Memories of a Cinnamon Bun

2013-05-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Grace Hasz, her story

My grandmothers story is about so much more than the cinnamon buns that she is probably remembered the best for. Like so many women who have left their family and home behind to move to a strange country where they don't speak the language it's a tale of courage and hope but to often one that doesn't get recorded. When she was alive I was too young to be that interested in her past and now that I can appreciate what she must have gone through I only have a few stories and photos to piece together. But this is better than nothing.

Born in 1899 as Gizela Barabas in Budapest Hungary she was the oldest child, (I think) of three. her father was a musical instrument repairer who as far as I can tell never worked on a Stradavarius. But life is inherently unfair.

This photo taken in 1908 shows Gizela in the center with her siblings. Unfortunately I don't know their names or anything else about them as they stayed in Hungary.

My grandmother liked to get into a bit of mischief every so often. One story she told me was how they used to live on the second floor of a building that overlooked a market square. In the fall the "gypsey" ladies would come down from the mountains to sell fruit and vegetables. Being outside all day when the weather grew cold required some ingenuity in the form of small charcoal brazier placed underneath their stools. They would settle down on these and spread their heavy dresses over the stool and brazier basking in the heat that came up from below. When called away to attend a customer my grandmother and her friends would sneak in behind and toss a chestnut into the brazier and hide around the corner until the unwitting lady would settle her rump back down onto the warm stool. Apparently the sight of these ladies shooting up to their feet when the chestnut exploded beneath them would send my grandmother into a fit of hysterics. When the ladies complained to her mother Grace would loudly proclaim her innocence and blame some other kid. I guess in those days fun was what you made of it.

Grace is third from the left in the center row

When she grew older she swapped exploding nuts for long hikes with a group of friends into the mountains to gather flowers. I suspect this was also an excuse to spend some quality time with boys. Judging by the photos this was quite a common pastime when the weather was warm.

Grandfather is on the left in the last row, next to my great-grandfather

My grandfather isn't on the scene yet but he does show up in another hiking photograph standing on the left beside my great grandfather, the gentleman with the impressive mustache. My grandmother isn't in this photo so maybe this was a chance for my great grandfather to test out the future son-in-law.

My grandfather was born in 1895 in Temes-Sagh, Temes, Roumania. How they met I have no idea but I assume that my grandfather moved to Budapest for work

Before she got married my grandmother trained as a seamstress though I don't know how long she worked at it. But I do remember her showing me some extremely delicate lace work she had done and she could do incredibly intricate crocheting work. She used to make dolls dresses this way.

Grace middle row, first on left

My grandfather trained as a barber and this would remain his profession the rest of his life. I remember him as always very dapper even when he was working in his garden.

Finally in 1917 the big day arrived and Matei Hasz, aged 32 married Gizela Barabas aged 28. They ended up in Brasov, Roumania where their first child, Margareta was born in 1925. My mother, Emilia followed in 1927 after they had moved to Satulung, Roumania. Two years later in April 1929 my grandfather arrived in Halifax on the RMS Carinthia followed in December on the SS Thuringia by my grandmother and her two daughters. I can't imagine what it must have been like to make the decision to up route yourself and move to a new country with two young daughters, not speaking the language but their courage saved the family from the impending war which I suspect they might not have survived.

Eventually they settled in Hamilton Ontario where they opened a barbershop / hairdressing salon. Somewhere along the line my grandmother became a hairdresser, who knew?

On one side of the shop was my grandfather and the barber's chair. On the other was my grandmother and the ladies hair salon. I wonder who made more money? Both my mother and my aunt worked in the salon though I don't think either enjoyed it very much.

At one point my grandmother ran a little still in the basement, (for personal medicinal use only). My mother was supposed to be watching it in case it boiled over but kids being kids something happened and black smoke started billowing out the door. The firemen came and while my grandmother sweated bricks fearful that they would see what it was and call the cops nothing happened. My mother apparently wasn't so lucky and once they left she had to face my grandmother's wrath.

The war was spent in Hamilton where my mother met and eventually married my father a Merchant Seaman. I think my aunt also got married around this time.

Sometime around 1947 my grandparents moved to Vancouver. Living first on MacDonald Street in Kitsilano then moving to a house in Dunbar. My grandfather worked in a barbershop and in 1954 my grandmother started as a baker at the University of British Columbia. As far as I know she had no professional training but maybe in those days willingness was more important than credentials. For over twenty years she worked the night shift baking for UBC where she introduced the iconic cinnamon bun to the staff and students which became an instant hit. Ninety-five cents bought a coffee and a cinnamon bun that was big enough to keep a person going till lunch. She made up to 120 dozen per day and this was before they had all the modern equipment. I remember when she was about sixty she said she could still move a 100 pound bag of flour across the bakery faster than the younger girls. She was very proud of that. When I was about twelve or thirteen she told me a story that she had gotten in trouble from one of the dietitians who had discovered that she was dividing the required amount of eggs in half and for the second half using only egg yolks thus using many more eggs than was budgeted for. Needless to say the cinnamon buns tasted better for it but I guess cost won out. Once she retired she would bring over a dozen cinnamon buns every couple of weeks. Wrapped in tin foil I had them fresh, warmed in the oven and cut in half, toasted with a bit of butter. I like many others have never forgotten what it's like to bite into one. She was a fantastic Grandmother whose only rules were if you were within 100 miles of Vancouver you showed up to her place for Christmas and you'd better eat everything that she put in front of you.

