One question a lot of people ask when contemplating buying a bread machine is whether or not it would be worth getting cost-wise. Here, I would like to show an approximate cost analysis of getting and using a bread machine to help you make that decision.
First off, there is the cost of the bread machine itself. Right now, bread machines are priced from about $45 to about $300.
Now, let’s figure out how much a loaf of bread would cost if made with a bread machine. This will be a somewhat rough estimate because there are many factors:
- Size of bread loaf
- Type of bread/recipe used
- Brand of ingredients
- Where/what store the ingredients are bought from
- Cost of water
- Cost of electricity
- Time and labor
Here is an example of the cost of a bread loaf:
White Bread Cost Breakdown
| Ingredients | Amount Needed | Cost/Unit | Unit | Convert Unit | Cost/Amount Needed (rounded up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | $1.56 | ||||
| Butter | 4 tsp | $4.54 | 1 lb | 96 tsp/lb | $0.19 |
| Sugar | 2 Tbsp | $5.68 | 10 lb | 32 Tbsp/lb | $0.04 |
| Dry Milk Powder | 4 tsp | $9.98 | 32 oz | 6 tsp/oz | $0.21 |
| Salt | 2 tsp | $2.34 | 26 oz | 6 tsp/oz | $0.03 |
| Bread Flour | 4 cups | $3.22 | 5 lb | 3.57 cups/lb | $0.69 |
| Yeast | 2 tsp | $4.78 | 4 oz | 6 tsp/oz | $0.40 |
This is an approximate breakdown of the costs to make a 2 pound, white bread loaf using a bread machine. I used the ingredients and prices from my local grocery store.
I also looked up how much it would cost to buy a loaf of white bread from the store. A 16 oz Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread cost $3.49 each. Remember, 16 oz is only 1 lb. So 2 lb. of this store-bought white bread would be $6.98.
You would be saving $5.42 per 2 lb. of white bread by using your bread machine.
Let’s say you buy a bread machine for $100. You would cover the costs for that bread machine after baking 19 2-lb. white bread loaves. I would say that’s a pretty good deal!
