Sara Lee to raise bread prices again (fourth hike in 18 months)

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb 19 (Reuters) - Sara Lee Corp (SLE.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the second-largest U.S. breadmaker, said on Tuesday it would raise bread prices during the April-June period, its fourth price increase in the past year and a half, as it copes with soaring wheat costs.

The increase will not necessarily be across the board, the company said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1929748920080219

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future grocery store shopping will require:

[DJ13]

1. A loaf of Sara Lee bread at our local Walmart is already above $4

They cant keep increasing prices and hope to keep customers.

[my2sense]

4. Looks like we

need to learn to make our own bread.

[demgurl]

5. I bought a bread maker on Sunday.

It was clearanced at Circuit City for about $39 and it is a Sunbeam. It has great reviews.

[my2sense]

9. That's great!!!

Hell we all better find some alternative solutions it looks like we're in for a long hard economic shit storm.

[Ian David]

12. I'm going to buy one too. Along with a wheat thresher and butter churn. n/t

[demgurl]

25. Just in case anyone is interested, here is a link.....

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Search.do?c=1&searchType=user&keyword=sunbeam+breadmaker&searchSection=All

Not sure how many they have in stock but the reviewers give this machine between a 4.5 right up to a perfect 5 across the board on this one. Seems like a good investment to me. I love the smell of fresh baked bread.

[sarcasmo]

19. Keep us posted on how it works.

[Joe Bacon]

38. I bought a breadmaking machine a year ago and it's fun to use!

I kept having glucose spikes after eating Roman Meal or commercially-made whole wheat bread and I couldn't figure out why until I read the ingredients and saw High Fructose Corn Syrup is in almost all mass produced baked goods. I went on Amazon, bought a 1 pound loaf making Zojirushi machine and since then I've made my own bread with King Arthur's whole wheat flour and molasses or honey. My blood spikes aren't as bad eating my own whole wheat bread. Besides, it's fun to make and smells so good while it bakes!

[The Croquist]

46. I've never made bread but I'll comment anyway

I love fresh, homemade bread but I bet you it will cost you more to make it yourself.

Something important to keep in mind:
In the winter it's good to do things like bake bread or use your oven. Every bit of heat you put in the house is less heat that your furnace has to provide. Even if it's electric versus natural gas the heat is being used twice.

In the summer it's not such a good idea. Every bit of heat you put in the house either costs you money to air condition it back out or makes you less comfortable. Air conditioners are very inefficient.

I BBQ allot in the summer or put a crockpot in the garage.

[Warpy]

10. Check out the Cooking & Baking Group

Lots of recipes and bread mavens there.

Baking bread is easy. Not cutting into it until it's completely cooled is the hard part.

[MissB]

14. It isn't hard!

I'm about to start some rosemary focaccia bread for dinner. It is wonderful the next day as a sandwich bread.

[Telly Savalas]

17. 12 grain bread is still $1.39 a loaf at my nearby Aldi.

[elocs]

21. Who the hell would ever pay $4 for a loaf of bread?

I used to work for Sara Lee, but I would never pay their prices for a loaf of bread. I can get a great loaf for under $2 (good multigrain bread and not that white crap) and you can get Sara Lee's regular bread for that price at their thrift stores.

[bulloney]

23. You can still get 4 loaves of bread for $1.25 at our local bakery outlets.

The way the prices of foods at the stores have increased is absolutely riduculous. They're blaming the farm prices. Back when wheat was $3-4/bushel and a loaf of bread was $1, the cost of the wheat in that bread was about 7 cents.

It's the price of oil. It costs more to make the bread and ship it.

And they still try to tell us that food prices are only increasing around 3-4%. Give me a break.

[elocs]

24. The Sara Lee thrift stores are their bakery outlets.

Yes, you can get their bread for a fraction of a price of what you pay in the stores. I can get great non-name brand bread at my supermarket for a $1.69 a loaf and it is every bit as good as the Sara Lee bread. Anybody who is willing to pay $4 for a loaf of bread deserves what they get.

[Clovis Sangrail]

30. 0.0

I thought everything at Walmart was supposed to be cheap.

[galledgoblin]

35. wow...

think we're seeing the beginning of the end of cheap industrial food?

I don't drive, so I happily spend the savings on groceries, spending a bit more for food from the local coop. that said, the loaf I bought on Sunday was $3.65, and I guarantee the quality is much better than that wonder bread crap.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

36. $1.59 at my local Grocery Outlet...

when they have it. Bargain shopping is the only way to survive now-a-days.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. Let them eat Cake

[matcom]

3. Nobody does it like Sara Lee

:eyes:

[Teaser]

26. and matcom for the WIN!

