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Baking on a Budget
While many families are conscious of the fact that stretching their meal-planning budget to the maximum is essential, many of those very same families are becoming more and more aware of how easy and cost-effective baking on a budget can be.
Baking became popular again in 2020, with so many people working from home or on lock down, unable to get to their favourite bakery or wanting to run the risk of going to the supermarket.
Stores sold out of flours, yeast and sugar. Social media was over-run with posts about the batch of muffins or the sponge cake or the loaf of bread made fresh from scratch.
And that's a good thing. Everyone should have a few basic baking recipes they can fall back on. A simple cake, a quick muffin, an easy quiche they can whip up for a quick lunch or dinner. Best of all, from scratch baking uses ingredients, and you know I always say when you have ingredients, you have options.
Ingredients let you experiment with flavours and textures, try new recipe ideas and save you a whole lot of money. You can whip up a batch of muffins for under $2, where they're around $3 each (or more) from the bakery.
Here are a few baking recipes, tips, and strategies to bake and save money at the same time.
One of the best things about fruit that has become a bit overripe is that you can utilize it in many creative baking recipes. Overripe bananas can be used for banana bread or even banana nut muffins for breakfast. Strawberries can be made into jam, and leftover rice can be used for rice pudding. Even extra noodles from last night’s noodle casserole can be used to make a noodle pudding or noodle cakes.
When baking, try to bulk bake. Utilising a gas or electric oven costs money, so why not batch bake and freeze the leftovers? Cooking in bulk can save you time as well as money. Being able to reach into the freezer and defrost a batch of muffins can be a tremendous time-saver as well as money-saver. Not having to stop at your bakery or supermarket when you are on the run saves money, energy and time. Not to mention that home baked goods have only the natural ingredients that you put into them.
Shopping in bulk and shopping in season will save you quite a bit of money as well. Buying out of season items during off-season periods will cost you more, so pay attention to the fruits, nuts and other baking ingredients of the season. Right now is a great time to be looking for discounts on dried fruits and nuts, and other "Christmas" themed baking ingredients - who says they have to be used for Christmas baking?
Some great baking recipes can be rather simple as well.
Peanut butter cookies (if there are no peanut allergies) are simple to make and delicious and really easy, almost like a magic biscuit.
Ingredients:
1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoonful of vanill
Method:
Combine all the ingredients and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten and bake for 15 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius.
Banana Bread is inexpensive and easy to make. Another bonus is that banana bread can be used for a dessert or even for an on-the-run breakfast treat or baked as cupcakes or muffins - it's a very versatile recipe.
Ingreients:
2 large mashed bananas
2/3 cup of sugar
¼ cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon of vanilla
3 eggs
2-2/3 cups MOO Bisquick mix.
Method:
Mix all ingredients; pour into a greased loaf pan. Cook for one hour at 325 degrees.
Baking does not have to be just for dessert, however. Breakfast bakes are great ways to start your day or even your weekend. Broccoli and bacon quiche is an amazing breakfast bake.
Ingredients:
½ cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
½ cup grated cheese
1 rasher of cooked and crumbled bacon
2 eggs
½ cup cream
Salt to taste
Dash of garlic powder.
Method:
Place the broccoli, cheese and the bacon in a pie plate that has been coated with cooking spray. Beat the eggs into the cream. Pour over the egg mix, salt and garlic powder on top. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes.
None of these recipes are expensive, especially if you compare them to the bought equivalents.
And see how quick they are to mix up? Under five minutes, and they are all ready to go into the oven. Once they're in the oven, you set the timer and it does all the work.
Baking at home, from scratch, isn't hard, doesn't cost a fortune and it definitely doesn't take hours.
For around 10 minutes of your time and a little effort you can have home baked deliciousness for a fraction, and I mean a fraction, of the cost of buying the same thing.
If you're not convinced, do the math yourself.
