A brick oven story in Madurai

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.”

One of their most popular offerings is the cookie.

“What we now call cookies were known as juice berry biscuits then,” he says. “ Made from dough, sugar, flour, butter, baking powder and flavours of our choice, they were baked for 10 to 15 minutes in our brick oven.”

Speaking about items that demand longer baking, Sakthivel says that bread takes nearly 30 minutes. “The slow baking gives them a soft texture and enhances the flavour,” he adds.

Sakthivel is placing puff dough in the old brick oven in his bakery in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
G. MOORTHY

The flames in the brick oven are kept burning round the clock, lending warmth to the bakery. At closing time, the embers are reduced and their lingering heat is used to bake the day’s bread into rusks, crisp and golden.

“Once the shop opens, the rusks are ready — hot and crisp — and we then start preparing the macaroons, increasing the heat of the brick oven,” he adds.

Stack of hot baked puffs at Sri Muthu Eshwaran Bakery and Sweets in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
S. Deiva Abirami

When asked about sales in the early days, he says, “In the evenings, we packed the goods in boxes and carried them on a bicycle through the streets, selling them fresh and warm. It was a simple routine, and each item cost between five and ten paise.”

S Ramasamy, a retired teacher, recalls buying coconut and vegetable puffs from their father’s bicycle in the evenings. “The buns and puffs were warm and fresh. It felt like a small treat every day after coming home from school.” Aarav, a college students came to know about the bakery through a relative, and it has now become his favourite shop

Stack of cream buns at Sri Muthu Eshwaran Bakery and Sweets in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
S. Deiva Abirami

Fresh cream cakes arranged at Sri Muthu Eshwaran Bakery and Sweets in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
S. Deiva Abirami

“The taste is unique, and the bakery is very clean. You can really tell the products are made with care.”

Some traditions remain unchanged, offering comfort and authenticity — like the brick oven glowing for 54 years at Sri Muthu Eshwaran Bakery and Sweets.

Located at 2/18, Raja Mill Rd, Madurai Main, Madurai, Poondhotam

Published – February 08, 2026 08:03 pm IST