Bishop, California

Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

Erick Schat’s Bakkerÿ is a bakery and tourist attraction the edge of the Mojave desert in the small town of Bishop, California.

It is known for a special bread, the Original Sheepherder’s Bread, that they have reportedly produced continuously since 1907, although no trademarks exist until 1938. This roadside bakery boasts turn of the century recipes and all their bread is baked in stone hearth ovens, using no preservatives. They make everything from scratch, including their baker’s yeast - after all, there’s not much else to do on the edge of a desert in the middle of nowhere.

The Dutch bakery produces approximately 25,000 loaves of bread per day, outnumbering the population of Bishop by 6 times. It is one of the main draws to the area and the smell of baking bread lures you in. Their built-in deli provides road food for the thousands of truckers and adventuring tourists who find themselves driving the lone stretch of road between Mono Lake and Joshua Tree. The bakery doesn’t stop with bread and olliebollen (deep-fried donuts) but also regularly stocks hundreds of jars of honey, marmalade and sauces of all kinds. One can find both savory and sweet treats here and it caters to travelers and locals alike.