Thanksgiving is a fabulous holiday, unadulterated by the pressure to spend money on
anything but great food and travel to visit family and friends. Gratitude for the best things in life is still at the heart of the celebration, enjoying an awesome feast and spending time with people we love. Over the past century, things have changed little. Although going “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house” in a horse-drawn sleigh has evolved to using planes, trains and automobiles. And grandma is often too busy to do all the baking. Hence, the opportunity for local bakeries that specialize in made-from-scratch yummy breads and goodies.
For any baker, this is one of the busiest weeks of the year. The few days before are intense and long, sometimes all-nighters, as everyone in bakery production and customer service work hard to provide the best hand-made rolls, breads, pies and other goodies to grace their customers’ dining room tables on that special day. It's a lot of pressure too!
The most popular item by far is rolls. What Thanksgiving dinner is without rolls? Perennial favorites are the Virginia Rolls, 
delicious buttery rolls made at Great Harvest bakeries in three versions: white, whole wheat or a blend of the flours. Honey Whole Wheat and White rolls are still right up there as well. Cranberry Orange and Stuffing Bread are not far behind as the favorite breads for leftover turkey sandwiches. Each local bakery owner creates their own product line-up of holiday products, ranging from Pumpkin Oh’s to Cranberry Orange Dessert bread. Some even make turkey bread!
The Boulder, CO Great Harvest started making pies a couple of decades ago. This week, they’ll be making over 400 Apple and Pumpkin Pies from scratch (even the crusts!). This is in addition to all the breads and rolls and other goodies they make.
Though the work is intense and the hours long, it’s a great opportunity for the bakers to “show their stuff” and at the end of the day, to know they’ve provided a critical and delicious component to all those Thanksgiving dinners!
What's the busiest time of the year in your business?