Christmas was her favorite time of year

Thank you for the memories

Perfect Cinnamon Bun Recipe

2011-12-03T17:32:00.001-08:00

Have you ever sat down to a pastry and had it just melt in your mouth? Well my fifth attempt at recreating my Grandmothers UBC Cinnamon Buns will do that. I've finally got everything worked out exactly as I remember it, sitting in her kitchen smelling the incredible aroma of cinnamon and unwinding the first layer of buttery goodness.

Here's the final recipe for a "true" UBC cinnamon bun as Grace Hasz used to make them.
I increased the amounts to fill a 9" square pan.

Recipe

Dough:
1 1/2 pkg active dry yeast (12 grams or 3 1/4 teaspoons) (mixed with 3/4 tsp sugar in a tich more than 1/8 cup warm water)

3/4 cup whole milk scalded
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar - brown Demerara
3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs mixed together
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour (I'm using Anita's organic All Purpose flour)

Filling:

6 tbs sugar - brown Demerara

6 tbs ground cinnamon

2.5 tbs unsalted butter melted

Glaze: (this goes in the bottom of the pan)

5 tbs brown (demerrara) sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 tbs melted unsalted butter

Glaze for top of buns once risen:

1tsp sugar white sprinkled on top

Directions:

Dissolve 3/4tsp sugar in the warm water and stir in yeast. Let sit until foamy app 10 min.

Scald the milk ( I used a candy thermometer 175 degrees F) stir in butter, sugar and salt then let cool to luke warm

In a large bowl beat eggs, add to milk mixture, stir in foamed yeast. Add 1 3/4 cup flour and beat well for 10 minutes. ( I did this by hand using a wooden spoon as it's such a small amount).

Slowly add the rest of the flour continuously. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface then knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a well greased bowl, I used a little safflower oil, cover with some plastic wrap and a damp cloth then let rise in a warm place for app 1 hour or double in size.

Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar slowly over low heat, making sure it doesn't burn. Once melted add the 6tbs butter and blend together. Finally add the 1tsp cinnamon, stir and pour into bottom of baking pan. I used a 9 inch square pan with 2 inch sides.

Prepare filling, sugar and cinnamon only, melt the 2.5tbs butter separately.

As before roll out the dough. Make sure to roll it out a lot, app 18 x 24".

Brush dough with butter, sprinkle with filling than roll up starting with the 18" side. this ensures you get many thin layers. As I rolled I brushed the top of the roll with a bit of the remaining melted butter. Finally, cut the roll into 9 equal pieces and arrange cut side up in the pan with the glaze.

Let rise an hour, you can brush with egg yolk, but it doesn't really need it, then dust with a bit of white sugar and bake in 375 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

Once done turn pan upside down on plate or tray, I used parchment paper on a flat baking tray. Let cool while you make a espresso or cappuccino then sit down, close your eyes and think of my grandmother.

Enjoy

If you try these and like them I'd appreciate hearing from you. Please write a comment on this blog. Just click on the word comment below.
Thanks Eric

Cinnamon Bun recipe #4 - almost there

2011-11-12T17:22:00.001-08:00

Today it was raining solidly so I decided it's a good time to do some baking. I've been looking at a few more cinnamon bun recipes and trying to work out what i need to change to get it right. Well I came up with a couple of alterations to the last recipe that I hoped would do the trick. Here's the result, changes in red.

Recipe:
1 pkg active dry yeast (8grams or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
(mixed with 1/2 tsp sugar in 1/8 cup warm water) I cut down on the sugar and the water.

1/2 cup whole milk scalded (actually, I screwed this up and used a whole cup of milk)
1/4 cup plus 1 tbs unsalted butter ( the 1tbs is saved to spread on the rolled out dough)

1/4 cup sugar - brown Demerara
1/2 tsp salt - last time I used 1 tsp

2 large eggs mixed I left out the extra yolk

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I'm using Anita's organic All Purpose flour) I originally used only 2 1/4 cups but because I accidentally used extra milk I had to add about one cup so it worked out the same in the end.

Filling:

4 tbs sugar - brown Demerara

4 tbs ground cinnamon I increased this from last time because i rolled out the dough more.

1 tbs unsalted butter melted (see above)

Glaze: (this goes in the bottom of the pan)

6 tbs brown (demerrara) sugar I increased the sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon I decreased the cinnamon

6 tbs melted unsalted butter I increased the butter

Glaze for top of buns once risen:
1 egg yolk brushed on the buns once they have risen
1tsp sugar white sprinkled on top

Directions:

Dissolve 1tsp sugar in the warm water and stir in yeast. Let sit until foamy app 10 min.

