Start a Home Bakery Business

Do you love to bake great bread and share it with others? Are you considering setting up a home bakery business but not sure where to start?

If so, this course is perfect for you. Over two days (or an agreed number of video calls if doing the course online), you’ll cover the basics of starting a bread baking business from home. Read on to find out more.

What does the course cover?

Please note that tax, accounting and legal requirements are all relevant to businesses being established in the United Kingdom and advice on such areas cannot be given for businesses planned for outside the UK.

Bread baking and the world of bread

• Learn to bake a range of simple breads that your customers will love
• Understand key bread making terms including gluten, hydration and fermentation, and why they’re important
• Get to know the different types of bread flour available and how to bake with them
• Know where to source ingredients for your business

Starting your bread baking business from home

• Identify your target market, what you’ll bake for them and when and where you’ll sell to them
• Discuss the logistics of baking bread in your home, including scaling up, planning when to bake, and whether you’ll deliver or have customers collect
• Know the essential equipment you’ll need to start your business, and what you might buy as you begin to grow

Running your bread baking business from home

• How to get the word out about your new bakery – how to generate interest, where to advertise, how to find and keep customers
• The world of websites and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram): what to focus on and how this can help boost your business
• Costing out your breads, pricing them for sale and how to charge your customers
• Basic business finances – what records to keep, budgeting, invoicing and registering as self-employed with HMRC
• How to register with your local council’s environmental health team and how to prepare for a food safety inspection of your kitchen
• Legal requirements of labelling your bread for sale
• Business insurance – do you need it and what should it cover?

Resources to support your bread baking business from home

• Detailed course notes and recipes to use at home and in your business.
• Sample invoice and book-keeping spreadsheet to help with record keeping
• Admission to the Bread Angels (BA) community on completion of your course. This is a lively, engaged, supportive network of people who have completed this course and now bake and sell bread from their home. Your course fee includes a year’s membership (£60 per year thereafter) of the network.

How long is the course?

When taught in person, the course usually lasts two days, running each day 10am – 3.30pm. The days can either be consecutive or held a week apart.

If taking the course online, teaching will be spread across a number of video calls with participants. Dates and times to be decided – calls will include bread making demonstrations and business planning discussions.

Will there be time for questions during the course?

Yes, absolutely. You will have plenty of time to discuss your plans for your own business and start developing them using the knowledge gained during the course. There is a maximum of three people on each course to allow time for everyone to ask questions.

Where is the course held?

All calls for the online course will be made via Zoom.

If in person, the course will be held at my home in Epsom. I’m located a 15 minute walk from Tattenham Corner station, with trains running from London Victoria. Alternatively, Epsom station is a 15-minute cab journey. There is free parking on my street.

Will you need to bring anything?

For the online course, you may wish to buy bread flour, yeast and salt in advance if you wish to bake along with any of the bread making demonstrations. Otherwise, be prepared to discuss any intial plans you may have for your business.

In person, just bring an apron and bags or boxes to take home everything you bake, plus a notebook and pen. If you already have initial plans for your business, do bring along notes or anything else you may wish to discuss during the course.

What’s the feedback from previous students?

‘I highly recommend Rhiannon’s microbakery course’ Julie, microbakery course attendee, November 2016

Previous course attendees have welcomed the tailored approach each course takes and the relaxed and informative approach I take. You can see more student feedback here.

How much is the course?

The cost of the course is £460 per person.

When are classes held and how do I book?

If you’d like to take the course online, please do get in touch with me, Rhiannon, from The Epsom Bakehouse, to discuss suitable dates and times to have the video calls.

In-person classes (currently not running) are held during the week on a Wednesday or Thursday.

Courses are run in small groups to allow time for plenty of questions and discussion of your ideas for your business. Throughout the course you’ll also learn to bake a range of breads that are simple to produce for your new customers.

About your tutor