4 Ingredient Poor Man's Bread - Only 47 Cents!

July 10, 2025

What if I told you that you can make a delicious, crusty loaf of homemade bread for just 47 cents? Welcome to Poor Man’s Bread — a simple, 4-ingredient bread recipe made with just flour, water, salt, and yeast. No fancy ingredients. No bread machine. Just real, affordable food. In this video, I’ll show you step-by-step how to make this budget-friendly bread in a KitchenAid mixer, but you can knead it by hand too. Whether you're trying to save money on groceries, avoid preservatives, or just love the smell of fresh-baked bread, this recipe delivers. Why make homemade bread? It’s cheaper than store-bought (this loaf cost just $0.47!), Tastes better — fresh, warm, and customizable, No additives or preservatives, Super easy with minimal ingredients! 🥖

Poor Man's Bread

1 1/8 cups water (270 ml)
1 teaspoon yeast (4 grams)
3 to 3 ½ cups flour (360 to 420 grams)
1½ teaspoons salt (9 grams)

Measure all ingredients in order listed into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until combined for 1-2 minutes, and add just enough flour for the dough to pull away from the edges and not stick to the bottom. Then knead for 8 minutes (on speed 2 in KitchenAid’s, Zacmes, and Bosch or Nutrimill mixers). When kneading is complete, oil bowl, turn dough in the oil, and cover bowl with a warm, wet tea towel or wrap. Let rise until expanded and puffy, usually 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, mainly depending on temperature. Once your dough has risen, punch it down, turn it out of the bowl, and press out air bubbles. Shape into a loaf and place into a well-oiled loaf pan (I use an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan). Let rise on the counter until the dough peaks over the edge of the loaf pan, then bake for 30-35 minutes (until it is the color you’d like) in a pre-heated 375-degree oven. Turn out of loaf pan immediately, brush with butter if desired, and cool on a wire rack or wrapped in a tea towel like I prefer. Enjoy your cheap homemade loaf of bread!

*If you're looking for an alternative to plastic bread bags, our handmade beeswax bread bags are a healthy way to store your bread! They are reusable, made of 100% cotton, infused with organic beeswax and coconut oil, naturally antibacterial to keep your bread from molding, and handmade by me and my daughters on our family farm!