Homemade bread high in calories?

Options
RedheadHen
RedheadHen Posts: 249 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I baked 2 loaves of whole wheat bread over the weekend. I ran the recipe through the recipe maker thing here and my bread per slice is like 100 calories higher than Nature's Own Whole Wheat bread! WHAT??? How is that? I used King Arthur Light Whole Wheat Flour, 1/4 cup of veg oil and only 1/4 cup of sugar for TWO loaves. Granted, I can only cut about 20 slices total. But it's telling me that one slice of my home made bread - with No butter or preservatives - is twice a store bought bread. I'm trying to save some money here and I really don't like the $4+ per loaf of bread price at the stores. <sigh> I'm also trying to cut down on buying 3 different loaves of bread for the family as currently we all eat sandwiches for lunch and all on different breads!

Any thoughts on this? I really hate seeing that huge calorie difference on my diary. :o(

PS - I'm off to exercise if you don't hear back from me right away! Gotta get in that workout so I can have a piece of bread! LMAO!
«134

Replies

  • EuroDriver12
    EuroDriver12 Posts: 805 Member
    Options
    they would still be high cal and high carb... especially with all the sugar n veg oil hehe

    wholewheat.. its still has high macros but its just "healthier" to eat because it has more fiber.... so at the end of the day its better to stay away all togather
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Options
    My homemade bread is usually higher in calories because I cut it thicker than store bread and I add good fats to it, like flax seed, sunflower seeds, etc. Or I make yeast breads with walnuts, cranberries, and other good stuff. It tastes about 100% better than commercial pre-sliced bread that is full of odd ingredients, so to me it is worth the extra calories!
  • RedheadHen
    RedheadHen Posts: 249 Member
    Options
    Well I guess I want to know how Nature's Own is making bread. What are they subbing for flour. I mean I can see the calories will be high since flour is around 100 cals per 1/4 cup. My recipe called for 6 cups! That's like 2,400 calories in just flour alone! ACK!

    I will not cut out bread from my diet. My choice there. I have always stuck to the idea that I will not cut out a food or a food group to loose weight. I will increase my exercise though to have those high calorie treats. Haha!

    It's just disappointing to me that making my own bread may save me money but cost me calories. :o/

    Any bakers out there that could suggest ways to lower the calories in a bread recipe?
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    Options
    I made homemade pizza dough (whole wheat) a while back and noticed the same thing. Super high in calories, but the ingredient list was very healthy and basic.
  • vickieross
    vickieross Posts: 53 Member
    Options
    Do you haave a Big Lots around? They sell Natures Own @ half price
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
    Options
    How about using Splenda instead of sugar!
  • Ilovedrinkingtea
    Ilovedrinkingtea Posts: 597 Member
    Options
    What about looking for other recipes that are lower in calories? xx
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    Options
    Well I guess I want to know how Nature's Own is making bread. What are they subbing for flour. I mean I can see the calories will be high since flour is around 100 cals per 1/4 cup. My recipe called for 6 cups! That's like 2,400 calories in just flour alone! ACK!

    I will not cut out bread from my diet. My choice there. I have always stuck to the idea that I will not cut out a food or a food group to loose weight. I will increase my exercise though to have those high calorie treats. Haha!

    It's just disappointing to me that making my own bread may save me money but cost me calories. :o/

    Any bakers out there that could suggest ways to lower the calories in a bread recipe?

    Yeah, at first I was going to say you really don't need fat or sugar in bread, but that 1/4 cup of each is not adding that many calories compared to what the flour contributes.

    In my experience homemade bread is not as "fluffy" as store-bought (I actually can't eat it for that reason--- too dense and heavy for my weak digestive system). So maybe their flour is able to be stretched further.
  • mommymeg2
    mommymeg2 Posts: 145 Member
    Options
    Your bread is much healthier because even Nature's Own isn't "whole" food, they add things that you don't in your bread which can assist in acting as a filler. The idea is that your bread should keep you fuller, longer where as you can cut one piece in half for a sandwich instead of using two.
  • kelleyish
    kelleyish Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Nature's Own is what I usually buy in the stores, too. I think the reason it's lower in calories is the density - if you compare a slice of Nature's Own to homemade bread, the homemade is usually much denser - smaller and fewer little air pockets in it.

