What a fabulous historical lesson of the industries in Troy and of Freihofer's bread. Troy is such a great city; full of culture, great art, music and food. I hope to visit again soon.
I am with you Amy, nostalgic for the days when women had time to create and bake bread. Luckily for working women, some of our greatest baker friends have employed methods which can be used to make sourdough breads for folks who work. Keep sourdough baking alive!
I found your substack today through a Wordloaf newsletter, and seeing Freihofer's mentioned and your last name made me think perhaps you were from the Capital Region as I am, and I searched to see a post just like this! My great-great grandmother moved to Troy from Vermont and her second marriage was to a man with the last name Halloran. My whole family is mainly from around Waterford, Cohoes and Troy, so Freihofer's looms large in all of our memories. My grandfather has absolutely sang us all the Freddie Freihofer song. What a great look into the origins of this local brand and the economics of a city! Looking forward to recieving your newsletters.
As it so happens, I'm currently baking bread at home today!
I grew up near Troy, NY and Freihofer’s delivered bread to our home. I remember when my sister and I were about six or seven we found carriages filled with dolls and blankets. We were excited to think that they were for us at Christmas but our mom explained that they were for the breadman’s children and she was keeping them for him. Of course now the company has spread it wings far and wide. I have purchased their bread and cookies all my life but now find myself so disappointed as the bread no longer tastes the same. Something has changed as it is dryer and thick and as my grandmother would say - “It tastes like cardboard!” This is a very recent change and I can’t help but wonder if they are having problems getting their original ingredients.
Congratulations on your new platform. I'll be looking forward to your letters!
What a fabulous historical lesson of the industries in Troy and of Freihofer's bread. Troy is such a great city; full of culture, great art, music and food. I hope to visit again soon.
I am with you Amy, nostalgic for the days when women had time to create and bake bread. Luckily for working women, some of our greatest baker friends have employed methods which can be used to make sourdough breads for folks who work. Keep sourdough baking alive!
I found your substack today through a Wordloaf newsletter, and seeing Freihofer's mentioned and your last name made me think perhaps you were from the Capital Region as I am, and I searched to see a post just like this! My great-great grandmother moved to Troy from Vermont and her second marriage was to a man with the last name Halloran. My whole family is mainly from around Waterford, Cohoes and Troy, so Freihofer's looms large in all of our memories. My grandfather has absolutely sang us all the Freddie Freihofer song. What a great look into the origins of this local brand and the economics of a city! Looking forward to recieving your newsletters.
As it so happens, I'm currently baking bread at home today!
I grew up near Troy, NY and Freihofer’s delivered bread to our home. I remember when my sister and I were about six or seven we found carriages filled with dolls and blankets. We were excited to think that they were for us at Christmas but our mom explained that they were for the breadman’s children and she was keeping them for him. Of course now the company has spread it wings far and wide. I have purchased their bread and cookies all my life but now find myself so disappointed as the bread no longer tastes the same. Something has changed as it is dryer and thick and as my grandmother would say - “It tastes like cardboard!” This is a very recent change and I can’t help but wonder if they are having problems getting their original ingredients.
Thank you for this history lesson!