Turn your home sourdough into a steady weekend bakery.

The Cottage Bakery Course is 8 modules and 34 video lessons for home bakers with a day job. You’ll get a schedule that fits around work, three loaves that sell, prices that pay for your hours, and a clear way to check your state’s cottage food rules.

Run your bakery numbers first
8
modules
34
video lessons
Monthly
live bake-along
30 days
to ask for a refund

Taught by Nell Abernathy, who has run Grain & Gram from her Burlington, Vermont kitchen every weekend since 2014.

Saturday preorders

Pickup at the stall, 8 to 11 AM. List closed Thursday 9 PM.

This Saturday

NameLoafQtyPaid
R. HébertCountry2
Tomasz K.Seeded rye1
The LindqvistsCountry, swirl2
June P.Focaccia slab2
Amir S.Country3
OkaforSeeded rye2pays at pickup
Beth and SamCinnamon swirl1
Preorders 13, stall 11Bake 24 loaves

Six loaves for friends is easy. Twenty-four for strangers is where it falls apart.

Almost every home baker who tries to sell hits the same three walls. None of them are about your crumb.

Loaf 1, 6:10 AM Loaf 16, 9:40 AM

Your loaves go flat past the fourth one.

Your oven bakes four at a time, so the rest of the dough waits on the counter and over-proofs. By the last batch you’re selling flat, sour loaves. That’s a timing problem, and Module 3 fixes it with a staggered schedule.

$7 $11.50

You charge $7 because the grocery store charges $5.

A 900 g loaf costs around $2.40 in flour, salt and a bag, plus your hands-on minutes and a share of a long weekend. At $7, most home bakers earn less per hour than a weekend retail shift and never see it.

State County Market ?

You aren’t sure you’re allowed to sell it.

Cottage food rules are set state by state, sometimes with county or market rules on top, and blog posts go out of date. So people either sell nervously or never start. Module 6 shows you how to find and confirm the rules for your address.

One bake weekend, from Wednesday’s feed to Saturday’s stall

This is the Module 1 schedule Nell has run around a full-time job since 2014. The long waits land on your workdays and your sleep, not your evenings.

  1. Wed 9:00 PM and Thu 6:45 AM

    Feed the starter

    Two quick feeds around your workday, then a levain on Thursday night. The jar does its rising while you’re at your desk.

  2. Fri 5:30 PM

    Mix

    Batches of 6, 30 minutes apart, so no dough sits waiting on the counter for its turn in the oven.

  3. Fri 6:30 to 9:30 PM

    Fold

    Four sets of folds during bulk, a few minutes each, fitted around dinner and the dishes.

  4. Fri 10:00 PM

    Shape

    Shape, into bannetons, into the fridge. The cold slows the proof while you sleep.

  5. Sat 3:30 AM

    Bake

    Four loaves per oven load, 45 minutes each. Six loads and 24 loaves are cooling by 8 AM.

  6. Sat 8:00 AM

    Sell

    Preorders are picked up at the stall by 11. The rest sell from the table.

What would your weekend bakery actually pay you?

Set the sliders to your plan. The stack grows with your weekly bake, and the ledger shows what’s left after flour, bags and stall fees, divided by the hours you’d really put in.

24
$11.00
$2.40
Flour, salt, seeds, a bag and a label.
4
Set to 0 if you only sell by preorder pickup.
$35
24 loaves stacked on a bread board Outlines show the slider maximum, 60 loaves a week

24 loaves a week, 104 a month6 oven loads, about 4.5 hours of baking

Your month, on paper

Loaves sold99 of 104
Revenue$1,086
Ingredients and packaging−$249
Stall fees−$140
Energy and small supplies−$30
Profit$667
Hours you’d work51 hours

Your effective hourly rate

$13.02 /hr

A fair side income. Pricing and batching can push it higher.

Charging $2 more per loaf adds $198 a month.

How this is worked out

  • A month is 4.33 weeks of baking.
  • About 5% of loaves go unsold (they go to neighbors, not the bin).
  • Hours: 4 fixed hours per bake weekend, 8 minutes of hands-on time per loaf, and 5 hours per market day including setup.
  • Oven loads assume 4 loaves at a time (two Dutch ovens and a baking steel), 45 minutes each.
  • Energy and small supplies are a flat $30 a month.
  • Not included: taxes, permits or registration fees, equipment, or mileage.

