C. Winkler Bakery

{{Short description|Bakery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox restaurant

| embed =

| name = C. Winkler Bakery

| title =

| logo =

| logo_width =

| logo_alt =

| image = File:Old Salem-1.jpg

| image_width =

| image_alt =

| image_caption =The building in 2008

| pushpin_map =

| map_size =

| map_alt =

| map_caption =

| slogan =

| established = {{Start date and age|1799|p=yes}}

| closed =

| current-owner =Old Salem Museum and Gardens

| previous-owner =Christian Winkler

| head-chef =

| chef =

| pastry-chef =

| food-type =

| dress-code =

| rating =

| street-address = South Main Street

| city = Old Salem

| county =

| state = North Carolina

| postcode =

| country = U.S.

| coordinates = {{Coord|36.0881|-80.2420|display=inline,title}}

| seating-capacity =

| reservations =

| other-label =

| other-information =

| website =

}}

C. Winkler Bakery is a bakery on South Main Street in Old Salem, North Carolina. Now the oldest continually operating bakery in the state,{{Cite web |last=Castrodale |first=Jenny |date=2022-12-22 |title=This Bakery Has Used the Same Gingerbread Recipe Since 1807 — Here's the Secret |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/winkler-bakery-gingerbread-recipe-6979741 |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}} it was established in 1799 by the Moravian Church. It is named for Christian Winkler, a Swiss-born baker who began working there in 1807,"[https://www.cityofws.org/DocumentCenter/View/3797/009---Winkler-Bakery-PDF?bidId= Local Historic Landmark Program"] – City of Winston-Salem after replacing original baker Thomas Butner Jr.{{Cite web |date=2014-06-01 |title=June 1: Happy Birthday! William P. Winkler |url=http://winstonsalemtimetraveler.com/2014/06/01/happy-birthday-william-p-winkler/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Winston-Salem |language=en-US}} The building, which now has a landmark designation, was constructed by Salem's master builder and mason Johann Gottlob Krause, shortly before his death.{{Cite web |title=Krause, Johann Gottlob (1760-1802) |url=https://ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu/people/P000133.html |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu}} Its first story is built of uncut stone; the upper levels, of hand-made brick.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQDwh9Ep6jAC&dq=christian+winkler+salem+north+carolina&pg=PA263 |title=North Carolina: A Guide to the Old North State |date=1939 |publisher=US History Publishers |isbn=978-1-60354-032-2 |language=en}}

Winkler and his third wife, Elizabeth, lived in the building with their six children. Their descendants subsequently lived in the property, including Winkler's grandson, Charles, and his wife, Alice, who ran the bakery in the late 19th century. They added a front porch and second-floor balcony. Bessie and Robert Spaugh, Alice's daughter and son-in-law, took over in 1913. They operated it until 1926, when it was sold outwith the family.{{Cite web |title=Winkler Bakery, est. 1807 |url=https://www.oldsalem.org/winkler/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Old Salem Museums & Gardens |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |last1=Bower |first1=Jennifer Bean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PS1nBobcRwC&dq=christian+winkler+salem+north+carolina&pg=PA58 |title=Moravians in North Carolina |last2=Gardens |first2=Old Salem Museums and |date=2006 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-4329-1 |language=it}}

During the 1930s and 1940s, the property was a tea room and a coffee house, while the upper floors became apartments. After World War II, the first floor was an antiques store, then a knitting store and a sewing shop.

The bakery, which was restored to its original appearance in 1968, has been owned since 1963 by Old Salem Museum and Gardens. The workers arrive before dawn each day to start up the oven,{{Cite web |last=Bringle |first=Jennifer |date=2021-12-01 |title=Savoring The Timeless Taste of Moravian Cookies |url=https://journalnow.com/winstonsalemmonthly/savoring-the-timeless-taste-of-moravian-cookies/article_6c20a704-498b-11ec-a5d9-07c4e417b364.html |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Winston-Salem Journal |language=en}} which is fueled by wood, as it was originally. By around 7.30{{Nbsp}}am, the fire has normally faded, with the oven's bricks fully heated. The oven temperature at that point is around {{Convert|700|F|C}}, but has to be left to cool to around {{Convert|400|F|C}}.{{Cite web |last=Castrodale |first=Jenny |date=2022-12-22 |title=This Bakery Has Used the Same Gingerbread Recipe Since 1807 — Here's the Secret |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/winkler-bakery-gingerbread-recipe-6979741 |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}}

Winkler Book and Gift Store opened on the second floor of the building in April 2023.{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=JOHN HINTON Staff |date=2023-04-25 |title=The retail store at Old Salem Museums and Gardens has reopened |url=https://journalnow.com/news/local/history/the-retail-store-at-old-salem-museums-and-gardens-has-reopened/article_37dbbc36-e3ae-11ed-b766-6b49eb62a4d7.html |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Winston-Salem Journal |language=en}}

A commercial kitchen was established off-site to accommodate the volume of the bakery's sales. Moravian sugar cake is the bakery's most popular item.{{Citation |title=Winkler Bakery - Old Salem, NC |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbndgRne0vY |access-date=2023-06-29 |language=en}}