How are you doing, my friends? Times are stressful and busy, but, you know what? This is a great time to focus on the benefits of staying at home. I am embarrassed to admit that I have spent a little bit of time wallowing in pity. 

I had vacation plans, I had plans locally, I had just planned several meetups with friends that I haven’t talked to in a while. Then this all hits and I was feeling “stuck” at home. Did anyone else find themselves feeling this way?

Slow Down and Bake Some Bread

I’ve since changed my stance though. I took some time to think things over and realize how lucky we are. Who am I to complain when I have a wonderful family to spend my time with? When I have a comfortable home to be “stuck” in? Mostly though, I have re-discovered some things that I love to do and I have realized how much those things help me in the situation. 

Take bread baking for example: have you ever slowed down to discover just how therapeutic bread baking can be? It really is. The decision I made to slow down and bake some bread really did change my focus in our current situation and it might just do the same thing for you.

Think about it. Instead of focusing on the stress of the things going on around you, you can focus on the bread. Reading the recipe, trying to find ways to enhance it, or make it your own, watching it bake...these are all great ways that bread baking can help you slow down and release your stresses.

Are you feeling some aggression as it relates to the current situation? A great bread baking session can help that too! Are you wondering how? Try hand kneading the dough requires the use of some strength and it really does work wonders.

Also, I don’t know about you, but I can calm down from the simple smell of baking bread. Seriously, the smell of freshly baked bread filling the home is a smell that can transport you to better places.

Oh, and in case there is any confusion, we are not talking about making bread in a breadmaker. I am not about that. I want real fresh baked bread. Scratch made, stoneware baked, straight out of the oven, with that crispy oven-baked crust that just cannot be duplicated.

What are the benefits of baking homemade bread?

In case the therapeutic stress relief of bread baking isn’t enough, making your own bread is actually quite beneficial to your health.

There is so much that I love about homemade bread, but here are some of my favorite things about it:

It’s Healthier

This is a given, but homemade bread is far healthier than store bought. I mean, have you ever looked at the ingredients list on the label of a loaf of bread? As I’ve gotten older I have a rule that I like to live by. If I can’t pronounce it, I don’t want to eat it.

In addition to having fewer hard-to-pronounce ingredients, homemade bread also has less sodium, which is great for most of us who consume too much sodium. It also tends to have more whole grains than the highly processed store bought loaves of bread do.

Plus, because I cannot eat gluten, I personally love homemade bread. I don’t have to worry about the wrong ingredients when I make it myself. Gluten free bread is also incredibly expensive, so I appreciate the benefits of having more affordable options.

It’s Just Plain Better

There are so many things to say about homemade bread that make it better than store bought.

It smells better. We mentioned this earlier, but it is worth noting again. Homemade bread smells amazing.

It looks better. I absolutely love the look of homemade bread. It is beautiful. It is nothing like those boring, nondescript breads that you can buy at the store. This is especially true when fresh out of the oven after being baked in one of our bakers.

It tastes better. Have you ever heard a person say that store-bought bread tastes better than homemade. I didn’t think so.

It costs less. When we are talking about good, quality bread, it costs less. A good, quality, delicious loaf of homemade bread costs about $1 per loaf.

You made it. There is a sense of pride that comes from making things from scratch.

If you are ready to use bread baking to help de-stress, here are some of my favorite recipes!

• basic french bread
• Cracked wheat sourdough bread
• apricot oatmeal bread (a great breakfast bread!)
• Multi-Purpose Low Carb Bread

The one thing that I highly recommend when it comes to making homemade bread, is to have the right tools. These are my favorite Sassafras products to use to make the best-ever homemade bread:

superstone® covered baker - the superstore covered baker produces a spectacular italian, or oblong, loaf of bread! it’s unglazed interior pulls moisture from the dough, replicating the effects of a brick-lined oven to give you a light crumb and crusty exterior loaf. try roasting potatoes in the baker for crispy skins and a fluffy interior. If you're a bread baker and enjoy baking different types and shapes of bread, this baker is terrific!

Of course, for the best bread you also need to have this oblong proofing basket, and this bread whisk.

Even if you don’t have company, you can’t forget to grab this rectangular marble and mango wood board for properly serving your delicious bread too! You deserve it!

The slow life at home is a great one, my friends! Enjoy!