Built for home bakers with a day job and a starter that already works

This course is for you if

  • You already bake a sourdough loaf you’re proud of. A perfect open crumb isn’t required.
  • You have weekends and a few weeknight hours, not a free Tuesday.
  • You want 15 to 40 loaves a week through preorders or a market stall.
  • You’re ready to put a real price on your bread and say it out loud.

It isn’t for you if

  • You’ve never kept a starter alive. Bake ten loaves for yourself first, then come back.
  • You’re planning a storefront, a commercial kitchen or wholesale to cafes.
  • You want someone to tell you what your state’s law says. Module 6 teaches you how to find and confirm it. It isn’t legal advice.
  • You’re looking for a 60-recipe library. There are three core loaves, on purpose.

Eight modules, in the order you’ll need them

Every lesson is a real bake filmed in Nell’s kitchen, with the schedule and printable sheet that go with it. Open a module to see its lessons.

Module 1A starter and schedule you can run around a day job4 lessons

Set up a Wednesday-to-Saturday rhythm where the long waits happen while you’re at work or asleep.

  1. Your feeding schedule14 min
  2. A starter that peaks when you need it11 min
  3. The Thursday-to-Saturday timeline18 min
  4. The fridge as your second shift12 min
Module 2The 3 loaves that sell5 lessons

A country loaf, a seeded rye and a cinnamon swirl: the three that have outsold everything else at Nell’s stall for ten years.

  1. Why three loaves, not twelve9 min
  2. The country loaf, start to finish26 min
  3. Seeded rye with an overnight soaker21 min
  4. A cinnamon swirl that slices clean19 min
  5. A score customers recognize10 min
Module 3Scaling from 4 to 24 loaves in a home oven5 lessons

Staggered mixing so every batch hits the oven at the right moment, and a home-oven setup that bakes four at a time.

  1. Mixing 24 loaves in a home kitchen16 min
  2. Staggering your bulk ferment20 min
  3. Shaping and rotating bannetons15 min
  4. Oven loads: Dutch ovens or a baking steel18 min
  5. Cooling and bagging for a 7 AM pickup9 min
Module 4Pricing so you’re paid for your hours4 lessons

The same math as the calculator above, done properly with your own receipts and a week of timed bakes.

  1. Costing a loaf to the cent14 min
  2. Timing your real hours10 min
  3. Setting prices your regulars accept15 min
  4. Raising prices without losing people12 min
Module 5Preorders and the Saturday market4 lessons

Know how many loaves to bake before you mix, then sell the rest from a stall that’s easy to shop.

  1. A preorder form that closes Thursday night15 min
  2. Pickup without the chaos11 min
  3. Applying to your first market13 min
  4. A stall layout that sells the last loaf14 min
Module 6Cottage food rules: how to find and confirm your state’s requirements4 lessons

No legal advice and no state-by-state claims that go stale. A research method, a question checklist and a record-keeping habit.

  1. What cottage food laws usually cover12 min
  2. Finding your state’s agency and current rules20 min
  3. The questions to ask before your first sale14 min
  4. Keeping your paperwork in one folder8 min
Module 7Packaging and labels4 lessons

Bags, bread bands and labels that look like a real bakery, printed at home for a few cents each.

  1. Bags, bands and bread paper10 min
  2. Label fields to confirm with your state12 min
  3. Printing labels at home9 min
  4. Allergen notes customers trust8 min
Module 8Your first 90 days as a business4 lessons

A week-by-week plan from first preorder list to a steady Saturday, and the numbers to watch as you go.

  1. Your 90-day plan21 min
  2. Tracking sales in one spreadsheet12 min
  3. When to add a second market10 min
  4. Saying no to wholesale, for now9 min

Meet Nell. She still bakes every loaf in one home oven.

Nell Abernathy spent her weekdays as a hospital scheduler and her weekends baking. Grain & Gram grew from a few loaves for neighbors into a steady 40 to 50 loaves a week, all from a standard kitchen with two Dutch ovens and a baking steel.

“I didn’t need more recipes. I needed a schedule that fit a day job, three loaves I could bake half asleep, and prices that paid me.”
  1. 2014Eight loaves a week for neighbors and coworkers.
  2. 2016First Saturday stall. Sold out of 20 loaves by 10 AM.
  3. 2019Moved regulars to Thursday preorders. Steady at 40 to 50 loaves a week.
  4. 2023Started teaching local bakers at her kitchen table, six at a time.
  5. 2026Filmed that class as The Cottage Bakery Course.

