10 reasons Falkville's Dutch Oven Bakery is worth the drive

Exterior of building, parking lot and digital sign outside of Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — A little off the beaten path and worth it: Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville. (LIsa Battles / Hville Blast)

An overstuffed sandwich, potato chips, soda and toy with a metal garden accessory truck outside of Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — A little off the beaten path and worth it: Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville. (LIsa Battles / Hville Blast)

At Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, you’ll walk in for a quick, inexpensive lunch and walk out with four bags of goodies and ferns.

A one-hour drive southwest of Huntsville, the Mennonite-owned bakery started in Cullman as a roadside stand over 30 years ago and is a thriving wholesaler today in addition to its store.

Read on for my top 10 picks at this long-time local favorite spot.

1. Overstuffed, made-to-order sandwiches

A hand holding an order ticket in front of the meat and cheese cases and sandwich counter at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — First things first at Dutch Oven Bakery: Order your sandwich and then shop while you wait. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

A sandwich being prepared at the counter at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — First things first at Dutch Oven Bakery: Order your sandwich and then shop while you wait. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

The first thing to do when you step inside is grab an order pad and pen from the meat and cheese case, make your selections, tear off your order number and hand over your order.

I usually go for a turkey and smoked cheddar on sourdough wheat with lettuce, mayo, mustard, tomato, onion, salt and pepper. All the breads are made there, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.

The sandwiches are huge, so you may want to split one with a friend or save half for later. Pro tip: My friend who turned me onto this place gets her condiments and toppings on the side so her saved half won’t get soggy.

2. Frannie’s Sparkling Love sodas

I discovered these zero-sugar, vitamin-added, no-aspartame sodas at Dutch Oven and have not seen them anywhere else. All I know is they’re made by a Worcester, Massachusetts company, and I am glad they made their way to this country bakery.

I always grab one for the road and a pack of each of my two favorite flavors, Black Cherry Noire and Very Vanilla Creme.

Other options include Blood Orange Bliss, Irish Ginger Ale, Luscious Lemonade, Pink Pomelo Paloma and Cold Coco Latte.

3. Cheese straws + snack mixes galore

Cheese straws in packages on the shelves at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — Packages of Dutch Oven Bakery cheese straws never seem to last long enough. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

Two words: Cheese straws.

Since I can’t seem to keep a package very long (why is that?), I buy two.

4. Baked goods, cakes + pies

Assorted cheesecakes fill the cooler at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — Cheesecakes are just one of the many types of cakes and pies that fill the long coolers at Dutch Oven Bakery. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

Lots of people rave about the pound cakes, cheesecakes, pies and layer cakes at Dutch Oven. As with most things there, you get many different varieties of each kind. While I haven’t tried many of them, the coconut cake is a favorite among those I have.

5. Soup mixes + pickled things

Neatly stacked assorted soup mixes line the shelves at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — Besides baked goodies, Dutch Oven sells many mixes for soups and dips. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

Along the center aisle, one side is almost fully lined with dry mixes for soups, sides and dips. I usually go for the broccoli cheddar soup mix, which makes many servings.

Check that aisle’s end cap for a huge selection of pickled things, like beets, eggs, chow chow and relishes.

6. Gifts like kitchen gadgets, lotions, soaps + kids’ toys

Need metal lawn art, a kitchen timer, goat’s milk lotion or a pineapple corer? What about Melissa & Doug puzzles, handmade soaps or windchimes?

If you need a little gift for someone (or yourself), you’ll find many things besides food items throughout the market.

7. Freshly baked breads

A man selects among many types of freshly baked bread at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — A shopper selects a loaf of freshly made bread at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

I mentioned the sandwich bread choices already, and you can also buy all the varieties by the loaf, plus cinnamon raisin bread, which is divine when slightly warmed. The bread faces the sandwich counter, so you can start shopping there while waiting for your order number to be called.

8. Seasonal plants + produce

Boston and kimberly ferns for sale outside of Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — Dutch Oven Bakery displays seasonal plants and other decor for sale along the front of the building. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

Save some space in your car for whatever Dutch Oven has for sale outdoors. In mid-spring, it’s ferns and, in fall, it’s pumpkins and massive mums. The prices are usually good, too. I picked up two large potted ferns for just under $30 on my last visit.

9. Chocolate-covered nuts, toffee + candies

Assorted snacks and candies line the shelves at Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville, Alabama. — Behold, the candy aisle at Dutch Oven Bakery. It faces the soups and dry mixes shelf. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

For just about every variety of chocolate-covered nuts, this is your place. You’ll find milk chocolate and dark chocolate options for almost everything, including coated peanuts, pecans, almonds and caramel pecan turtles, a big customer favorite.

If you’re into fruity-sweet, there’s a good selection of gummies and sours, too.

10. The drive itself

A pickup truck drives down a road framed by a field full of wildflowers along a country road in Hartselle, Alabama. — A huge field of buttercups blooms along a country road near Dutch Oven Bakery. (Lisa Battles / Hville Blast)

Many folks swear that joy is the journey, and nothing beats driving Alabama country roads when the sun is shining and a gentle breeze is stirring.

We’ve dropped the address to Dutch Oven Bakery below, and if GPS offers you an alternative that takes a little longer, absolutely go for it.

Where: 1205 Evergreen Rd, Falkville, AL 35622
When: Tuesday-Saturday, 8:30AM-5PM
More Info: Website

P.S. At this writing (end of April) a new, covered picnic pavilion is almost ready for guests!

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