Written by Matt Schorr
Clarksville, TN – One must travel a bit off the beaten path to reach Schlabach’s. The local bakery stands alone on Guthrie Road, surrounded by woods and foliage rather than urban cityscapes, embracing the aura of a country store in every way.
The no frills wooden sign, gravel parking lot, and simple – but lovely – flower garden that first greet visitors suggest the sort of local shop you expect to see in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. For a moment, you’re almost certain you’ll see Aunt Bee waiting behind the counter, reminding you to keep your elbows off the table before she’ll even consider taking your order.
Then she’ll mutter, “Oh, flibbertigibbet!”
Meanwhile, Opie would be out back readying his fishing pole.
(If you’re a younger reader unfamiliar with Griffith, think “His & Hers” on Netflix, but without the murder.)
Guthrie, KY, is a far cry from Mayberry, NC, but you get the idea.
Schlabach’s, located at 6255 Guthrie Road, has been a local institution for the tiny community for around five decades, with its history dating back to the 1970s. The Amish bakery began as a simple farmhouse kitchen to preserve the family’s farm when grain prices dropped, and they were faced with the possible loss of their home and business. Doughnuts and fresh breads crafted with time-honored Amish recipes, they hoped, might serve as a lifeline in lean financial times.
As you might expect, those doughnuts saved the day. Doughnuts always save the day. Ask any police officer. (Just don’t do it at a traffic stop.)
Home-style baked goods proved popular with neighbors and eventually the entire community. Schlabach’s grew and expanded, updating the menu with more goods and pastries like pies, cakes, cookies, and yes, more doughnuts.
News traveled fast, even in tiny towns like Guthrie, and people began driving from miles around for a taste of what Schlabach’s had to offer.
Fried apple pies. Banana nut breads. Pecan Caramel Rolls. Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cakes.
Fifty years later, apart from a few technological advancements like Facebook, the store is virtually unchanged. Schlabach’s is still making traditional Amish favorites like cinnamon sweet rolls and doughnuts with simple ingredients and, as the Schlabach family puts it, “a lot of love.”
Their pastry and granola-filled menu is well known throughout the Guthrie and Clarksville area, but there’s more to be had than just baked goods. The store’s shelves hold over a dozen jams and jellies, not to mention maple syrup, sorghum, and applebutter. There are also dipping sauces and even merchandise.
(Need a bakery-themed baseball cap? Schlabach’s has you covered.)
I got my own taste of Schlabach’s via a pair of breakfast pastries and a Diet Dr Pepper.
The cinnamon roll is a time-honored classic when it comes to the sweeter side of the day’s inaugural meal. A bakery just can’t call itself a bakery without it. They go together just like the aforementioned cops and doughnuts.
Schlabach’s sticks with the traditional recipe, a time-honored classic if ever there were one. Theirs was warm and sweet, with soft, fluffy dough and rich, buttery, and intense cinnamon sugary sweetness, all topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting that melts in one’s mouth. It’s a combination of chewy, gooey, and warm spice. And a touch of flaky crispiness.
It’s a taste of heaven for the sweet-toothed.
I paired my cinnamon roll with a fried blackberry pie, perhaps not a traditional breakfast item but, cut me some slack … I love blackberries and fried pies. Schlabach’s delivered a warm and crisp crust encasing a gooey, jammy fruit-filling. The overall experience was a combination of the deep, sweet-tart of blackberries and the buttery, rich, and salty flavor of toasted pie crust. It’s both comforting and dessert-like.
I’d place it somewhere between heaven and nirvana. Perhaps the pastry equivalent of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. (Google it, younger readers.)
And the Diet Dr Pepper? Well, I’ve always thought diet soda paired better with sweet treats than regular. Supposedly, Diet Doctor Pepper is a combination of 23 spices, cherry, and vanilla, but I couldn’t swear to that. I just think it’s the best-tasting diet soda, and thus pairs best with sweets like fried pies and cinnamon rolls.
It’s kind of like the soft drink equivalent of white wine, I guess.
As I said, if you live outside of Guthrie, you’ll likely have to drive a bit to experience Schlabach’s. Country stores are, by their very definition, not located on high-traffic thoroughfares.
However, like the hidden treasures found deep in the woods in so many fairy tales, the journey is well worth it.
Take the drive. Admire the countryside. Appreciate the locals. Then, pull into the gravel parking lot and enter a country bakery taken straight from the past to offer sweets, spreads, and as Schlabach’s puts it, “down home goodness.”
