A Master Baker for 65 Years—Gert Ebenrecht Keeps Baking

If he were an employee, Gert Ebenrecht would have been retired for 20 years already. But the 85-year-old simply cannot imagine a life completely without the art of baking. No wonder: he practically grew up in his grandfather’s bakery. “I was already helping out in the bakery before I even started kindergarten,” he recalls. At that time, the bakery—which has always been located in the same spot in the small town of Teicha (Saale District) just outside Halle—had already been in business for 35 years, he recalls. His grandfather Karl founded it in 1911.

Today, three generations—all master bakers—work together in the business. Gert Ebenrecht has held the title of master baker for 65 years. In recognition of his tireless work, he will receive the Iron Master’s Certificate from the Halle Chamber of Crafts on Friday. “It’s not a requirement. It’s my own choice. If I don’t go, I don’t go,” he says when asked about it. 

Work begins at 2 a.m.

The only thing he now leaves to his son, Thomas Ebenrecht, is getting up early—work in the bakery begins at 2 a.m. The master pastry chef now runs the business together with his son Max. According to Gert Ebenrecht, no other profession was ever really an option for any of the three. The 85-year-old believes the relationship between the three generations of master craftsmen is something special and hardly comparable to a normal working relationship.

As the youngest and designated successor, Max handles sales and recipe ideas and is setting the business up for the future. The bakery has already been awarded a total of five “Culinary Stars” by the state’s agricultural marketing association for its creations—including its spelt bread, stollen, and “beer bread.” In this way, Max Ebenrecht has also paved the way for the bakery to reach regional supermarket shelves. It took six years of persuasion, the three report. 

The profession, the technology, and even the business have changed over more than six decades of professional life, reports veteran master baker Gert Ebenrecht. Appreciation for the art of baking has waned in an era of cheap goods on supermarket shelves. While the village baker used to be a familiar sight and the main supplier for the local community, the retail shop in Teicha—just like the family-run artisan business—is now a dying breed. Gert Ebenrecht is well aware of this.

Hard to Find Staff in the Baking Trade

Four employees work alongside the family in the business. And actually, the Ebenrechts could use even more staff; they’ve repeatedly trained apprentices for this purpose. But the apprentices either dropped out or, after a promising completion, opted for a less demanding job. A willingness to work a 40-hour week and hold a driver’s license has become a rarity, explains Max Ebenrecht.

The numbers also reflect this: According to the Central Association of the German Bakery Trade, the number of apprentices in the baking trade has halved from 2014 to 2024 —from around 20,500 nationwide in 2014 to about 10,000 in 2024. So far, the Ebenrechts have not observed a reversal of this trend. 

“You can’t worry about time when you’re self-employed”

If practically the entire family weren’t pitching in, the Ebenrecht Bakery and Pastry Shop probably wouldn’t have lasted over 100 years. In addition to distributing to supermarkets, there’s a retail location in downtown Halle. Two delivery vehicles make the rounds in the surrounding area on weekdays. Discussions about the right to part-time work and work-life balance seem a world away in the bakery. When asked about his weekly working hours, Thomas Ebenrecht replies: “You can’t worry about the time when you’re self-employed.”

At the same time, a certain pride is evident among the three generations of master bakers: pride in their achievements and in the business’s continued existence despite growing cost pressures and competition from large industrial bakeries. The three don’t always see eye to eye: Even at 85, Gert Ebenrecht insists on braiding the dough for the poppy seed braids by hand instead of cutting it with a mold, as is common today—a time-consuming process that earns him disapproving looks from his son and grandson. 

At the same time, the two appreciate the support from their elder: The fact that Gert Ebenrecht is still helping out so energetically in the bakery after two serious bouts of cancer borders on a miracle, reports his son Thomas. For the veteran baker, one thing is clear: he feels physically fit. As long as he can, he wants to keep going. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere. Why should I go traveling now?” he says, shrugging his shoulders.

Meanwhile, the sixth generation is growing up in the bakery. Gert Ebenrecht’s great-grandson is two years old. Max Ebenrecht doesn’t yet know whether he’ll follow in his father’s footsteps. But he’s hopeful: “The trade is making a comeback now.”