Day Trips: Slaton Bakery, Slaton

The Slaton Bakery may be the fourth-oldest continuously operated family bakery in Texas, but it doesn't rest on its laurels. Every morning the bakers churn out stacks of glutinous delights from fluffy donuts to decorated cakes.

Robin Wilson owns the legendary bakery along with her husband, Sherrell. Their son, Chad, is the third generation of the family to have flour in his blood. Robin says one of the most popular additions to the menu has been "thumbprint cookies," bite-sized cookies topped with a dollop of frosting.

At a factory across town the company cranks out vanilla wafers, gingersnap cookies, pies, donuts, tortillas, and bread that are sold in grocery stores around Texas and New Mexico.

In 2015, the Slaton Bakery's vanilla wafers won first place in H-E-B's Quest for Texas Best search for new local products. Robin said the San Antonio-based grocer decided to add the gingersnap cookies to their shelves since the bakery was already delivering vanilla wafers.

Robin says that the vanilla wafer recipe is nearly as old as the bakery. Generations of local cooks have counted on the unique flavor of the cookies to set their banana pudding apart.

The bakery began in 1923 when Blue Ribbon and City Bakery consolidated to form Slaton Bakery. Barney and Ollie Mae Wilson purchased the bakery in 1943. They were the first bakery in Texas to offer sliced hamburger and hot dog buns.

The Slaton Bakery is at 109 S. Ninth St. in downtown Slaton about 17 miles south of Lubbock. The bakery is open 6am-6pm Tue.-Fri. and 6am-3pm on Saturday, and is closed on Sunday and Monday. Along with baked goods, the bakery also serves sandwiches.

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