A union job or working in a coop is really the way to go even if you struggle along the way. Also I’d kill for 3$ a loaf cheap bread. I live in bumfucksville WI and a cheap loaf is at least 5$ a loaf while the average income is around 40k a year in my county
Yeah theres kwik trip around here but I 100% dont shop there since the owners donate to gop candidates and are pro life and dont even sell condoms at their stores. Besides that though I’ve been making my own bread on and off for about a decade now, flour and yeast is much cheaper and tastier than a manufactured loaf anyway.
One trick I’ve learned to make a good loaf is the windowpane test which you cant really do with a bread machine. You grab a little chunk of kneaded dough roll it in a circle wait a few mins for it to rise then grab 4 corners and pull it apart. If its translucent and you can see light through it without it tearing it’s ready to rise then bake