Eco-living: Kneads must

Beat the rising cost of your daily bread by baking your own – you could even earn an extra crust

IT HAS been in there for 50 minutes, but is showing no signs whatsoever of being ready. Irish soda bread with cheddar and sage sounded like such a winner in the recipe book, but thanks to my pitiful excuse for an oven, it's now singed on the outside and doughy on the inside. So much for delving into the world of artisan baking – I should have stuck with the breadmaker.

Those of you with a wheat allergy, look away now, because this week we're delving into the world of German rye, Polish sourdough and Scottish morning rolls. Why? Because our choice of daily bread has more of an impact on the planet than you might think.

Recent figures show that the average sliced, wrapped loaf is now selling for £1.09, a 20% rise over the last year. Meanwhile, Comet has reported a 57% year-on-year increase in sales of breadmakers. A coincidence? I think not.

This boom in breadmaking might be driven by finances (a homemade loaf costs an estimated 30p-40p), but it's also good news in the eco-living stakes. Here in the Pearson household, the breadmaker gets a workout three times a week. While the pasta machine and juicer languish at the back of the cupboard, this is one wedding present that is proving a winner. How can you resist a process that requires just five minutes' worth of measuring ingredients, before the machine does all the hard work?

Like any other form of food production, the mainstream bread industry is an energy-intensive process, with transport and packaging implications too. The UK bread market is worth almost £2.9 billion, with around 12 million loaves being sold every day. Three big manufacturers dominate the industry, while 80% of bread comes sliced and wrapped. The bread that is mass produced in 'plant bakeries' uses the Chorleywood process, which in layman's terms means low-protein wheats are combined with chemical improvers in high-speed mixers so that the dough develops in minutes rather than hours.

These factory-made loafs do score some points in the energy stakes. By cooking in bulk, the energy cost per loaf tends to be less than for smaller bakeries, but more than 50 million polythene wrappers a week can't be ignored in the waste stakes.

The truly green will aim to grow and process their own wheat, but unless you've got several hundred hectares of land, some threshing and milling equipment and the know-how, being self-sufficient in bread is a distant dream. But buying locally made bread cuts down on food miles, while making bread at home gets rid of them altogether, involves no packaging and usually means less waste. Did I mention it also tastes delicious? Electricity costs for running the breadmaker should be less than 10p per loaf.

But what about organic flour? That's not so clear-cut. There's not enough organic wheat grown in the UK to meet demand, meaning the rest gets imported from overseas. Organic wheat takes less energy to grow, but requires two to three times as much land to get the same yield. But on the plus side, it means you're eating pesticide-free bread, and the farming methods are better for biodiversity.

I alternate between Doves Farm organic flour and Carrs flour, milled in Carlisle, as my top-ranking products for perfect breadmaker bread. I haven't given up on the idea of artisan loaves, though. All I need is a wood-fired oven in the garden so that the neighbours will be seduced by the aroma of fresh bread baking, then a cottage industry will be born, spreading the word on local produce and making me a few quid at the same time. Is baking your own bread worth the effort? Absolutely.

5 Minutes to save the world

Switch to low-energy lightbulbs. Energy-efficient bulbs use 80% less energy than traditional bulbs, last at least ten times longer and should save you £9 a year per bulb. One thing to be aware of is disposal – low-energy bulbs contain mercury so are best recycled rather than sent to landfill (www.recolight.co.uk has a recycling directory).

HEALTHY PLANET

WITH the school holidays still going strong, there's no better way to amuse your energetic brood than a game of football. But make sure they're kicking a fair-trade Ethletic Greenstar Eco football, made from FSC-certified rubber – which means the latex is from sustainably managed plantations in southern India and Sri Lanka. (£19.99, www.nigelsecostore.com)