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Behind the Scenes3 min read

Why an $8 Loaf of Sourdough Is Actually a Bargain

An honest breakdown of what goes into a farmstand sourdough loaf — flour, labor, time, energy — and why the price is what it is.

Flour: we use freshly milled, higher-protein bread flour that costs 3–4x the commodity flour in supermarket bread.

Time: each loaf takes 36 hours from mix to bake. Almost none of that is machine time — it's fermentation, shaping, and attention.

Labor: two hours of hands-on work per loaf, spread across the process. A skilled baker earning a real wage.

Energy: a wood-fired or convection oven at 500°F for 45 minutes per bake, plus the walk-in fridge running through the cold proof.

At $8, our margin on a loaf is thin. What you're buying is a real food economy, not a subsidized commodity product.