STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Fall comes to Staten Island and touches every corner of the food business — especially in the bakery world.
Jill Holtermann broke out the Indian corn last week to decorate the retail operation which just started serving its apple cider doughnuts.
“They’re finished with a glaze,” said Holtermann. Pleasantly sticky on the outside, each bite yields moist cider-touched cake with nutmeg and cinnamon notes. It can be eaten on its own — Holtermann likens them to potato chips where “you can’t have just one” — or paired with hot cider. It can be a festive treat on a weekend afternoon paired with a cup of coffee or warming nip of brandy like Laird’s Applejack AKA “Jersey lightening” produced annually at the peak of apple season.
The famous apple cider doughnuts are back again for the fall. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
The Holtermann’s doughnuts have been a huge hit this year, says Jill, and the Great Kills operation has upped its daily production to meet the demand. Also in unprecedented sales, Holtermann says they’ve amped up apple strudels and harvest muffins, a nut-topped treat with a rich all-spice and slightly molasses profile.
Holtermann’s Bakery has been around since 1878, as noted on its awning. The first location was the “Treasure House” in Historic Richmond Town. Then it moved to Center Street, next to where St. Patrick’s R.C. Church stands in Richmond.
Sourdough bread with bubbles on its crust (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
By 1930, the bakery’s third and current home became 405 Arthur Kill Rd. And from there, Jill chats about the family’s history in the baking biz on The Dish.
The borough’s oldest bakery and one of its longest running family businesses has survived both world wars, the Great Depression, massive competition from new bakers on the Staten Island food scene and automation. Holtermann’s continues with hand-crafted, German recipes and did not close in the pandemic.
The Holtermann’s in their family bakery (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
But the pandemic did put a crimp in certain classics. Holtermann’s famed Charlotte Russe desserts notably have been absent from the inventory. That’s because the little disposable pushup pop containers in which they have been traditionally packed have been scarce with hiccups in the paper supply chain.
Check out more history and savory sides to Holtermann’s on The Dish. At the end of the broadcast, Jill is joined by her daughter and grandchildren, another sweet note in the discussion of this unique borough business.
Holtermann’s can be found at 405 Arthur Kill Rd., Great Kills; 718-984-7095, HoltermannsBakery.webs/com.
