Zero Waste Challenge: No more plastic bread bags!

Crescent Buns
From Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
© L Kathryn Grace

When we started eliminating plastic from our waste and recycling bins, one of the biggest challenges was the bread sack. Luckily, we have a couple of handy options for handmade, unbagged artisan breads from our local grocer. They're good, but often stale, and we cannot always get the whole grain, organic versions. No one nearby carries the English Muffins we like.

Ever since Mother Earth News offered a deal on Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day, I've wanted a copy, but I didn't buy it because it was all about white flour. Now the authors have brought out Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, using the same tested techniques, and I'm baking up an organic, whole grain storm.

It really is as easy as five minutes a day to keep fresh, wholesome, delicious breads on hand--and NO plastic bags! We're eating healthier because we can choose exactly what goes into our breads. What's more, the book's Master Recipe uses no oil or fat whatsoever, and the breads are eat-more-now scrumptious.

Yum buns for brunch

Of course, there are plenty of ways to add all kinds of calorie hopping goodies--the cinnamon crescent buns above, which I adapted from one of the recipes, are one example--so we're taking it slow and easy, but on the weekend, when we want a goody, watch out! It's not uncommon to spend twenty dollars on pastries of a weekend morning at our local boulangerie. Now I can pull my sponge from the refrigerator, shape a loaf or buns in a few minutes, let them rest for forty to ninety minutes, depending on the recipe, bake for twenty to thirty and voilà! Yum buns for brunch. No waxy paper bags to compost or pitch and almost no fuss. In fact, I who have never considered myself a cook, feel heavenly domestic.

Who knew living consciously could be so much fun?

This eating healthy, living consciously stuff can be a lot of fun. It gives us the opportunity to build so much goodness into our lives, like the joy of teaching a little one to make "guackers" from scratch. Plus, think of the money we save. Why I can buy enough stone ground whole wheat organic flour to make many loaves and buns for little more than the price of a single artisan loaf of dubious freshness at the grocery.

On my personal Zero Waste challenge: No more plastic bread sacks.  ☑

Your turn

Are you considering challenging yourself to achieve zero waste? Have you already begun reducing? What's your latest discovery in the path to using less, wasting less?

Disclosure:  If you follow one of the Amazon book links above and purchase something, it is possible I will earn a few pennies, and what a thrill that would be. Alternatively, you could check out a copy from your local public library and test cook for a couple of weeks.

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We make peace in a million small ways every day.

All text and images, unless otherwise noted, copyright L. Kathryn Grace. All rights reserved.