Students with day jobs, and the numbers they’re at now

“I was giving bread away to anyone who’d take it. After Module 5 I applied to one market in March and added a Wednesday evening market in June. I still work full time at the county library.”
30
loaves a week
2
markets, Saturday and Wednesday
$10 to $12
per loaf, up from free
Marisol OrtegaTucson, Arizona. Enrolled January 2026.

Porch pickup, 18 loaves every Friday

“The pricing module was the uncomfortable one. I went from $7 to $10 a loaf and lost two customers out of about forty. Friday went from breaking even to covering our groceries.”
Dave KowalczykGrand Rapids, Michigan

12 loaves and a dozen bagels, Saturday preorders

“Module 6 didn’t pretend to know my state’s rules. It showed me where to look and what to ask, and I had my answer after two phone calls.”
Priya RamanAsheville, North Carolina

Bake with Nell live, the first Thursday of every month

At 7:00 PM Eastern, Nell bakes one module live from her kitchen and answers questions while the dough rests. Bring your dough or just watch. Every session is recorded and added to the course within two days.

Next session: Thursday, October 1, 7:00 PM ET

Shaping 12 batards without a bench full of flour

  • Recorded last month: pricing your fall menu
  • Recorded two months ago: scaling focaccia for the market
  • Recorded three months ago: a starter that survives a hot kitchen

One course. Pay in full, or split it over three months.

$497 one payment, and the course is yours to keep
  • 8 modules and 34 video lessons, each with a printable schedule
  • The monthly live bake-along with Nell, plus every recording
  • Starter feeding chart and a weekend bake plan for 24 loaves
  • The Module 6 rules research checklist
  • The student community, with a Thursday check-in thread
  • Lifetime access to the lessons and future updates

At checkout you can add the Pricing & Label Templates Pack for $29.

30-day bake-along guarantee, Grain & Gram, Vermont, 30 days

Bake first. Then decide.

Bake along with Modules 1 to 3. If you’re not happy within 30 days of enrolling, reply to any course email and Nell will refund every dollar, including the templates pack.

Why ask you to bake first? Modules 1 to 3 are where the schedule clicks. If you’ve baked them and it still isn’t for you, that’s a fair test.

Questions bakers ask before they enroll

Something else on your mind? Email Nell at nell@grainandgram.com. She answers course questions herself, usually within a day.

Do I need a commercial kitchen?

It depends on where you live. Many US states have cottage food laws that allow certain lower-risk foods, often including some breads, to be made in a home kitchen and sold directly to customers. The details vary a lot: some states ask for a permit or registration, a food handler course, specific label wording, or limits on sales and where you can sell. Some foods and some places aren’t covered at all.

Module 6 teaches you how to find your state’s current requirements and which questions to ask the office that handles them. The course isn’t legal advice, so confirm the rules for your address before your first sale.

I work full time. Will this actually fit?

That’s who it’s built for. The schedule in Module 1 puts starter feeds before and after work on Wednesday and Thursday, mixing on Friday evening, and baking early Saturday. Lessons run 8 to 26 minutes, so one lesson a night is realistic.

What equipment do I need?

A standard home oven, a digital scale, at least two Dutch ovens or a baking steel, and bannetons or bowls. Module 3 shows how Nell bakes four loaves at a time, and what to buy first if you want to scale.

What if I miss the live bake-along?

Every session is recorded and added to the course within two days. You can post questions in the community thread beforehand and Nell answers them live.

How does the payment plan work?

Three payments of $179, one today and one on the same date in each of the next two months, for $537 total. You get the full course from day one. Paying in full saves $40.

What’s the Pricing & Label Templates Pack?

An optional $29 add-on at checkout: the costing spreadsheet Nell uses for every loaf, 14 editable bag and bread-band label templates, and a printable market price board. It’s optional, and the course works without it.

How does the refund work?

Bake along with Modules 1 to 3, and if you’re not happy within 30 days of enrolling, reply to any course email. Nell refunds the full amount you paid, and any remaining plan payments are canceled.

Start this week with Lesson 1: your feeding schedule.

Eight modules, a live bake-along every month, and 30 days to decide.