Sourdough Boom Fuels Rise of Home-Based Microbakeries

Flexible state laws, digital tools, and pandemic-driven demand for homemade bread create opportunities for cottage bakers.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 10:47am

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A growing number of microbakeries are popping up across the U.S., with home-based sourdough bakers leveraging flexible state regulations, digital tools, and pandemic-fueled demand for homemade bread to launch successful cottage businesses. Bakers like Marcelle Malkin in South Carolina and Bonnie Ohara in California are earning six-figure incomes by baking and selling hundreds of loaves per week from their home kitchens, avoiding the high costs of commercial rents. The rise of social media influencers showcasing their home bakeries has also driven interest, though some bakers caution the lifestyle can be stressful.

Why it matters

The growth of home-based microbakeries represents a shift in how Americans buy and consume bread, moving away from mass-produced options toward more local, artisanal products. It also highlights how flexible work arrangements and the rise of the gig economy have enabled stay-at-home parents and others to turn their baking skills into profitable small businesses, often while caring for children. However, the intense workload and lack of benefits like health insurance can make the model challenging for some.

The details

Home-based sourdough bakeries are proliferating across the U.S., enabled by factors like flexible state licensing, digital tools for order management, and consumer demand for healthier, locally-produced bread. Bakers like Marcelle Malkin in South Carolina and Bonnie Ohara in California are earning six-figure incomes by baking and selling hundreds of loaves per week from their home kitchens, avoiding the high costs of commercial rents. The rise of social media influencers showcasing their home bakeries has also driven interest, though some bakers caution the lifestyle can be stressful with long hours and physical strain.

  • Marcelle Malkin started her home bakery, Fort Mill Sourdough, after moving from New York to South Carolina in 2021.
  • Bonnie Ohara got the first cottage bakery permit in California's Central Valley in 2014 after the state passed the Homemade Food Act.
  • Jill Nguyen launched her part-time cottage bakery, Capitol Jill Baking, in Washington D.C. in 2020 and went full-time with it in 2022.
  • Macey Merlak started her microbakery, Little Pearl Breads, in Sugar Grove, Illinois in 2023 after seeing success from other home-based sourdough bakers on social media.

The players

Marcelle Malkin

The owner of Fort Mill Sourdough, a home-based sourdough bakery in South Carolina that produces 400 loaves per week.

Bonnie Ohara

The owner of Alchemy Bread, one of the first cottage bakeries to receive a permit under California's Homemade Food Act in 2014.

Jill Nguyen

The owner of Capitol Jill Baking, a part-time cottage bakery in Washington D.C. that she launched in 2020 and went full-time with in 2022.

Macey Merlak

The owner of Little Pearl Breads, a microbakery in Sugar Grove, Illinois that she started in 2023 after seeing success from other home-based sourdough bakers on social media.

Hotplate

A San Francisco-based company founded in 2020 that provides a platform for home bakers to manage online orders and customer communications.

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What they’re saying

“Two years of waking up at 3 to 4 a.m. every day -- I have tendinitis, I have a problem with my shoulder from shaping dough. I still absolutely love it. I hop out of bed.”

— Marcelle Malkin, Owner, Fort Mill Sourdough

“I'm a product of a couple of bigger problems. If there was great child care and opportunity for great flexible work, I wouldn't have ended up creating my own job in this way.”

— Bonnie Ohara, Owner, Alchemy Bread

“I did my first-ever pop up in 2023, and 300 people showed up. I had this moment where I was like, 'I guess I'm not going back to an office job.'”

— Jill Nguyen, Owner, Capitol Jill Baking

What’s next

As the home-based microbakery trend continues to grow, industry experts predict more bakers will seek to expand their operations and potentially open brick-and-mortar storefronts, though some like Bonnie Ohara prefer to maintain their home-based model to focus on the craft of baking.

The takeaway

The rise of home-based sourdough microbakeries represents a shift in how Americans buy and consume bread, moving away from mass-produced options toward more local, artisanal products. It also highlights how flexible work arrangements and the gig economy have enabled stay-at-home parents and others to turn their baking skills into profitable small businesses, though the intense workload and lack of benefits can make the model challenging for some.