Shopping list for baking bread.

How do I find the time to bake all my own bread?
I make the time. It's important to our family, so I make sure it happens. It's kind of like cooking dinner. You find the time to do it. Over time you get faster, and you learn some shortcuts along the way. Here are my tricks to making it work for us:
I bake bread in large batches and either freeze the bread or the dough.
I let the boys help.
I let the machines do the hard work.
It really doesn't take much time. Here's a breakdown.
15 min grinding grain
10 min mixing ingredients and kneading dough
take a long break and come back later to turn machine on for a few seconds and turn off again.
take another long break
5 min. to shape the dough to bake.
take a 15 min break
1 min put bread in oven
take a half hour break
2 min to take bread out and cool it.
That's a total of about 32 min of work for three or four loaves of fantastic bread. We think it's worth it!

So, if you want to bake your own bread, you will need to have some items on hand. I'm going to write this in two sections. Section #1 is for those who want to bake the softest, most nutritious, 100% whole wheat bread. Section #2 is for those who just want an occassional warm loaf of bread and don't care about 100% whole wheat.
#1
Eqipment:
1. A grain mill. Electric is preferable unless you want to spend an hour cranking. I have a K-Tech Kitchen Mill. It does a good job, but sounds like an airplane. Quieter and just as good is the Wonder Mill. This is an upfront expense of about $200, but if you make most or all of your bread, the savings will pay for itself in a year or two. If you have access to freshly ground flour you do not need this.
2. A mixer with a dough hook and a large capacity bowl. I have a Bosch and it is fantastic. Kitchen Aid also works well.
3. Bread pans. Pyrex or stonewear are best. The metal pans heat too unevenly.
4. An oven!

Ingredients:
1. Wheat berries (yes, that's what the grain is called). I buy mine if 50lb bags at a bulk foods store about 20 miles from here. I buy several bags at a time and store all the grain in tightly sealed 5 gallon buckets. The price for 50 lbs is currently around $30. Double what I paid six years ago.
2. water-from the tap
3. apple cider vinegar - I use raw, but it's not necessary. I buy it at the grocery store.
4. honey - grocery store
5. baking soda - grocery store
6. yeast - If you plan on making a lot of bread, don't waste your money on store yeast. I can get 1 lb packages at any bulk food store for a fraction of the price of the little jars you can get at the grocery store. Look around and see what you can find. Store yeast in the freezer to maintain freshness.
7. salt
8. olive oil
9. butter or lard - this is for greasing your pans. Please don't use vegetable shortening. Not only does it taste terrible, but it clogs the arteries!

#2
Equipment:
1. A bread machine or a good mixer with a dough hook.
2. An oven
3. Bread pans - pyrex or stonewear.

Ingrediens:
1. Whole wheat flour
2. White flour
3. honey
4. salt
5. yeast
6. olive oil
7. butter or lard