I've purchased bread from the bakery before - Publix makes really good White Mountain bread - but it always gets stale within a day of buying it.

Will homemade bread do the same thing? I'd like for it to at least last a couple of days. Maybe even three. We don't eat that much bread but we do have sandwiches every now and then. Is it cheaper to make it yourself?

I have a Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home that I got from Amazon. DH is on a gluten free diet. He's getting tired of the bread. It's a pricey model, do you want to buy a gently used very nice machine?

If you put it in a zip lock bag {after it cools} it should be fine for 2-3 days.
If you use the dough cycle you could use smaller pans to make the loaf.

I've used pyrex bowls , muffin pan, or even cookie sheet for french style long loaf.
or even make shape into personal sized rolls/buns freehand, or mini french loaf.
cost wise ..
I looked at a few sites and they say about $1 per loaf now to make it at home.
but once you get the hang of it and they are fresh and delicious PLUS no added preservatives or chemicals ... it worth it.

I've made pizza dough, french, white, whole wheat, baguette, rye mix, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon bread.

I was given an older Breadman (was it even used?) - loved it. It does take a few hours to complete all the cycles, but you end up with real bread. It bakes fine in the machine, but like someone else said, I often just make the dough then oven bake.

It's best the first day, edible the second if stored right. But really cheap to make. The expensive part is the yeast, so buy a jar, not packets, and be sure that has a good exp date, keep in fridge. I just use flour, water, salt, sugar, olive oil and yeast.

How much??!

I think it would be cheaper to make than buy and much healthier. When you have to throw away over 1/2 loaf because it got moldy you lose money.

My mom used to make bread a lot. I can remember coming home from school and the smell of freshly made bread filled the house. Yum!! I miss that.

We have a upscale grocery store called Trader Joe's. In their bread section it recommends storing breads in the refrigerator because they do not contain preservatives.

Homemade white bread is very inexpensive to make. Flour, water, egg, oil and yeast.

There is a Trader Joe's here but it's about 15 miles from me. I've never been but my sister in VA shops there all the time.

I want to make a trip to the Goodwill and see if they have any new or nearly new ones there. We also have a section in our paper's classified section called "Cheap Stuff" and people can advertise things that are under $250 for free. I might try looking in there, too.

If you store your homemade bread in a gallon ziplock bag, it will last a couple of days and be fine. Any more and it probably will mold depending on how hot the weather is. I also brush the hot loaf top with butter. YUM! It keeps it nice. If your loaf is only a lb. or less, you probably will eat it up in a couple of days and besides, that's when it is good. Any left after a couple of days I use to make bread pudding.

As far as the cost to make it, I really haven't figured that out. I am thinking that it really doesn't cost any more than some store bought bread depending on the kind you buy. I will have to do some figuring.

I've done the refrigerator thing and it dries out the bread. Just my experience.

Kell, are you talking about authentic, from scratch, homemade bread, or "homebaked" bread from a boxed premix? My mom was big into making the boxed breads with her machine and the wheat one she liked had some preservatives in it.

In my experience, buying a good bread is more satisfying all the way around. My remedy for the spoilage factor is to buy decent bread and part it out for the freezer, so I can get some out every few days.