I hate when someone else wins the intarweb.

[gateley]

6. No problem! My wages have increased four times over the past 18 months!

Haven't everybody's? No?

[dbackjon]

7. Only four times?

I thought everyone got monthly raises!!

[housewolf]

8. Prepare for more news like this...

I saw 2 articles over the weekend commenting on current and future hikes in the price of wheat due to drought and world-wide demand. When you think of all the grocery-store items based on wheat, expect price hikes for loads of items in coming months.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

37. I stocked up on flour today at Winco, cause I read the same articles.

Won't last longer than a few months, but every penny helps.

[Ian David]

11. And this is AFTER they just shipped a bunch of jobs out of the country, too. n/t

[BadgerKid]

13. That was the "going" part....

this is the "coming" part. :(

[Mojorabbit]

15. My BIL

works in food distribution and they supply bakeries including Sara Lee. They have had to raise the prices of their flours as wheat has gone thru the roof as well as trucking costs due to gas hikes. It filters down the line.

[whosinpower]

16. Bake your own

It is better and tastier too. My hubbie makes all our bread....much to my hips chagrine - it is wonderful!!!!!!!!

[Habibi]

32. Or, really, just give up bread.

I know, I know. But eat more veggies instead. It's better for your blood sugar.

I miss bread. :cry:

[Xenotime]

41. Ha! Like there's time to do that.

[conflictgirl]

18. I'm glad I just started making my own bread!

I have a 10-year-old son who eats nearly an entire loaf of bread by himself every single day! I can't imagine spending more than $100 a month just on bread!

Of course the increased wheat costs will also affect me making it at home...maybe I should stock up on flour now?

[NMDemDist2]

28. that's what I'm doing

I buy whatever's on sale and stuff it in my freezer. I have about 25 pounds in there now and will pick some more up next week

yes, you have to freeze it or the oil in the wheat kernels will turn rancid

[Occulus]

20. Recipe response: The Joy of Cooking, classic 'White Bread' recipe

WHITE BREAD

Two 9 x 5-inch loaves

This perfect white bread first appeared in JOY edition in 1931. It is an even-grained all-purpose bread that stales slowly and cuts well for sandwiches.

Combine in a small saucepan and heat until warm (105° to 115°F):

1 cup milk
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or lard
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon salt

Combine in a large bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:

1/4 cup warm (105° to 115°F) water
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

Have ready:

6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Add the lukewarm milk mixture to the dissolved yeast. Stir in 3 cups of the flour and beat 1 minute, then stir or work in 3 more cups flour. Toss the dough onto a floured board and knead until it is smooth, elastic, and full of bubbles, gradually adding more flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn the dough over once, and cover with a cloth. Let rise in a warm place (75° to 85°F) until doubled in bulk, at least 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and, if time permits, allow it to rise until doubled once more, then punch it down again. Divide the dough in half, shape into 2 loaves, and place in greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Brush with oil, then cover with a clean cloth and let rise again until almost doubled in bulk. Preheat the oven to 450°F. To achieve the kind of crust you like, see 595. Bake the bread 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake about 30 minutes longer. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 595. Remove the loaves at once from the pans and cool completely on a rack.

[NMDemDist2]

29. or for novice bakers, the NYT No Knead bread

it's so easy a 6 year old could do it

google it up, there are tons of videos on the technique

[Vinca]

22. What are they going to serve in the bread lines? nt

[MadMaddie]

27. Time for folks to start making their own bread.

[olddad56]

31. while we can still afford to heat our ovens.

[MadMaddie]

34. That's so true.

[OKthatsIT]

33. GOOD! It's crap tasting bread made with GMO wheat.

NOBODY shuold eat that shit.

[RebelOne]

39. It's fortunate that I very seldom eat bread.

[fasttense]

40. Overpriced crappy bread anyway. I'll stick to making my own. n/t

[LeftHander]

42. Chemicals in bread must be getting pricy.....nt

[housewolf]

43. Did anyone notice the bread machine ad at the bottom of this page?

Gotta admit, the ad placement services DU uses is pretty smart!

[sakabatou]

44. Yes and kinda evil in a way

[mahatmakanejeeves]

45. It will take more dough to buy Sara Lee products.

.