Spatz Bread is a Saginaw tradition – actually its fame extends far beyond our county line.
On August 26, 1927, the Saginaw Daily News announced that the Spatz Bakery had relocated from 413 West Genesee to the corner of State and Bond Streets. Although that is just a couple of years short of a century, the company had already been established in Saginaw for decades.
For a brief outline of the company’s history, we turn to this 2015 one supplied by Under the Radar Michigan:
“With Spatz Bread, you either get it or you just don’t know about it yet. With me, I just didn’t know about it. But if you mention Spatz Bread to some people, they talk about it like it was the best bread EVER MADE BY MAN!
Joe Spatz is the owner, chief bread maker and probably the hardest working man in the baking business. This guy is like a machine. The day we were there, he worked the ovens like a prizefighter in the first round. Joe was covered in flour, full of good humor and almost never stopped moving. You could tell that Joe took this proud family tradition seriously.
People come from far and wide to get their hands on these lovable loaves. My next door neighbor grew up in Saginaw, and when he heard we were going to Spatz, he literally begged me to bring him a loaf. Which of course I forgot. Sorry, Jim.
Why is this bread so special? The original German recipe goes back in Joe’s family more than 150 years. It’s a coarse white bread with a hard crust that is especially good for making toast. They’ve never changed what’s in it or the way they make it. And nothing at the bakery is automated. It’s a simple, honest loaf of bread made the old fashioned way, by real people.
Some folks will tell you this stuff is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and others think it’s just, well, sliced bread. So I double dog dare you. Go to Spatz and try some of their famous bread and make up your own mind. I’d tell you what I think, but that would take all the fun out of it.”
From: https://utrmichigan.com/spatz-bread-2/
Recipe
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup diced celery
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
½ cup sliced almonds
2 diced green onions
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup yogurt
2 teaspoons curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Spatz’s bread
Mix chicken, celery, grapes, almonds, and onions together. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients.
Pour dressing over chicken mixture and combine well.
Chill before spreading on bread.