Selling and marketing
How Much to Sell Sourdough Tortillas For: Cost per Dozen
Work out what one batch of sourdough tortillas costs, then set a dozen price that still pays you.
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What to remember
- Cost the whole batch, then divide by the dozens you actually sell.
- Pay yourself an hourly rate before you add any profit.
- Add overhead, like your app fee and stall, before you call the rest margin.
- Sell by the dozen so a small price still carries a real wage.
Pricing tortillas is not the same as pricing a loaf. A dozen tortillas uses less flour but far more of your hands, so how much to sell sourdough tortillas for turns on the minutes at the pan, not the price of a bag of flour. The order below keeps you honest: cost, wage, overhead, then price.
If you already price loaves, the same four steps work there too, and how much to charge for sourdough walks through the loaf version.
What does one batch of tortillas actually cost you?
Start with everything that leaves your kitchen in the bag. Flour, fat, salt, and starter or discard are the obvious ones. Then add the bag, the label, and the power under the pan. Add them up for the whole batch, not for one tortilla, because a single tortilla cost is too small to see straight.
A recipe costing sheet built for a home bakery tracks ingredients, labor, packaging, and overhead in one place, per Baking Subs. That is the same four part list you need here, and writing it down once means you stop guessing every time flour moves.
Keep the receipts for one month. One month of real paper beats a year of remembered prices, and it shows you which ingredient actually moves your cost.
How do you turn a batch cost into a price per dozen?
Do the math in one pass and write the numbers down. You will reuse them every week, and a change in one line should not mean starting over.
Count what the batch makes
Write down the real number of tortillas that come off the pan, not the number the recipe promises.
Cost the ingredients
Add flour, fat, salt, and starter for the whole batch. Add bags, labels, and power.
Pay yourself by the hour
Multiply your hours by the rate you want to earn. Do this before you add any profit.
Spread the overhead
Add a share of the fixed costs that keep you selling, like your phone, your app fee, and a market stall.
Set the price and check the margin
Divide total cost by the number of dozens, then add a margin on top and see if it still sells.
Margin is what is left after every line is paid, including your wage. Skip your wage and the margin looks fat while your pocket stays empty. A calculator that takes ingredient cost, baking time, and overhead will show a true cost per batch and a price to charge, per DoughPlan.
Divide the dozen price by 12 to see the per tortilla number. If it lands under a dollar, check that your hours are really in the sheet, because a fast batch and a slow batch both need paying.
What does that look like in dollars?
Say one batch makes 48 tortillas in about two hours. Flour, fat, salt, and starter come to $2.60. Bags and labels add $0.60, and the stove runs about $0.45. That is $3.65 before your time.
Two hours at $15 an hour is $30.00. A share of overhead, covering your app fee and a stall, adds $3.00. Total cost lands at $36.65 for four dozen, which is $9.16 a dozen.
Add a 30 percent margin and a dozen sells at $13.50. You keep $4.34 a dozen after ingredients, labor, and overhead are all paid. That is the number that decides whether the week was worth it.
If $13.50 will not sell where you are, do not cut your wage first. Make the tortillas smaller, buy a cheaper bag, or bake a bigger batch so the same two hours cover more dozens. Cutting your rate hides the problem for one week and brings it back the next.
Why does your time decide the price?
Tortillas are hand work. Press, roll, and watch the pan, and none of it can be rushed. The labor line is usually the biggest one on the sheet, which is why a bigger batch is the cheapest way to lower your price per dozen.
Pick an hourly rate you would accept from another boss and hold it. Raising the rate raises every dozen, so choose it once and keep it steady for a season.
Time the next batch with a timer instead of guessing. A guess that lands 30 minutes short puts a hole in every dozen you sell.
Thin, quick bakes spread labor differently. Sourdough crackers show what happens when pan time is short, and focaccia shows what happens when one pan replaces many.
What mistakes cost you money?
Write the price on the bag and keep it there. Changing the number for one customer teaches everyone that the first price was made up, and you will spend the season explaining it.
Check your state cottage food rules before you sell at all. A good price is no use if you are not allowed to take that order yet.
When should you raise the price?
Raise the price when a cost moves, not on a calendar. If flour, fat, or bags go up, redo the batch math that same week. If your hours grow because the batch got bigger, the price per dozen follows.
Charge more for delivery, a custom flavor, or a holiday order. Those add work the base price never covered, and customers expect a different number for a special request.
A price increase is easier when you give notice. Tell regulars a week ahead, explain the cost that moved, and keep the old price for orders already placed.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
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- How much to charge for sourdough: cost and margin
- How much to sell sourdough focaccia for: cost per pan
- How much to sell sourdough biscuits for: cost per dozen
Common questions
Should I sell sourdough tortillas by the piece or by the dozen?
By the dozen. A single tortilla price is too small to carry your labor, and rounding hides the real cost. A dozen price also keeps the math simple at a market table and matches how a family buys tortillas for a meal.
What if my batch only makes 24 tortillas?
Your price per dozen goes up, and that is honest. The same two hours of your time now sits on two dozen instead of four, so each dozen has to carry more of your wage. Bake a bigger batch before you cut the price.
Do I have to count my own time in the cost?
Yes, if you want this to earn money. Your hours are the largest cost in most tortilla batches. Leaving them out makes the margin look generous, but the money never reaches your pocket because nobody paid you for the work.
Can I charge extra for delivery or a special flavor?
Yes. Delivery, a custom flavor, and holiday orders all add work the base price never covered. Set a separate number for those and say it upfront, so the extra driving or baking does not come out of your wage for the plain dozens.
What if a customer says my price is too high?
Explain the batch size and the hours, without apologizing. Offer a smaller tortilla or a half dozen rather than a discount. If the price still will not sell in your area, change the batch before you change your hourly rate.
Sources
General information for pricing your own baking, not legal or tax advice. Check your state cottage food rules before you sell.