Buying baked goods

[drpiggledy]

Obviously, all of us here like to bake. And generally speaking, our own baked goods are going to be far superior from what you can buy in the shops (though proper, traditional bakeries are a different story).

Are there still things you buy in the shop anyway? Or are all the goodies in your house homemade?

I personally would love it if more of the sweet treats were homemade. I do make most of the bread we eat, but can't find the time to do much sweet baking, somehow. I try to make a batch of something at least once a week, but often don't even manage that.

Cost is a consideration also. Shop bought biscuits are usually much cheaper than the ingredients required to make the equivalent. Of course, it's worth it, but when the budget is tight...

And then there's things I wouldn't know how to make but couldn't live without. Custard creams being a prime example!

Just curious to see how other people manage the bought vs homemade balance.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

In the summertime, I try to avoid using the oven if at all possible. Not only does it heat up the house, the it costs more to use the AC and cool it back down again. So, if I want cookies, or cinnamon rolls, or about any other baked item, I will usually just find it on the bakery close out, and buy it.
When bakery items don't sell over the weekend, they are often marked way down, so they can sell them before the expiration date, and I try to shop after a weekend, and look for those bargains. Then, you can even freeze some things , so you can have baked treats on hand even when you aren't going to the store, or they aren't on sale. I have found this much cheaper than baking my own most of the time.

 

[drpiggledy]

I confess that I hadn't thought about not wanting to use the oven in summer. It rarely gets very warm here in Ireland!

Buying discounted items and freezing them is a great tip, thank you for that. I'm definitively going to put that in practice.

 

[OhioTom76]

We always keep a bunch of boxes of Jiffy chocolate cake mix on hand. That way we can whip up a little chocolate cake from time to time, and it's pretty cheap too - vs buying the full sized cake mixes. Also, something like pizelles are really easy to make with very few ingredients. As long as you have a variety of flavored extracts, you can make a whole bunch of different flavors.

 

[bakeryoo]

I wish more of the food in my household were handmade and I have said in the past that I want to make my own biscuits and bread but I have not got there yet.

 

[Preya_M]

A majority of the things that I have at home are all backed goods; from cookies to muffins and cupcakes. There is a favourite brand of bread that I absolutely can't go without and so I typically purchase theirs. Actually, now that I think about, I purchase my breads. It's not that I can't bake them; it's just the time. Other than bread, everything else is homemade (or sometimes gifted).

 

[NThomas]

I have no problem with occasionally buying treats from a bakery. If I am short on time or ingredients I will pick up something from my local bakery. It is good to support local business and they have things that I just do not bake. As long as it is freshly bake and prepackage on a shelf for weeks , it's fine.

 

[Samantha Hill]

I cheated yesterday and bought 15 cookies for £2. I was tired and needed a treat although I didnt eat them all! I found them really greasey to be honest so I prefer mine as I can control the fat content which leaves the cookie more crunchy.

 

[dreamseer]

I usually bake everything at home, But my husband is a big cheesecake lover so I usually buy those from the store. With the time and cost involved in making it from scratch, it's just easier for me to buy them.

 

[kammy]

I would love if all the baked goods my family consumed was home-baked but unfortunately i don't have that much time on my hand so i have to settle for the next best thing.