Getting started
Start Selling Sourdough From Home: 5 Steps and Costs
A step by step path from first loaf to paid orders, with the state rules and the real cost of one bake.
On this page
What to remember
- Check your state cottage food rules before you bake a loaf to sell.
- Cost ingredients, labor, and overhead for one loaf, not one batch.
- Set a price that leaves a margin after all three.
- Start with people you know and one simple order method.
The order you do things matters more than the recipe. This guide walks through how to start selling sourdough from home in the order that keeps you legal and paid, from the first cost sheet to your first repeat customer.
What does your state allow before you sell
Rules are set by your state, not by the bread. Crumb Coach reports that many states require cottage food sellers to register or permit with the state or county, label correctly, and stay under an annual sales cap. The same guide says Florida requires no license, inspection, or training to sell cottage food from home, and caps range from tens of thousands of dollars up to $250,000 in Florida.
Your state page will list what you can sell, where you can sell it, how much you can sell, and what goes on the label. Start with how to get a permit to sell baked goods from home if you are not sure what your state asks for. If you sell at a market, ask the manager what they require before you pay for a table.
If you are in Texas, Keeper says the cottage food annual sales cap rose to $150,000 in 2025. Legal to Sell says amendments effective September 1, 2025 let cottage food operations make and sell a broad range of foods from a private home under that cap. Texas Cottage Food Law says NCTS foods can be sold through a Cottage Food Vendor directly to consumers at a farmer’s market, farm stand, or food service establishment. The same site says operators can register with DSHS after September 1, 2025 to get a unique identifier number for labels instead of a home address.
Write down your cap and your label rules where you can see them. If your state requires a permit, apply before you take money. Keep a copy of your registration and your label template in the same folder. When your sales approach the cap, stop and check the rule again.
Cost one loaf before you price it
A loaf price starts with three lines: ingredients, your labor, and overhead. Ingredients are flour, starter, salt, and packaging. Labor is your time mixing, shaping, baking, and cleaning. Overhead is the cost of running your shop, such as your monthly Brevl fee.
Do not count a loaf you give away as a sale. Do not count a bag of flour as one loaf if it makes six. Cost the whole bag, then divide by the loaves you actually get. Your first cost sheet will be wrong in small ways. Fix it after your first bake week.
For example, use your own receipts and your own hourly pay. Say ingredients come to $4 a loaf and your labor is $6. If your $20 monthly Brevl fee spread over 40 loaves is 50 cents, your cost is $10.50. A $14 price leaves $3.50 a loaf after all three.
If you plan to sell more than a few loaves a week, read how to start a sourdough microbakery before you buy a second oven. More space and more sales do not fix a price that leaves no margin.
Set a price that covers your time
Pick a price that leaves a margin after ingredients, labor, and overhead. Then check it against what your customers already pay. If the price is too high for your market, shrink the loaf or simplify the bake before you cut your own pay. Our guide to how much to charge for sourdough bread walks through the math.
A margin is what is left after you pay for ingredients, your time, and overhead. If a $14 loaf leaves $3.50, you have a margin. If a $10 loaf leaves nothing, you have a hobby that costs you money. A simple test: if you sold ten loaves at your price, would you be happy with what is left after all three?
Write your price on every order and keep it the same for a month. Changing prices every week confuses repeat customers and makes your income hard to track. A simple cost sheet and a set price help you say yes to orders without guessing.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
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Take orders without a messy inbox
You need one place for orders, pickup times, and payment. A notebook works for your first week. After that, a simple order page saves you from scrolling through texts. Brevl gives you a shop with your photos, your colors, and your own web address for one flat $20 a month. There is no cut of your sales, and you can start with a 14 day free trial
Brevl works on a computer and on a phone. You can take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Recipes with real costing, ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner help you price and plan. We set it up with you and move your old shop over: products, photos, reviews, and dates. A real person answers, usually within minutes.
Keep your order page simple. Show three or four loaves, the price, the pickup day, and how to pay. Too many choices slow down the order. Pick one pickup day and one pickup window for the week. If you want to compare order tools first, read home bakery order app. For a shop that looks like you, see home bakery website builder.
Mistakes that cost you money
The first mistake is selling before you check your state rules. A fine or a forced shutdown stops your sales. The second is pricing from ingredients alone. Your time and your monthly shop fee do not pay themselves. The third is taking orders in five different places. You will miss one, and a missed order is a lost customer.
The fourth mistake is copying a price from a shop without checking your own cost. Their rent, their labor, and their volume are not yours. The fifth is buying a banner or a box of bags before you have one paid order. Start small and add supplies when the orders come.
Check your kitchen too. A clean work area, safe cooling, and correct storage matter more than a pretty label. If your state requires a permit, keep it current. If you sell at a market, keep your registration and your label template in your market bag.
What to do this week
Check your state rules
Find your state cottage food page. Note the sales cap, label rules, and whether you need to register.
Cost one loaf
Add ingredients, your labor, and your monthly overhead. Write the total on one sheet.
Set your price
Pick a price that leaves a margin after all three. Check it against your market.
Pick one order method
Use a notebook or a simple order page. Keep pickup times and payment in one place.
Tell ten people
Message ten people you know. Offer a first bake date and a clear price.
Do these five steps before you buy a banner or print a menu. The first paid order will tell you more than a month of planning. Start with one bake date and ten people you know. Ask for one sentence about what they liked. Use that feedback to fix your price or your pickup plan. Keep your cost sheet and your state rules in the same folder so you can check them again when you raise your price.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell sourdough from home?
It depends on your state. Many states require cottage food sellers to register or permit, label correctly, and stay under a sales cap. Florida requires no license, inspection, or training for cottage food. Check your state page before you sell.
Can I sell sourdough at a farmers market?
In Texas, NCTS foods can be sold through a Cottage Food Vendor directly to consumers at a farmer's market, farm stand, or food service establishment. Other states set their own rules. Ask the market manager what they require before you pay for a table.
What should I charge for one loaf?
Start with ingredients, your labor, and overhead. Add all three, then add a margin. If your cost is $10.50 and you charge $14, you keep $3.50. Check that price against your local market before you print a menu.
How do I take orders without a website?
Use one notebook or one simple order page. Keep the loaf, price, pickup time, and payment in the same place. A text thread works for your first few orders, but it gets messy fast. Move to one order method before you take a full week of sales.
What foods are not allowed under cottage food law?
Foods that need refrigeration to stay safe, such as custards, cream cheese frostings, and fresh dairy or meat fillings, are usually prohibited under cottage food law. Check your state before you add a filled loaf or a topping that needs cooling.
Sources
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check your state cottage food rules and talk to a tax professional about your sales.