What you bake
How to start selling sourdough bread from home
A clear path from your first legal loaf to paid preorders.
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What to remember
- Check cottage food rules and labeling for your state before you sell.
- Cost flour, starter, packaging, and power for every loaf.
- Keep your first menu tight: one or two loaves done well.
- Open preorders before you bake so you know how much to make.
- Plan a weekly bake day you can repeat.
You already know how to bake. Selling is a second set of skills: legal, pricing, ordering, and a bake day that does not run you ragged. This guide walks you through the order to do it in. For the bigger business picture, see how to start a sourdough bread business from home.
Get legal before you take money
Cottage food rules, labels, permits, zoning checks, tax accounts, and local approvals may all apply before you sell baked goods from home. In Virginia, baked goods can be sold from home with no permit or inspection, subject to the state’s allowed foods list, new online sales rules, and labeling requirements. Your state may differ, so check your state’s cottage food rules before you post a menu. Start with cottage food laws: what you can sell from home and home bakery licenses.
Build a small menu and cost every loaf
A tight menu makes costing and baking easier. Plain sourdough is a strong first loaf, and a practical guide to selling sourdough covers planning, pricing, labeling, and state resources. Work out the real cost of each loaf: flour, starter, packaging, and the power to run your oven. Then set a price that covers that cost and leaves you a margin. Sourdough is described as the easiest food to sell legally from a home kitchen, and the full playbook includes cottage food rules, labels, real loaf costs, pricing, and a weekly bake schedule.
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Open preorders before bake day
Getting started selling sourdough from home involves opening preorders before market day. Preorders tell you how many loaves to bake before you mix, which keeps your bake day focused. Share your menu, pickup window, and payment options in one place. A practical guide to turning a sourdough hobby into a small side income covers how to take orders and plan a bake day.
Check your state rules
Look up cottage food rules, allowed foods, labeling, and local approvals for your state.
Cost one loaf
Add flour, starter, packaging, and oven power for a full bake.
Set your price
Cover the full cost and leave a margin.
Write your label
Follow your state’s labeling requirements for home baked goods.
Open preorders
Post your menu and pickup details before you bake.
Plan bake day
Batch your mixing, shaping, and baking so the schedule repeats.
Get paid and keep records
Take payment in the way that is easiest for your customers. Brevl lets you take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Keep a simple record of each sale and each bake cost so you know what you are actually making. For the legal side of selling from home, see how to get a home bakery license.
Brevl is one flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales, and a 14 day free trial. It works on a computer and on a phone, and we set it up with you and move your old shop over: products, photos, reviews, and dates. A real person answers, usually within minutes.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell sourdough from home?
It depends on your state. Permits, cottage food rules, labels, zoning checks, tax accounts, and local approvals may all apply before you sell baked goods from home. Check your state's cottage food rules first.
Can I sell sourdough online?
In Virginia, online sales rules are part of the cottage food requirements. Check your own state's rules before you take online orders.
What should I charge for a loaf?
Start with the full cost of the loaf, including ingredients, packaging, and power, then add a margin. A sourdough selling guide covers pricing loaves correctly.
How do I get my first orders?
Open preorders before market day. Preorders tell you how many loaves to bake and help you plan your bake day.
What should I put on my label?
Label requirements depend on your state. In Virginia, home baked goods have labeling requirements, and a state guide can tell you what to include.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Check your state's cottage food rules and talk to a local professional before you sell.