How-to
Start a home bakery: rules, storefront, first bake day.
Starting a home bakery is three steps: stay legal, take orders, then bake and hand off. This guide walks that path. Use the cottage food laws hub for your state rules. Use BakeryFlow when you are ready to take pre-orders and run your first bake day.
1. Know the rules for your state
Cottage food rules decide what you may sell from a home kitchen. Read the cottage food laws hub, then your state page. Come back here when you are ready to sell.
2. Set up BakeryFlow before your first drop
- One storefront link customers can use without an app.
- A short menu you can actually finish.
- Pickup windows and how you get paid.
3. Run your first bake day
Treat it like a small pop-up: date, caps, close time, bake list, pickup. After that, weekly drops are the same motion with a new menu.
How to start a home bakery
- Check cottage food and local rules. Read your state cottage food guide for allowed foods, labels, sales caps, and whether you need a permit. Confirm local rules if your city adds any.
- Set up a customer-facing storefront. Publish a BakeryFlow storefront link with this week’s menu, pickup windows, and pay methods. Share it in your bio, texts, or posts.
- Run your first bake day. Open pre-orders, close the window before you shop and mix, bake the list, and fulfill in pickup windows.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a home bakery?⌄
Confirm cottage food rules in your state, set up a BakeryFlow storefront link, then run a first bake day: pre-orders, bake what sold, pickup.
Do I need a commercial kitchen?⌄
Many US cottage food programs allow a home kitchen with limits. Some products or volumes require a commercial kitchen. Check your state guide.
What software do I need on day one?⌄
You need a way to take pre-orders and a list to bake from. BakeryFlow is that home bakery app.