Jenn Bowersock shows one of the pretzels she creates in her bakery, Jenn’s Backstube.
Courtesy photo
By Kimbery Pistone
For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY – Jenn’s Backstube sells authentic and fresh German baked goods, specializing in German-style soft pretzels. Owner Jenn Bowersock is operating out of her home under cottage-industry laws.
Bowersock makes her pretzels using the traditional method of dipping them in lye prior to baking. She said, “Traditional German pretzels have to have a lye dip. Lye is only a concern when in a raw state. I have gloves when I mix the lye and dip the pretzels, but once they are baked it is completely safe. The lye is what gives it the taste and the color, and what makes these pretzels stand out from typical pretzels in the states.”
Each week Bowersock makes about 100-150 pretzels, and offers a few different flavors, which can be ordered online and picked up at her home on Linden Avenue. A popular flavor is salt and pepper, while Bowersock’s favorite is Swiss cheese with fresh bacon bits. Additionally, she makes martinsbretzein – a homemade vanilla sugar pretzel that uses a different dough than the other pretzels, German sweet rolls, brotchen – a hard roll, sunflower seed rolls, baguettes and croutons. She can also handle larger event orders, like making 300 pretzels for a wedding. Jenn’s Backstube was also at the Sidney Farmer’s Market several times this past fall.
Bowersock was born and raised in Germany, and has lived in Sidney for the past 18 years. Her parents still live in Germany and her dad named her shop – backstube is the German word for bakery.
Jenn’s Backstube can be found on Facebook. Customers can order weekly at hotplate.com/jennsbackstube. Contact Bowersock at [email protected] or 937-351-2332 for custom or larger orders.
