Yoder's Bakery - Hardin County, Ohio

One of my favorite things about exploring an Amish community is finding a little bakery tucked into an outbuilding on a house. Especially in smaller Amish communities, sometimes these bakeries are only open on Thursdays , Fridays, and Saturdays, or, worse, just Fridays and Saturdays. SIGH, I've had so many let-downs when I visit an Amish settlement, see a tantalizing Amish bakery sign, only to see that they are open a couple of days a week. So, word to the wise, if you are visiting a small Amish settlement, you might want to plan it for a weekend. This bakery, Yoder's Bakery - Hardin County, Ohio, was quite a discovery!

These small bakeries are where you can score authentically culturally wonderful Amish fare. I discovered a couple of such bakeries in my recent trip to Hardin County, Ohio. One of my discoveries was Yoder's Bakery. You'll have to GPS it using this address, because I couldn't tell you how I got there, I just stumbled on it...anyway, the address is 16653 State Route 31 (okay, that is how I got there). This bakery is open every day of the week except, of course, Sunday and just has super stuff. Fried pies made fresh every Thursday and they were amazing. I've not run into rhubarb fried pies many places, but she had them for sale. Anyway, this is what the inside of one of these truly authentic Amish bakeries looks like:

To me, this was the best thing about this bakery. As luck would have it, I visited on a Thursday. Thursday is the day they make homemade fried pies. And, wow, super flavors here. Even a pineapple version!

But it's not all baked goods, take a look at these noodles.

But baked goods are their bread and butter, take a look at these pies!

Some honey and homemade jams and jellies were for sale.

I thought this calendar on the wall was really interesting. Perhaps most interesting to me are the dates they are not closed. For instance, New Year's Day. I asked the Amish owner about that date and she said they are usually open. Ditto for July 4. So if you happen to be in Hardin County on a holiday, most businesses are open.

Peruse the selection of items available!

This was the road side sign for the bakery, simple, but it'll catch your eye!