    This is just a theory, but what if you decreased the amount of ingredients in your recipe by about a quarter or a third, and then let the bread rise for a really long time, maybe the smaller amount of ingredients would fill up the same size pan and the resulting bread would be less dense...

    Just a thought, good luck!
  • amyrobynne
    amyrobynne Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    I've wondered the same thing too. I bake my own whole wheat bread (including whole wheat flour, wheat gluten flour, honey, yeast, lecithin, butter, and salt) and if I cut 16 slices per 2 lb loaf, it's 130 calories per slice. The bread my husband got at the store yesterday is 70 cal/slice. Granted, it tastes like air instead of having the dense, tasty, chewiness of homemade.

    I end up having more one slice-open faced sandwiches and not reaching for the bread as often when I eat homemade because of the calories, but it really does taste so much better. I'd rather have 60 calories of high-quality food than skip it and eat store bought fillers.
  • EuroDriver12
    EuroDriver12 Posts: 805 Member
    Options
    prolly sweeteners instead of sugars... n add other chemicals.... so imo eating homemade would be healthier even though the little bit of extra cals.. just work them into ur day somehow if you like bread...

    how do they have coke thats 140cals a can and then coke thats 0cals a can? chemicals...... thats why i still frown apon ppl trying to be "healthy" drinking diet coke as its worse or same than regualr coke...

    oh my favorite ppl are (used to work at a pizza joint) that order like
    -medium pizza, extra cheese, 2 cheese base, pepperoni, bacon, bacon crumble, italian sasuage, thick crust, lightly done, olive oil on top,
    -6 creamy garlic dips (for a medium pizza? reaallly?)
    -bag of brownies and 2 cheese cakes
    -6 DIET pop
    lol what do u think ur diet pop gonna do in this situation? keep u from putting on weight hahaha
  • Smackemdanno
    Smackemdanno Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    Homemade bread is more dense than store bought. The lighter and fluffier the bread, the less calories per slice. There is not much substance to store bought bread. Ball a slice of store bought and your bread and you will find your bread ball is thicker. The only wheat substitutes you can use are probably going to make the bread about as expensive as buying it in the store. You may use ground quinoa or amaranth. Way healthier than wheat and no gluten. Also you will find they are higher in protein and amino acids. Walton Feed sells quinoa and amaranth the cheapest I have seen but it is still over $2 per pound. And you would still have to grind it yourself. Maybe a mix of amaranth and wheat would be the key. You may also look into millet but I have never baked with it.
  • KaciWood19
    KaciWood19 Posts: 553 Member
    Options
    how big are your slices? I make my own bread as well and my ingredient list is a little more involved but my slices are only around 50 cals.
  • CharityEaton
    CharityEaton Posts: 508
    Options
    first, are you usig milk in the recipe or water??? That is one of the things I did to cut my calories in my home made bread.
    I also use real unsalted butter instead of any oils. It tastes better to me.

    The recipe I use is for a 1 1/2 pound loaf. I make half wheat right now because we are slowly adjusting my daughter to whole wheat. She flips out if I buy whole wheat so we are making our own bread and slowly adding more whea flour to gether used to it!
    It uses the following :
    1 cup plus 1 tbsp water
    1 tbsp honey
    1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
    1 1/2 cups bread flour
    2 tbsp butter
    1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
    (right here the recipe calls for1 1/2 tbsp dry milk but I NEVER add it and the bread is still delicious)
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    2 tsp active dry yeast.
    I use a bread machine to mix all those ingredients up but I take it out an knead it one last time and put it in my loaf pan to rise and bake it in the oven not the bread machine.
    I cut the bread fairly thin though getting about 20 slices from just the one loaf. I still get my bread but it is a LOT less calories that way.
    One slice of bread is about 76 calories! : )
  • jimmendes
    jimmendes Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    I bake relatively frequently (like once a week), and I think it's the non-essential bread ingredients that kick up the calories. At it's most basic, bread is flour, water, yeast and salt. You can make a great loaf of bread with just those four ingredients. When you add other ingredients, like oil and sugar or milk or eggs, that increases the calorie count. Oil and other fats will especially do this, since they are very calorie dense. So I would assume that the lower calorie supermarket breads skip those ingredients.

