Much easier than you'd imagine, Hovis quality granary bread for half the price of bought. (Hovis Granary Bread Mix)

Member Name: SapphireSunflowr

Product:	Hovis Granary Bread Mix
Date:	07/02/09 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Produces domestic goddess worthy bread in no time and effort at all!

Disadvantages: There's a bit of extra time and effort involved than buying, but it's worth it

One of the things that I am really trying to do at the moment is cut down on my spending, including food expenditure. When we first moved in together about 18 months ago, my other half and I made the usual domestic promises - always washing up right after we'd eaten, doing the washing when the machine was full rather than we had a little clothing everest piling up in the kitchen, and to set a budget £25 a week on food. This, of course, was never stuck to, with treats, rising food costs and going shopping hungry pushing each week's total up just that little bit further. Well, no more! Sticking to a food budget that was set when basics (pasta, bread, milk) were so much cheaper makes it even harder, but one thing that I have found making a difference is using a bread mix - specifically the Hovis Granary - rather than buying fresh bread.

I love Granary bread - it tastes yummy, has an interesting texture and is much nicer to digest thatn white. But at the most expensive kind of bread you can buy, I wondered at first if a packet mix could really be a suitable subsitute? I needn't have worried. When baked, the Hovis loaf is - in everything but appearance - the same as bought loaves. The same bitty seeds, the same taste, the same texture - just perfect. And as a bonus, you can eat it warm from the oven, mmm.

Now for the best bit - this bread is so simple, it doesn't require any machinery, tools or even too much elbow grease! I don't own a breadmaker and I can be a very lazy cook, but although there's a bit more thought involved than just picking up a packet, mixing the flour (yeast already added!) with water, kneading it a bit, sticking in front of the radiator to rise and then bunging it in the oven isn't exactly taxing. The hardest part for me is usually remembering to take it out of the oven in time before it burns... I even only recently bought a bread tin to cook it in, before that it did fine just shaped and plonked on a tray. It makes delicious crusty rolls too.

At around 80-90p for a packet it's certainly not the cheapest bake your own option, but I won't give up good bread for a few pennies, and even at this price it's at least half the price of a ready made granary loaf. Go on, give it a try - there's nothing nicer than fresh baked bread, and saving a few pennies here and there feels good too!

Summary: You don't need a machine or any special equipment, so go on, give it a try!