With today’s lack of food security, and the economy in the state that it is in, going back to baking is a delicious and cost-effective way to feed your family, and it's fun too.
Baking became popular again in 2020, with so many people working from home or on lock down, unable to get to their favourite bakery or wanting to run the risk of going to the supermarket.
Stores sold out of flours, yeast and sugar. Social media was over-run with posts about the batch of muffins or the sponge cake or the loaf of bread made fresh from scratch.
And that's a good thing. Everyone should have a few basic baking recipes they can fall back on. A simple cake, a quick muffin, an easy quiche they can whip up for a quick lunch or dinner. Best of all, from scratch baking uses ingredients, and you know I always say when you have ingredients, you have options.
Ingredients let you experiment with flavours and textures, try new recipe ideas and save you a whole lot of money. You can whip up a batch of muffins for under $2, where they're around $3 each (or more) from the bakery.
Here are a few baking recipes, tips, and strategies to bake and save money at the same time.
One of the best things about fruit that has become a bit overripe is that you can utilize it in many creative baking recipes. Overripe bananas can be used for banana bread or even banana nut muffins for breakfast. Strawberries can be made into jam, and leftover rice can be used for rice pudding. Even extra noodles from last night’s noodle casserole can be used to make a noodle pudding or noodle cakes.
When baking, try to bulk bake. Utilising a gas or electric oven costs money, so why not batch bake and freeze the leftovers? Cooking in bulk can save you time as well as money. Being able to reach into the freezer and defrost a batch of muffins can be a tremendous time-saver as well as money-saver. Not having to stop at your bakery or supermarket when you are on the run saves money, energy and time. Not to mention that home baked goods have only the natural ingredients that you put into them.
Shopping in bulk and shopping in season will save you quite a bit of money as well. Buying out of season items during off-season periods will cost you more, so pay attention to the fruits, nuts and other baking ingredients of the season. Right now is a great time to be looking for discounts on dried fruits and nuts, and other "Christmas" themed baking ingredients - who says they have to be used for Christmas baking?
Some great baking recipes can be rather simple as well.
Peanut butter cookies (if there are no peanut allergies) are simple to make and delicious and really easy, almost like a magic biscuit.
Ingredients:
1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoonful of vanill
Method:
Combine all the ingredients and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten and bake for 15 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius.
Banana Bread is inexpensive and easy to make. Another bonus is that banana bread can be used for a dessert or even for an on-the-run breakfast treat or baked as cupcakes or muffins - it's a very versatile recipe.
Ingreients:
2 large mashed bananas
2/3 cup of sugar
¼ cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon of vanilla
3 eggs
2-2/3 cups MOO Bisquick mix.
Method:
Mix all ingredients; pour into a greased loaf pan. Cook for one hour at 325 degrees.
Baking does not have to be just for dessert, however. Breakfast bakes are great ways to start your day or even your weekend. Broccoli and bacon quiche is an amazing breakfast bake.
Ingredients:
½ cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
½ cup grated cheese
1 rasher of cooked and crumbled bacon
2 eggs
½ cup cream
Salt to taste
Dash of garlic powder.
Method:
Place the broccoli, cheese and the bacon in a pie plate that has been coated with cooking spray. Beat the eggs into the cream. Pour over the egg mix, salt and garlic powder on top. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes.
None of these recipes are expensive, especially if you compare them to the bought equivalents.
And see how quick they are to mix up? Under five minutes, and they are all ready to go into the oven. Once they're in the oven, you set the timer and it does all the work.
Baking at home, from scratch, isn't hard, doesn't cost a fortune and it definitely doesn't take hours.
For around 10 minutes of your time and a little effort you can have home baked deliciousness for a fraction, and I mean a fraction, of the cost of buying the same thing.
If you're not convinced, do the math yourself.
With today’s lack of food security, and the economy in the state that it is in, going back to baking is a delicious and cost-effective way to feed your family, and it's fun too.