Up at 2 AM: Chillicothe’s New System Bakery Keeps a Century of Fall Traditions Alive

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Ross County

CHILLICOTHE — While most of Ross County is asleep, the ovens at New System Bakery are already rolling. Baking starts at 2:00 every morning, and it has been that way for a long time. The bakery has been going since 1920.

Fall is when the bakery hits its stride. September brings back fresh pies, October belongs to pumpkin, and November turns into an all-hands push toward Thanksgiving. But the season Amy Hatfield is most excited about right now is cookie season.

The cookies that beat the humidity

Star cookies, spritz cookies, and reception wafers are back in the case, and their return is a small victory over summer weather. The cookies are made from a wet batter piped out of a decorating bag, which Hatfield says adds a whole extra layer of difficulty.

“The temperature, texture, recipe and humidity must be right in order for them to come out correctly,” Hatfield said. “This summer, the humidity got so high in the bakery that we had to stop making them. Now that temps have dropped, they are back, with the same original recipe.”

Star cookies and spritz cookies are back at New System Bakery now that cooler fall air has tamed the summer humidity that halted production. (Photo courtesy New System Bakery)

Why it is called New System

The bakery’s name comes from its ovens. The previous location ran a rotating-style oven, the kind Hatfield describes as a room-sized oven with a giant Ferris wheel inside, baking cookies as it turned.
Those ovens are outdated now, but the idea lives on. Today’s oven racks rotate in a slow, spinning motion, keeping the product moving for the most even baking possible. Same effect, new system.

The bizmark, start to finish

Then there are the bizmarks, the bakery’s signature. Each one starts as a fresh cut of yeast dough that gets rolled, cut, proofed, fried, cooked, sliced, filled, and powdered. The cream filling is made in house, and Hatfield says it is different from most.

The most requested version: maple bacon.

The maple bacon bizmark is the most requested item at New System Bakery in Chillicothe. (Photo courtesy New System Bakery) Fresh bizmarks, made from yeast dough that is rolled, cut, proofed, fried, filled and powdered, at New System Bakery. (Photo courtesy New System Bakery)

Pie season and the Grinch

Pies run on a seasonal rhythm. During the slow months the bakery makes them to order only, but once September arrives, busy season begins and fresh pies return to the case. September and October mean pumpkin pies. November means every kind of pie, all in preparation for Thanksgiving orders.

And mark the calendar: the first Saturday in December is the bakery’s Grinch breakfast, when kids come to meet the Grinch and get a Grinch-themed donut or breakfast. This year, set for Saturday, December 5, will be the fifth annual.

New System Bakery is at 125 Western Avenue in Chillicothe. Baking starts at 2:00 AM daily, so by the time you are up, it is already done.

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