Article about people who have home sourdough baking businesses. Interesting, but writer only talks about gross income without an explanation of how much they are actually making in profit.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
Depending on factors, If I had the energy and ambition to sell 200 loaves a month, I know I could.
When you get to this higher number you naturally obtain a home multi deck bread oven, many of those can bake 10 - 16 loaves at a time, and more if smaller. I’m actually considering one as an option.
While I have no ambition to make so many, I would like to bake 16 loaves over 2 hours rather than 7 hours. So the initial cost quickly pays for itself.
My loaf baking 2 at a time, sell for $10, my cost considering some oven time as well, is likely less than $2 a loaf. Pretty much anything I bake, builds off of the same profit level considering cost or revenue per refrigerator space etc… half loaves are 5 and based on a $1 per loaf. My loaded doughs jump to 15 per load, and half loaves of those are 10. Now imagine I can bake in 12 in an hour,
I’m leaving a lot of money on the table, and honesty, I would never want my life to become the life of a home baker. 2:30 in the morning until 8 or 9 pm at night based on the next day;s fermentation schedule. I am married to my kitchen 12 hours a day right now. Trying to sneak in rest everywhere I can. I sell upwards of 20 loaves a week when offered,
I used to offer every week, but this year I am taking more time for myself to be in the kitchen learning, not always doing, actually giving my body some rest. So I will only be offering 2 times a month, with an occasional pop up bbq for friends to purchase, community offerings for charity etc.
. I am absolutely exhausted at the end of the day, these people are in their kitchen or in the processes happening in the kitchen probably 14 -18 hours a day managing the fermentation, shaping, etc…. If I were young and healthy, maybe.
But the business is there for those who take the time to develop good fermentation habits, and community, I am asked all the time if I would host classes, even dinner party classes at private homes I always say no. Let the people that are hustling hard get those opportunities. I like to say I am a hobbiest.
Edit to say, I also do not try to sell much publicly, maybe 3 loaves every few weeks. Mine is all private sales, including the rest of my weekly offerings. I make no public appearance of being a business, or trying to be one,
Also people cannot message me asking for a loaf, and get one. I have several customers that are restaurant owners, and surprisingly even a few “cottage” style bakers that have stands follow, and have purchased a loaf from me. I’m truly not looked at as a business.
Last edited by Richard Chrz; January 30, 2026, 11:43 AM.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I was skeptical. I AM skeptical. There’s an upbeat tone to this article that rubs me the wrong way. On one hand, there are all these photos of beautiful people and bread. On the other hand, they aren’t in it to get rich, and work 15 hours a day, 6 days a week?
This smacks of privilege. I could write for quite a while about why, but I’m starting to get angry at the romanticization of, and appropriation of, hard work in the service of extra income for people who don’t need it. These people being written about have nothing in common with the people I see selling bread at flea markets and farmers markets. These people, the ones in the article, aren’t comparing income to the bills and deciding what order to pay them in.
Sorry. I don’t like to show my colors on line. I’ll stop here.
(Edit: I’m not angry about cottage industry sourdough, I’m angry at this article misrepresenting the reality of it in the service of entertainment.)
I do see quite an interest in Sourdough bread making. Personally I love it and hate making bread, pizza or any other sticky dough. I am the Board Chairman of our county conservation district and we do a lot of seminars for homemakers such as canning, baking, gardening and so many more. We did a mushroom growing seminar and I was not all excited about it however we filled the room and had to schedule another one here a week from Sunday. I have contacted a lady who does sourdough seminars and she is going to schedule one with our conservation district for our upcoming calendar year. I may stop by for samples........
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