Photography by Lauren Allen
Oak Cliff is the bread destination of Dallas – and it always has been.
In the days of bread delivery service, Oak Cliff was a prominent dispatcher of gluten-carrying bread men. While East Dallas had the infamous Mrs. Baird’s factory, on the south side was Golman-Oak Cliff Baking Co., founded by Jake Golman in 1930.
In 1928, The Oak Cliff Dallas Commercial Association, now the Chamber of Commerce, sought to bring the burgeoning bread business to the neighborhood. Golman was the first to break ground on a 15,000 square foot factory. It still stands today on the corner of Marsalis Avenue and 8th Street.
What used to be a flour-filled factory is now an auto-body shop. But for years the company was a staple of the growing community, running six fleets and employing 45 workers.
“I remember I went on a field trip to Golman and the same loaf of bread was coming down the belt,” says W. K. Jeffus, a local Oak Cliff resident and renowned Dallas historian. “They put four different labels on the same loaf.”
Golman’s delivery routes kept the bread in-house, but the factory’s impact on bread reached national heights.
Texas Toast, the glorious thick-cut white bread smothered with butter, has plenty of origin stories, most of them from DFW. But Golman’s was the first to commercialize the bread.
Golman’s was the bread provider of Dunston’s Steakhouse. Gene Dunston, the latest claimant to the origin stories of Texas Toast, ordered Golman’s bread in mass – unsliced. When Golman discovered Dunston was slicing and grilling the bread himself, Golman created a new machine that created the thicker slices required for the savory treat.
The factory closed sometime after the sale of Golman’s and baked goods petered in and out of Oak Cliff. Lone Star Donuts is one of the enduring characters, while Schindler’s Bakery on Davis is a relic of the past.
There are more bakeries and boulangeries in Oak Cliff than ever before. The pastry chefs of today continue the legacy that started with the Golman family in the ‘30s.
Every bite of your favorite bread from the south side of Dallas is a bite of history.
Bakeries in the neighborhood today put Oak Cliff back on the map as a delectable destination for carb cravers:
Oak Cliff Bread Co., the neighborhood’s must-try bakery started with humble beginnings. So humble, in fact, that the founders were dealing bread out of their home kitchen. A brick-and-mortar shop has opened at Tyler Station and sells out regularly.
Kuluntu Bakery is taking an alternative approach to the baking scene. The nonprofit and James Beard finalist offers a rotating menu of pre-order-only baked goods. Kuluntu hopes to open a storefront where they can spread their mission of radical inclusion and fight the battle against food inequity.
Stealing a page from Golman’s book is Candor Bread, a local bakery specializing in sourdough and available only in Davis Street Espresso or through front door delivery. Candor Bread is one of the few remaining bakeries in Dallas that delivers bread to your doorstep.