    The other thing I would say is try entering all of the ingredients to get a total calorie count for a single loaf. Then weigh the loaf. Then cut a slice and weigh it. That will give you a better idea of the calorie count for a slice of homemade bread, since the ratio of the slice to the whole loaf will equal the ratio of calories in the slice to the calories in the loaf.

    Also, you could try weighing a slice of your bread vs. a slice of store-bought bread. It could be that the store-bought bread is airier (larger air pockets), so a slice that looks like it is the same size as your homemade bread actually has less bread in it.

    Finally, good for you for making your own bread. I think making food at home is one of the key ingredients to leading a healthy lifestyle. It gives you more control over what exactly you put in your body.
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
    Options
    try yummly.com. They have all kinds of recipes and you can search for whole wheat bread with the filter on nutrition under 100 calories a serving. I saw some recipes for around 50 calories a pop
  • daisyelaine
    daisyelaine Posts: 480 Member
    Options
    I try to make ALL the bread we eat, using my bread machine. Sometimes I find the calories are a bit higher, but knowing that I know EXACTLY what is in it is worth it to me. I'm also at a place where I would much rather have a full fat something than skimp out, as I know it will make me fuller longer. I also use mostly whole wheat flour, and a ton of other stuff like flax, wheat germ, organic flour, nuts and seeds.. the whole shebang. White bread is a REAL rarity at my house!
    I use my electric knife to cut it too, and with that can usually get 22-ish slices out of a loaf. It's taken a while to figure out that one, but it works!

    But yeah, paying $4 a loaf makes me cringe too often!!
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    Options
    I think a lot of the problem is that store bought breads often use questionable often refined or processed ingredients. My hubs and I have looked at the ingredients lists on bread and most brands have WAY too many. Bread is essentially yeast, liquid, flour, and fat and yet some store bought brands have many many more ingredients.

    That's awesome that you bake your own bread!

    If I was making my own, I'd just try to make adjustments to my calories elsewhere to make it work. I'd personally rather have the higher calories from a food which I know exactly what ingredients it contains.
  • bsexton3
    bsexton3 Posts: 472 Member
    Options
    Obviously, your added calories are in the sugar and the oil, so I would find a recipe you like that cuts down on the two of them. I have about three basic recipes I use. Instead of sugar, I use honey. The one my family likes the best is:

    1 cup rolled oats
    1 cup whole wheat flour
    2 tsp salt (I never use full amount)
    1/2 cup brown sugar (or 1/3 cup honey or molasses)
    2 cups boiling water (Mix together)
    2 Tbsp. oil (I use olive oil) mix in let set until oat mixture is between 105-115 about 20 minutes.
    2 packets or Tbs. yeast into
    1/2 cup warm water with 1/4 teas. sugar let sit 5 minutes then mix into oat batter
    3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour (I use unbleached)

    Let rise until double. Double always means when you insert a finger the bread starts to fall in on the hole your finger left.
    Form into two loaves, grease pans (I use Pam lightly). Let double the bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

    According to my calculations, that is about 3,000 calories for two loaves. The nice thing about adding oats is it gives the bread more moisture and hold together better than my regular wheat recipe. If you want my other two, I will post them as well.

    Again, try your recipe with half the oil and cut the sugar by switching to honey.

Categories