Schott's Holsum Bread At 3000 Washington Ave.

[brucesw]

In the Vintage Neon Signs thread, a question was raised about a sign for Fair-Maid bread.  I don't recall ever seeing the sign and I don't remember Fair-Made bread at all.  Perhaps it just wasn't distributed where I grew up (Lake Jackson) or my mother never bought it.

The breads I remember as a kid in the late 40s/50s were Schott's Holsum and Mrs. Baird's.  As I remembered it, Holsum disappeared in the 50s and was replaced by Rainbo but according to what I found online, Schott's Holsum became Holsum Sunbeam bread.

Here's a story from the Galveston Daily News, 1951, on the arrival of Schott's Holsum bread on the island with some of the history of the bakery.

The Schott's bakery was (?)/is (?) located on Washington, just east of Montrose.  The Schott's bakery building lacks the curb appeal of the old Baird's bakery on West Gray.  We went past that one frequently on the way to visit relatives in the Heights but seldom went across on Washington and I'm not sure it was even there back then.

Here's a little history on Little Miss Sunbeam.  Holsum was also a brand name used by other bakers.

Anybody else remember Holsum bread?

[txn4art]

To answer your question -- yes, I remember Holsum Bread. Fair-Maid Wheat Bread was what we usually had at home. I believe the bakery was sold to the Rainbo Baking Company in the late 1940's or early 1950's.

 

My parents thought the quality of most locally available bread was poor. They preferred 100% whole wheat bread, which was not popular or widely available in the Houston during the 1940's-50's. Rye and pumpernickel were not widely available here either -- nearly everyone ate only the softest white bread and for kids' sandwiches, any trace of brown crust was cut off. A few bakeries in town made "Louisiana French bread" loaves, which had somewhat of a crust and were considered a specialty item. The Federal Bakery - small and locally owned -- was downtown and occasionally we would buy a loaf of dense, delicious whole wheat bread there.

 

 

 

 

[brucesw]

We never cut the crusts off at our house except occasionally if mother was making finger sandwiches for a party or something.  I haven't bought supermarket bread in ages - I had to check over the weekend to see if Rainbo was still available and it wasn't at my neighborhood grocery but apparently it's still being made.  But I remember supermarket bread not being as soft and squishy as today; maybe just because I was a kid.

 

Yes, there weren't many options, certainly not where I lived.  Loaves came in one size and the slices in one thickness - there was no thin sandwich bread or jumbo loaves.  There probably were no supermarket generic breads.  We occasionally had a loaf of wheat bread, but not often.

 

I never heard of Federal.  Both Three Brothers on Braeswood and Alfred's in the Village opened in 1948 I think.  Surely they both offered rye and pump.   My aunt who lived in the Heights had resettled to West U by the late 50s/early 60s and discovered Three Brothers and introduced us to the hard rolls.  We often came home from visiting her with a big bag of rolls and maybe a loaf of 'French' bread.

 

And another supermarket bread I remembered - Roman Meal.  I don't know when that first appeared but we loved it and that was our go-to bread from then on.

[Specwriter]

My parents were big fans of Roman Meal. They were convinced it was "healthier" than white bread. It certainly stood up to chunky peanut butter better than the white bread of the day.

[Michelle C]

I never knew there was anything but white bread until I was an adult.

[txn4art]

My parents were big fans of Roman Meal. They were convinced it was "healthier" than white bread. It certainly stood up to chunky peanut butter better than the white bread of the day.

 

I forgot all about that brand! My parents bought it for awhile, too.

 

Seems like our parents were interested in nutrition, although mine were considered "health food nuts" because they always had a salad and a vegetable along with the usual meat and starch for dinner every night.

 

[txn4art]

I never knew there was anything but white bread until I was an adult.

 

White bread was what most Southerners ate at that time. Wonderful homemade cornbread, too!

 

When I was a child, my aunt from Chicago came to visit and was appalled at how few good bakeries were in Houston. She was used to neighborhood bakeries selling Swedish Limpa Rye, European-style pastries and other delicacies. A marvelous cook and baker, she offered to make homemade bread while she stayed with us, but the only types of flour sold in local grocery stores was all-purpose white (bleached) and SwansDown Cake Flour -- no bread flour, whole wheat flour, or any of the other types now available.

[Specwriter]

I never knew there was anything but white bread until I was an adult.

 

About the same here, Michelle. Besides Roman Meal I had no idea there was anything other than white bread before I moved away from home. Imagine my amazement and delight to discover rye, pumpernickel, and challah.

[brucesw]

Interesting about everybody's reaction to Roman Meal.  I had no idea it was so popular.  According to the website, it was originally a hot cereal and had some ingredients that are trendy today.

 

It was supposed to be good for you but wheat bread was supposed to be good for you too and Roman Meal tasted a lot better.

 

I think I'll have to pick up a loaf sometime and try it.

 

I drove over on Washington today; they sure don't brag about that place being a bakery.  It's a Sunbean outlet store and I did see a Flowers Bakery sign behind the burglar bars at what I assume was the entrance to the main building.

 

 

[Libbie]

Interesting about everybody's reaction to Roman Meal.  I had no idea it was so popular.  According to the website, it was originally a hot cereal and had some ingredients that are trendy today.

 

It was supposed to be good for you but wheat bread was supposed to be good for you too and Roman Meal tasted a lot better.

 

I think I'll have to pick up a loaf sometime and try it.

 

I drove over on Washington today; they sure don't brag about that place being a bakery.  It's a Sunbean outlet store and I did see a Flowers Bakery sign behind the burglar bars at what I assume was the entrance to the main building.

 

About 10 years ago I found some Roman Meal bagels at a Rice Epicurean across town. They were WONDERFUL!  But I've never found any more, anywhere.

[mkultra25]

I drove over on Washington today; they sure don't brag about that place being a bakery.  It's a Sunbean outlet store and I did see a Flowers Bakery sign behind the burglar bars at what I assume was the entrance to the main building.

 

If you keep going west on Washington past the outlet store, there's a Sunbeam Bread sign high up on the other end of the main building, next door to Detering Co. But you're right that there's not a whole lot of signage indicating what the building is at first glance.

 

You can still smell the aroma of freshly-baked bread if you happen to be driving down Washington right after they've finished a batch.