Saving Time and Energy Baking Bread

Baking bread can be a chore. It takes up space on your counter, uses loads of electricity running your oven and just when you are cruising along on another project it is time to punch the dough and knead the bread. I know a bread machine would save me time. However, I don't like bread machine bread. It just doesn't have the same taste and flavor of handmade bread. I have a breadmachine and will use it in a pinch, but most of the time I prefer to make my bread by hand. However, there are a couple of things I don't like about handmaking my bread. One is running back and forth to the kitchen to knead the bread, two is cleaning up because I am really messy, and three is using the whole oven for just one or two loaves of bread. So I have solved that issue by just baking bread twice a month. I make batches and batches of bread at one time using my wonderful old pyrex bowls. I have quite a lot of these bowls thanks to my mother-in-law who collected them. I line them up on the counter and get started. Usually each recipe makes two loaves and I will usually make about 6 batches. Then i will also usually make some type of breakfast bread like zuchinni, cinnamon, banana, pumpkin etc. I set aside two days a month to make my bread and that is all that I do on those two days. My oven bakes with a full load of bread so I don't feel like I am wasting energy (and my money), I only make one really huge mess to clean up, and I have the convenience of bread being ready even when I am in a pinch. When all my bread is baked and cool I then wrap it well, label it and place it in the freezer. I then have bread when I need it. Then when I get down to about 2 loaves of bread I get ready for the next bread day. Doing this saves me tons of time. Believe me we go thru a lot of bread because it is eaten at every single meal. I can't imagine going back to the old way of just baking a couple loaves at a time and having to spend that much time in the kitchen when there are other things to do. However, we love our homemade bread. Another advantage to having bread already baked and in the freezer is that if you need a quick gift, trade item, or thank you all you have to do is pull a loaf of bread out of the freezer. How much easier can it get.