I didn’t know what to expect from the oldest bakery in Texas, but it certainly wasn’t a giant slab of cherry strudel bigger than a roof shingle. And yet that’s exactly what I found at Naegelin’s Bakery in New Braunfels—along with a line out the door, a heavenly yeasty smell that could lead a blindfolded squirrel to town and a friendly cashier who was happy to explain the unfamiliar pastries laid out before me.
Founded in 1868, the bakery was started by a man named Edouard Naegelin who emigrated from eastern France, arriving in town with a sack of flour and less than a dollar in his pocket.
For more than 155 years, it has kept the town outside San Antonio well-supplied with loaves of fresh bread, cakes and an assortment of European cookies I could barely pronounce. Pfeffernüse, anyone? But the undeniable star of the show was their homemade strudel, coming in apple, cherry and peach with buttery layers so soft you could use it as a pillow.
Inside, the décor is a delightful cross between a German Alpine lodge and grandma’s kitchen circa 1952. In the name of “research,” I ordered almost everything: kolache (both fruit and sausage), cinnamon rolls, danishes, lebkuchen, springerle, and each flavor of strudel.
I sat at one of the small tables outside and proceeded to make every one of my fingers sticky with icing and every thread of my shirt dusted with powdered sugar. It was a badge of honor earned in a pastry-filled battle of the bulge. In the end, the strudel won, but it was worth it.
Whether you’re a hungry local, a curious traveler or an overambitious pastry juggler, Naegelin’s is here to welcome you with open arms just like it has for generations.
