Bread in bulk

DON FRAZIER * dfrazier@semissourian.com

Janet Weaver prepared a loaf of honey wheat bread dough for baking as the early morning sun began to stream through the kitchen windows of the Weaver family's country market in rural Dongola, Ill. The baked goods were to be sold at a Cape Girardeau farmers market that afternoon. By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian

DONGOLA, Ill. -- The sun streams through the windows as Janet Weaver kneads the sourdough breads by hand in the early dawn hours Thursday. An electric mixer whirs as her niece, Delores, adds flour to the dough for a double recipe of honey wheat bread.

Bowls of dough -- white, wheat and Swedish rye -- are lined up at the opposite end of the counter, where they'll remain until they rise and must be punched down before being left to rise again. The smell of yeast wafts through the kitchen as Janet Weaver, her sisters, Eileen and Sharon, and two of their nieces begin their task of baking in bulk.

Early risers all, the women begin their baking chores at 4:30 a.m. in the commercial kitchen at the back of their family's country market in rural Dongola. Almost all of the breads, cookies, cakes and pies they bake will be sold at the Cape Girardeau farmers market at Plaza Galleria, where customers await the arrival of this Mennonite family. Any remaining baked goods are sold at the store along with bulk foods and canned goods, some craft items and wood furniture.

The quiet, organized routine of the kitchen in the early morning hours is a stark contrast to the frenzied line and busy rush the family's stand evokes at the market. On most Thursday afternoons, customers stand three deep in a half-circle around the table in hopes of getting the last batch of cinnamon rolls or a strawberry angel food cake.

Seldom do the Weavers take anything home, and their stand has been known to sell out completely within 90 minutes of their arrival.

Bell Stike of Chaffee, Mo., comes weekly for the angel food cakes. "They're just delicious," she said. Other customers like the honey wheat bread for their morning toast or a slice of dill bread with their dinner. The angel food cakes and cinnamon rolls regularly sell out.

In a society where meals made from boxes or mixes are the norm for most families, the home-baked goodness the Weavers sell is an anomaly. But then nearly everything about the Weavers' lifestyle seems to clash with the world around them.

"We know there's an art that goes into it, and some of that's been lost," said Clair Weaver, who owns the market where his sisters do the baking.

"And we wouldn't want to boast, but most home-baked things are better for you," his sister Eileen said.

Cars yes, televisions no

As members of the Mennonite community, the Weavers offer both baked goods and a few lessons in their faith. They occasionally get questions about their plain clothing and simple lifestyles, which gives them a chance to share a little bit about what their faith believes. They believe in the Trinity, that the Bible should be taken literally and that Jesus is the son of God. Mennonite women wear head coverings, black tights and shoes and aprons over their dresses. The men wear solid-colored, button-front shirts, mostly in blues and light colors, and black pants.

Unlike the Amish, who shun any sort of "modern" conveniences, Mennonites do drive cars and live in homes with electricity and telephones. They do not, however, own televisions or listen to the radio.

The store's kitchen is filled with modern appliances -- a convection oven, three refrigerators, stand mixers both small and large, and plenty of cabinets and counterspace. The kitchen is commercially licensed, which is a Missouri state requirement for being able to sell at a farmers market.

The Weavers opened their country market in July 2001, hoping to sell produce and bulk foods along with some baked items. No one knew when the store opened that the bakery business would become the primary money-making enterprise. At first, the baked items were just a sampling to get people coming to the store. But then word got out and they were invited to set up a stand at the farmer's market.

"The first time we went to market, we didn't take enough and sold out," said Eileen. The market in Cape Girardeau has more customers than did the Anna, Ill., market where the Weavers had been selling produce.

Now the women have a better idea of what sort of breads, cakes and pies to bring. On Thursday, they took 80 loaves of bread -- a mixture of white, wheat, potato, sourdough, apple nut and banana nut, cheddar garlic and cinnamon, pecan pies, sugar-free pies and angel food cakes, cinnamon rolls and dozens of cookies.

They accept special orders and adapt recipes to suit their preferences.

Sometimes knowing what will sell out is a guess, Eileen said. "We observe what we run out of first and then what people are asking for," she said.

The baking isn't as much work as getting everything packaged, priced and ready for sale. And anything that doesn't meet their standards for sale is consumed by Eileen and Janet, who share a house, or sent to their brother, Clair, and his family.

As primary owner of the market, Clair usually drives the hour into Cape Girardeau, along with younger sister Sharon, a part-time employee at the store, and sometimes a couple of his 12 children.

Always a surprise

Just when the family believes it's figured out exactly how much to bring to the market, "then you're surprised by how much moves," Clair said.

The Weavers sell their baked goods at the Cape Girardeau market from May to October. Their store is off Route 146 about nine miles north of Anna. The store is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126