Snyder’s

Bakery

Bible

History

SNYDER'S BAKERY HISTORY

          SNYDER'S BAKERY was established by George L Snyder in 1916 in Coldwater, Michigan. After his death in 1937 his wife, Bessie with the help of their sons, Richard (Dick) and James (Jim), continued the operation of the bakery. The assistance of their long term employees was necessary to make it a success.

          Dick stayed home from college for one year, and then Jim managed production while Bessie managed sales. The bakery expanded and continued to serve South central Michigan. In 1951 the head baker, Roy Fellers, was paid $1.10 per hour for a 60 hour week. The helper was paid $.90 per hour.

          Dick went on to found one of the best cake decorating schools in the world, and to publish many books and pamphlets on cake decorating. His knowledge was used to further the progress of Snyder's Bakery.

          Jim graduated from the American Institute of Baking. The knowledge imparted in the "Bakery Bible" is a combination of this education and 40 years experience.

          After closing the bakery in 1960 with the intent of retiring, Jim went on to help with the development of pizza for one of the best known pizza chains in the country. He also helped a nationally known cookie company with some of their problems. In the process, they learned how to make the cookies that were made by Snyder’s Bakery first. If some of these cookies seem familiar, Snyder’s Bakery was the source of the original recipes.

          Being in possession of the original Bakery Bible, George (the grandson of the original) and Lenore Snyder have invested extensive time developing the recipes for home use. Before the death of Jim in 1987, George & Lenore spent many hours with Jim learning as much as possible about the recipes and procedures used at Snyder's Bakery. Recordings were made of conversations, transcribed, and studied. Much technical knowledge was absorbed, and is passed on in this book.

          The "Bakery Bible" is not for the faint of heart nor for the novice. This should not be your first cook book, but should be added to the collection of someone who really loves to bake. The greatest advantage of this book is the knowledge of procedures, chemistry, and "magic" that is contained within the covers. With this book, the magic can no longer puzzle you and the potential disaster can be turned into success.

          Within the "Bakery Bible" are such treasures as:

                    how to make yeast

                    differences between types of flour

                    the secrets of the bakers

                    sugar has to be treated as a liquid

                    how to recover from that disaster

                    weight/measure of different ingredients

                    why Moses did not have time for the bread to leaven

                    why the cake falls

                    how to make that fluffy Danish pastry

                    charts showing how to modify baked goods

                    what to do if you don't have a particular ingredient

          Select recipes will be available, while the entire collection is being compiled for publication.