Breathe in and savor the smell! That is what you do when you enter a bakery. Now I have to admit that scent does not permeate as much in the big box bakeries.

I am not sure when they bake things, but it definitely is not during the normal store hours.

I remember five bakeries in Dunkirk, but maybe there were more. Those were the ones that we frequented. Each bakery was known for something special. When we wanted kimmelweck buns we went either to the plaza or to the bakery in the first ward. The bakery at the plaza was run by people straight from Germany so they had many of the German treats that we enjoyed. The son was in my class but I must confess I never got to know him well. He has come to only one reunion and he really was a very nice person.

We also went to the first ward bakery for sweet rolls. If we wanted what we called “hard” rolls we went to the bakery on Main Street. They also had great molasses cookies. If my mother was hungry for coconut macaroons she went to the bakery on Central Avenue. They also had a wonderful assortment of gift items so we went there often.

The last bakery that I remember was in the fourth ward. I think they made mostly Polish items since that ward was filled with people of Polish extraction. I recall going there a couple times to get something for one of the ladies my mother worked with.

The A&P store brought in baked items that were very good. We usually got our cinnamon fried cakes there. They also had pfeffernusse cookies there at Christmas time. That is also where we bought our fruit cakes. They were very good. My family happened to like fruit cake. I missed that store when it closed.

When we shopped in Jamestown, we went to Billings Bakery on third street. I remember they always gave youngsters a cookie when the family traded there. We went there for Scorper. I also remember some delicious chocolate bar cookies. The cookie that they gave out was filled with jelly and frosted. I did not like it, but still remembered to say thank you. Usually, my grandmother or one of my great aunts got that cookie.

It was not until I moved to Jamestown to teach kindergarten that I found two other bakeries. One bakery was on the north side. That one made my wedding cake and delivered it to Frewsburg for me. The other one was on the south side. It is still operational today. First it was in the plaza by Rockman’s and then it moved to its current location by AJs.

I go to Ecklof’s for cider doughnuts, scorper, limpa bread, and hard tack. When the children were young, they loved to go in that bakery because they always got a white cookie with pink icing. Once again, the wonderful smell is in that bakery. It reminds me of the old bakeries from home.

By now most of you know that I am a do-it-yourselfer. I bake most of my own cookies and cakes. I also bake bread, muffins, and sweet breads. Don especially liked the sweet breads. I made some at least once a week. Of course, he also liked my cookies.

That last Christmas I made sure I made his favorite kind of cutouts. He liked the thick, puffy, soft kind. The recipe I make most often is one I got from one of the mothers in my kindergarten. She sent decorated cookies to school for each holiday and I loved them. She also taught me how to use colored egg wash to decorate them.

Last year we decorated cookies when my granddaughter got home for Christmas. She and her mother wanted to try a new technique for painting them.

Jared and his girlfriend had helped me frost and decorate some before we got to those. I must admit they were very pretty, but I think this year we will just use frosting and colored sugar.

Ann R. Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.