How to Price Sourdough Bread From Your Own Kitchen

Neighbours keep asking to buy a loaf. Here is how to work out a price that actually pays you.

The starter is strong, the loaves come out well, and someone at the school gate asks if you would sell one. Most home bakers guess a price, then find out months later that the flour, the bags and the electricity ate the profit. The fix is to cost a loaf once, properly.

Cost a loaf from the recipe

List every ingredient with what you paid for the bag and how much the recipe uses. Flour, water, salt, seeds, the starter feed. Add the bag, the label and a share of oven power. Divide by the loaves in a batch and you have ingredient cost per loaf.

Pay yourself for the time

Sourdough is slow. Count your hands-on minutes per batch and give them an hourly rate. Then add a margin on top. Price = (ingredients + packaging + your time) plus the margin you choose. Check what bakers near you charge so the number fits your market.

Take orders without chaos

A simple order form with pickup day, quantities and payment keeps a small bakery calm. A care card in the bag tells the customer how to store and refresh the loaf. A label with ingredients, allergens and a baked-on date answers questions before they come.

Check your local rules first

Selling food from home is covered by local cottage food rules that vary by place. Check them before you sell. Templates help you organise. They do not make you legally compliant.

Bread when the store runs out

Baking at home is also a food storage skill. The main guide on this site, The Lost SuperFoods, includes potato yeast that the guide says keeps bread, rolls and biscuits coming after the store packet is gone.

See the full video walkthrough

FAQ

How do I price sourdough bread?

Add ingredient cost per loaf, packaging and a fair rate for your hands-on time, then add a margin. Compare with local bakers so the price fits your market.

How do I work out the cost per loaf?

For each ingredient, divide what you paid by the amount in the bag, multiply by the amount the recipe uses, add them up and divide by the loaves per batch.

Can I sell sourdough from home?

It depends on your local cottage food rules. Check them before selling; templates do not guarantee legal compliance.

What is in the Sourdough Microbakery Kit?

A 37-page GoodNotes planner, a costing and pricing calculator spreadsheet, editable bread labels, and an order form with care cards, in US Letter and A4.