Bread Linked to Cancer: My Frugal Foodie Update on My Fast, Easy, Healthy Bread Machine Recipe

Here’s the original post I shared almost 3 ½ years ago. 

Now there is more reason to learn to bake your own bread and other baked goods: the ingredient linked to cancer. 

Did you know that the flour used in many commercial baked goods may include an additive that’s been linked to cancer? Potassium Bromate. It is banned in the UK, Canada, European Union and Brazil.  The state of California requires that food with potassium bromate have a warning label. In case you missed it last fall, here is the very important information about this finding. 

What are the Cost Savings of Making Your Own Bread?

I bought my bread machine nearly 5 years ago, in May 2011. I recently replaced my bread pan and bread paddles for $81. Read about how and where I bought my bread machine here:  Frugal Foodie Kitchen Investment: a Bread Machine.

Note that my original recipe included 2012 prices. Even though coconut oil and bread flour have gone up a few cents, it is still well-worth the cost. Cheaping out on food that has an ingredient linked to cancer is not affordable.

Here’s my recipe for the 2-lb. loaf that I usually make twice a week (mainly for my growing children, now at each level, elementary, middle and high school!). I’ve tweaked the measurements for the coconut oil and honey, over the years. It takes me only 15 minutes or less to measure the ingredients, put it all in the bread pan, set the timer and start button. The recipe has only 7 ingredients!

1 3/8 cup water

¼ c. coconut oil (a healthful no-cholesterol alternative to butter)

¼ c. regular honey  OR raw honey

4 1/4 c. artisan whole wheat bread flour

1/2 c. rolled oats

1 1/2 t. sea salt

2 t. active dry yeast

Buying in Bulk, Frugal and Sustainable

Whenever you can, buy in bulk. It’s cheaper and, with less packaging to deal with, it’s better for the environment. More and more stores are offering this option, and I look forward to writing about area stores that do.  I still buy my coconut oil and raw honey through Amazon.com’s Subscribe and Save. I buy my bread flour and rolled oats through my food co-op. Since I make bread so often, it makes sense for our family to buy a 25# bag of bread flour and a 5# bag of active dry yeast at a time. Every week, I make pizza dough from scratch, so I need all that flour and yeast!  (Frugal Foodie Recipes for the Easiest Pizza Dough and Pizza Sauce for Homemade Friday Night Pizza)

Potassium Bromate is Not Just in Bread

It’s in bread rolls and cookies, too.   Make bread rolls in the bread machine!  But cookies? Well, if you have kids, teach them how to make those! That’s for a future post…

As I like to say, Your Health is Your Wealth!

~Aimee, TFF