This Tennessee Bakery Has Been Making Bread The Same Way Since The 1900s

It's relatively rare for culinary methods and appliances to survive from the early 1900s. For example, retro ice boxes once held a place of honor in most kitchens, but by the 1950s they had disappeared in favor of the refrigerator. And while soda fountains abounded in the early 20th century, they and their wonderful creations are largely long gone today. So it's all the more significant that in southerly Tracy City, Tennessee — about a 40-minute drive from both the Alabama and Georgia borders — the Dutch Maid Bakery & Café is serving up breads made exactly as they were when the bakery first opened, in 1902.

Since it initially opened, the Dutch Maid has only changed hands two times (the first transfer was still between family members), and the current owner, Cindy Day, uses the same equipment that hails from the 1920s (it replaced the original 1902 versions after a fire). She even uses the same recipes and baking methods as the original owners, meaning each loaf is a four-day labor of love.

Dutch Maid sells over a dozen types of handmade, from-scratch breads, including its fan-favorite salt-rise, as well as a basic sourdough. It also produces a variety of flavorful options, including black olive roasted red pepper, sundried tomato, rosemary olive oil, and even rye and marbled rye. Beyond bread, the bakery turns out a wide selection of sweets, such as cookies, and cakes — the cinnamon rolls are a must-try, too — while an on-premise café keeps crowds fed with savory sandwiches and salads.

Word has gotten around about Dutch Maid Bakery, and not just because of its high customer satisfaction. In 2023, the bakery was featured on Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Guy's All-American Road Trip." Owner Cindy Day explained the four-day bread-baking process to Fieri (it's true — the key to successful bread making is patience), and he and his son sampled the salt-rise loaf, which Fieri proclaimed was "delicious" (via HBO Max). She also brought out a huge tray of brownies, explaining that the 100-year-old recipe calls for five pounds of sugar; one taste-tester said the brownies were "amazing."

Dutch Maid has also made its way to the silver screen. In 2025, Day's recreation of a traditional Netherlandish baked good was featured in the Nicole Kidman-led thriller "Holland." More than a year earlier, Day received a call asking if she could make it for the film. Since it wasn't part of her current repertoire, she had to research it first, but she ultimately accepted the commission and went to work perfecting the flaky pastry filled with a sugary almond paste known as banketstaaf. Throughout 2025, Dutch Maid stocked banketstaaf in its bakery, much to the delight of customers, who regularly sold out the treat.