The Real Cost of a Sourdough Loaf — Itemized
Sourdough is the cottage baker's flagship. It's also notoriously hard to price because the ingredient list looks deceptively short — flour, water, salt, starter — and bakers underprice as a result, forgetting that the long fermentation is real labor and the bag of flour is increasingly expensive.
Here's an itemized breakdown for one classic 900g sourdough boule, using 2026 average US retail prices.
Ingredients
| Item | Unit cost | Used | Line cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour (KA) | $0.0024/g | 500 g | $1.20 |
| Whole wheat flour | $0.0036/g | 50 g | $0.18 |
| Water (filtered) | $0/g | 360 g | $0.00 |
| Sea salt | $0.004/g | 10 g | $0.04 |
| Levain (50% flour, 50% water) | ~$0.0024/g flour | 100 g | $0.12 |
| Total ingredients | $1.54 |
Hidden costs (per loaf)
- Energy (oven preheat 60 min + bake 50 min, 2.4 kW oven): ~$0.35
- Packaging (paper bag, sticker): $0.45
- Parchment + dusting flour waste: $0.10
- Allocated overhead (water heating, dish soap, fridge): $0.15
- Total non-ingredient consumables: $1.05
Labor (per loaf, batch of 4)
Realistic time per batch of 4 loaves:
- Mix + autolyse + fold: 25 min
- Bench rest + shape: 15 min
- Score + bake (touched time): 10 min
- Cool + bag: 10 min
- Per batch: ~60 min hands-on
- Per loaf: ~15 min (passive bulk + cold ferment is unpaid)
At $35/hour: $8.75 of labor per loaf.
The full picture
| Ingredients | $1.54 |
| Consumables | $1.05 |
| Labor | $8.75 |
| True cost per loaf | $11.34 |
What this means for pricing
If you sell sourdough at $7 a loaf at the farmers market, you are paying for the privilege of making bread. The $7-$8 sourdough is a hobby, not a business. Sustainable farmers market pricing for an artisan boule is $10–$14; you'll find that bakers who command $14+ have brand, packaging, and consistency working for them.
Run your own numbers
Your flour costs and yield will differ. Plug your real ingredient costs into BakeCostCalc and you'll get an accurate cost-per-loaf in 30 seconds. Add labor and consumables on your own and set a price that actually pays you.