the evolution of bread waste

the evolution of bread waste

i started out buying bread in a double layer of plastic.

throwing away two bags of plastic almost daily really bothered me so i started making my own bread.

i used packaged flour and butter in the beginning and lined the bread pans with parchment paper.

as i threw away the parchment paper with each creation of bread i was crushed to realize that i was making close to as much trash as buying bread, though this at least wasn’t the horrid plastic kind.

i realized i could keep the parchment paper till it got ripped, several bakings later.

and moved on to getting locally grown and ground flour in bulk.

next i really went the step that many people would probably call too far when i made my own butter from the raw milk i got in my own glass container.

i ran out of parchment paper one day and realized i put plenty of butter in my bread and tried baking them dear loaves without any parchment on a flat pan, not a loaf pan.

to my delight and surprise, they just popped right off the pan!

so now the only trash that is being produced when i bake my bread is the plastic bags that i use to freeze the bread in when done. those i try to reuse as often as possible until they break or my husband throws them out. not perfect, but nearly so, especially when we enjoy my cakey loaves.

not only has my bread gone from good (i still like plenty of store bought brands...) to absolutely delectable, but my families’ nutrition is greatly advanced by my culinary offerings, and i do create nearly zero garbage in my food production. however, i do have to spend a good 5 hours (at least) every two weeks making my 4 loaves. it is time well spent. i get a good workout kneading the dough too and i know that i am hardly producing any waste. my family jokes that i have gone off the deep end, but still they love the food... i feel so lucky that i can afford the time to spend doing this. truly though, it is a shame that in our fast paced, churn it up and spit it out society, it is actually a luxury to have the time to make my own food.