Century-old Hiap Joo bakery in Johor Baru keeps wood-fired tradition alive

 

Hiap Joo Bakery's bread, baked using the traditional wood-fired oven method, continues to receive an encouraging response from customers. — Photos: Bernama

In the heart of Johor Baru’s historic downtown, the air along Jalan Dhoby carries a distinct, nostalgic aroma, a blend of charred rubberwood and caramelising bananas.

The aroma permeates from Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory, a bakery established in 1919 that has become one of the city’s heritage attractions, drawing visitors from across Malaysia as well as Singapore, and even China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

While the world outside has traded traditional hearths for electric convection ovens, Hiap Joo remains anchored by a century-old wood-fired oven. 

This brick-and-stone behemoth, along with family recipes guarded through three generations, has transformed the family business of more than a century into a global heritage destination.

Bread loaves baking in a traditional wood-fired oven at Hiap Joo Bakery.

Founded shortly after the First World War by seven Hainanese immigrants, the bakery is today run by 38-year-old manager Joseph Lim Toh Hui and his elder brother, whose grandfather was among the founders.

"During the Second World War, the other shareholders did not return to take over the business, so my grandfather continued running it by himself. Since then, it has remained in our family,” he told Bernama recently.

Lim recalled growing up at the bakery and watching his grandfather knead dough by hand on a heavy wooden table before he eventually learned the trade himself.

Joseph Lim Toh Hui, 38, oversees the sale of freshly baked bread from the wood-fired oven.

Today, the bakery employs between 15 and 20 workers while continuing to rely on the same traditional wood-fired baking process.

"Many people think we bake the bread directly over the fire. Actually, we burn the wood to heat the oven. Once it reaches the right temperature, we bake the bread using the retained heat. When the temperature drops, only then do we start baking the cakes.

"There is no secret. It is simply the method passed down from my grandfather,” he said.

A worker at Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory monitors the bread-baking process.The bread, baked using the traditional wood-fired oven method, continues to receive an encouraging response from customers. - -fotoBERNAMA (2026) COPYRIGHT RESERVED

Originally producing only bread for coffee shops around Johor Baru, Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory expanded into cakes in the early 2000s after younger customers began requesting them.

The bakery sells coconut, raisin, peanut, kaya, sugar and spicy buns for RM6 per pack alongside banana cake at RM13, and butter and coffee cakes at RM16 each.

"The banana cake is our bestseller today,” Lim said, noting that the bakery produces between 800 and 1,000 items daily to meet demand.

Customers queue to purchase freshly baked bread at Hiap Joo Bakery.

Although the family owns other properties, Lim also said relocating the bakery has never been an option because the historic oven is central to its identity.

"The stove is the most important thing. One day, we hope we can buy this shop because the wood-fired oven is here. We want future generations to continue seeing this oven and tasting the same bread and cakes,” he added.

Meanwhile, loyal customer Kuldip Singh, 65, said he has been a regular at the bakery since his school days in Johor Baru.

"It (bread) is soft, you can really taste the banana. The quality has remained the same for the past 50 years or so,” he said, adding that despite rising living costs, the bakery continues to offer its products at reasonable prices. – Bernama