A brick oven story in Madurai

Discover the rich flavors of Sri Muthu Eshwaran Bakery, where traditional brick oven baking endures for over 54 years.

As electric ovens and OTGs take over modern kitchens, a small bakery in Madurai continues to work amid heat, fire and instinct. At Sri Muthu Eshwaran Bakery and Sweets, the day begins with the stoking of a masonry oven, where glowing embers replace timers, and the aroma of baking bread fills the narrow street. Without preset controls for crispness or softness, every batch is judged by skill, experience and by a belief that this traditional method imparts a flavour no modern appliance can match.

Standing before the glowing big brick oven, M Sakthivel, one of the owners, deftly places marinated buns, bread and puffs inside using a long-handled shovel. He works without safety gloves, relying on experience honed over decades in the heat. Within minutes of the shaped dough going into the oven, a warm, familiar aroma begins to spread through the bakery.

Speaking about the use of the brick oven, Sakthivel says it requires a distinct skill, developed through experience. The bakery, he notes, has been functioning for 54 years. “My father, K Mariyappan, started it. I learnt by observing and assisting him, and today my brother and I run the shop,” he says.

Hot puffs baked inside the brick oven in a bakery in Madurai. | Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY

Every bakery item is made in-house — puffs, bread, macaroons, cookies and cakes —each requiring a different baking time. “For instance, puffs usually take about 20 minutes, but this depends on the outside temperature. If it is cooler outside, they take longer to bake.” He adds that not only the timing, but even the embers have to be adjusted for each product. Explaining the oven’s capacity, he says up to 200 puffs can be baked at the same time in the brick oven.

Comparing the brick oven with modern electric methods, Sakthivel says, “Though most people are moving towards electric and easy cooking, we are used to this traditional style. It also gives better quality and taste, so we continue to bake this way.”