread every weekend (no breadmaker). Most recipes yield two loaves. Sometimes I share, sometimes not.

It tastes better, and because of this:


Ingredients in Sara Lee 45 & Wonderful Bread:
Water, Enriched Bleached Flour [Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid), Wheat, Gluten, Whole Wheat Flour, Cottonseed Fiber, Wheat Bran, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Wheat Protein Isolate, Corn Starch, Honey, contains 2% or less of each of the following: Salt, Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oils)Distilled Vinegar, Guar Gum, Dough Conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: Mono-and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Mono-and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Peroxide, Datem, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Enzymes), Wheat Starch, Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Natural Flavor, Yeast Nutrients (Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate and/or Calcium Carbonate), Sucralose, Sulfiting Agent, Soy Lecithin, Milk, Soy Flour.

Ingredients in my Homemade bread:
Water, Yeast, Sugar, Flour, and sometimes butter

ETA: and salt!

bloodhoundlady

I eat very little bread now but will eat Ezekiel bread from my health food store. It is too expensive to eat more than that at $7.00 a loaf. I think the health benefits are better going for the whole grain higher calorie bread. Look at bread like a treat, I only allow one slice a day and with some almond butter and to me it is like a dessert.

There are some great recipes for sprouted grain bread for the breadmaker on various eating clean sites.

Tatyanakuster

I agree! I think the fact that you are eating actual ingredients and not chemicals and substitutes is way worth the calories! The macros are what matter anyways!

Francl27

Definitely worth it and better for you. But I'd never do my own, I'd eat the whole loaf in one sitting...