Baeckerei Bed and Breakfast

Exterior of the Baeckerei in South Amana, Iowa

Photo by Shannon Bell

Quick Facts

Location:

507 Q Street, South Amana IA

Significance:

Bakery

Designation:

National Historic landmark

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

The Baeckerei was built in 1860 and served as the communal bakery for South Amana for many years. Each village in the Colonies had bakeries to supply bread to each kitchen in the village. Horse drawn wagons would deliver the baked goods, and as the driver approached a kitchen he would ring a bell. A woman from the kitchen would come out and tell him how many loaves the kitchen needed - usually about a dozen. On Saturdays he would bring coffee cakes to serve on Sunday morning. Many Amana Colony recipes are based on passed down traditions originating in Germany: German Black Bread Homemade Style, Round White Bread, and other breads and pastries continue to be prepared in the Amana Colonies. At the Baeckerei, the bake oven is still intact, but has not been used for many decades.

In 1989, the Baeckerei was renovated as a Bed and Breakfast, which has since closed.