Home baking on the rise as we run out of dough

The company has seen sales of its bread making and culinary flour rise by over 50% in the last month alone as the escalating cost of a daily loaf starts to bite with food prices rising at the fastest rate for 15 years. Latest figures show that a home made loaf of bread can cost as little as a third of the price of a shop bought alternative – and the gap is set to grow with the average price of a loaf of bread up by 20% to over £1 in the last year whereas a bag of flour has only risen by 5%. Asda has recently introduced a significantly bigger range of home baking products and appliances to gear up for the growing demand from a new generation of home bakers. Demand for bun trays are up by 30%, while mixing bowls have seen a 35% increase and electronic scales a staggering 112% rise. Even aprons are flying off the shelves, notching up a 74% increase in sales. In the food aisles, core baking staples are also in high demand. Yeast sales are up 67%, flour 14% and dried fruit 9%. Families looking for a quick-fix baked treat have also helped push up sales of cake mixes by 15%. The figures support earlier predictions that the British home baking market will grow by 28% to reach almost £550 million by 2011. ASDA nutritionist Vanessa Hattersley said: "Our customers are telling us the revival in home baking is down to them being able to think about health and what goes into their culinary creations and save money at the same time as families realise that home baking is a great way to make ends meet." Vanessa Day-English, brand manager from Allinson, says: "The credit crunch has made families think again about cooking; home-made means cheaper but it also means you know where your food comes from and what's in it. We've seen the fastest rise in sales of our flours for five years and a 60% rise in calls and hits on our website bakingmad.com as families search out new recipes. "Home baking is fun and educational and parents see it as a way to keep the kids entertained during the holidays. There's no doubt if your kids have helped to cook their food they are much more likely to eat it too."