Scald the milk ( I used a candy thermometer 175 degrees F) stir in butter, sugar and salt then let cool to luke warm

In a large bowl beat eggs, add to milk mixture, stir in foamed yeast. Add 1 1/2 cup flour and beat well for 10 minutes. ( I did this by hand using a wooden spoon as it's such a small amount). This is hard if you're doing it by hand but it does seem to make the dough more elastic.

Slowly add the rest of the flour continuously. As I added to much milk I had to keep adding flour while kneading. I figured I added at least a1/2 cup. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface then knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a well greased bowl, I used a little safflower oil, cover with some plastic wrap and a damp cloth then let rise in a warm place for app 1 hour or double in size.

Prepare the glaze by melting the butter than adding the sugar and cinnamon. Make sure the sugar is melted then pour into the pan. This time I used a 9 inch square pan with 2 inch sides.

Prepare filling, sugar and cinnamon only, melt butter separately.

As before roll out the dough. I made sure to roll it out a lot more than last time as i wanted more layers. Once rolled out it measured app 16 x 20".

Brush dough with butter, sprinkle with filling than roll up starting with the long side. As I rolled I brushed the top of the roll with a bit of the remaining melted butter. Finally, cut the roll into 9 equal pieces and arrange cut side up in the pan with the glaze.

Let rise an hour, brush with egg yolk, dust with sugar than bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Once baked turn upside down on serving plate so the glaze runs down the sides.

This worked out the best yet. The closest to my grandmother's cinnamon buns. The glaze was almost right on, perhaps a tich to much sugar. The buns were well risen and the texture was nice and chewey. I realized that I need to increase the amounts as the 9" square pan is a bit bigger than the others so the buns didn't quite fill it. However that's easy to do.

I'm very pleased with the results.

Brioche recipe, just for a break

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

I decided I need to step back and try something else for a change of pace from cinnamon buns. So I decided on another yeast bread recipe, this time a brioche from Rose Bertrand's "The Pie And Pastry Bible".

It turns out a lot of people use a brioche dough for their cinnamon buns so I thought I'd give it a try.

The recipe suggests making this over two days. The first to get the dough together then you let it rise in the fridge over night.

I cut in half as I don't need 16 brioches sitting on the kitchen counter waiting to be eaten with homemade apricot jam. Hmmm.. maybe I do?

Recipe:

Warm Water 1 1/4 tbs

Sugar 1/2 tsp

Active Dry Yeast 3/4 tsp

Flour - All Purpose Unbleached 1 1/2 cup divided

Eggs, 2 Large mixed and divided

Sugar 1 1/2 tbs

Salt 1/4 tsp

Butter Un-salted 4 tbs

Glaze:

egg 1/4 yolk ( this is a bit fussy so I'm using some of the egg from earlier)

Milk 1/2 tsp

First part:

Mix yeast with 1/2 tsp sugar and the warm water, let rise for 10 minutes until foamy

Sponge:

In a separate bowl mix one egg with 1/4 cup of the flour, whisk till smooth. Add yeast mixture whisk again until smooth. Sprinkle the remaining flour on top. DO NOT MIX. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Dough:

In a small bowl whisk together remaining sugar, salt add 1/2 of the remaining egg mixture and the sponge. Beat for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth,shiny and very elastic. Add butter by the tablespoon, continue beating until it is incorporated.

First Rise:

Scrape the dough into a lightly buttered bowl sprinkle with flour to prevent a crust from forming, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until double in size, app 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Refrigerate for one hour then gently deflate the dough and refrigerate for another hour. This makes it less sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press into a rectangle, fold into thirds and press out again into a rectangle, fold into thirds again then wrap it loosely in plastic wrap place in a large plastic bag and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight - up to two days. This allows the dough to ripen and become firm.

Form the Brioche:

Gently knead the dough to deflate it. Divide into 8 pieces. I decided not to make a traditional brioche shape as i didn't have the correct brioche baking cups. Instead i'm using a muffin tin. I'll still add the top knot for fun.

Break off less than 1/4 of each piece and roll into a pear shape. Roll the larger piece into a ball then push it into the greased muffin tin. Push your finger into the center almost to the bottom then push the small piece into the hole pointy end first.

Cover with a greased parchenet paper or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough rises to the top of the muffin tin.

Not quite how the picture in the book looked

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F for thirty minutes with a baking stone on the bottom rack.

Lightly beat the 1/2 remaining egg with the milk abd brush over the tops of the brioches. Allow the glaze to dry for 15 minutes then brush with glaze again. Using a greased knife cut around the top knot so it can rise up.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes then allow to cool slightly on a rack.

Just add a cup of espresso

Cinnamon memories

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you went to the University of British Columbia from 1954 to around 1970 you probably remember the original UBC cinnamon buns. If so do you have any memories you'd like to share? Maybe you had one on a first date, or celebrated the day you finished your thesis with a coffee and a cinnamon bun. Actually you probably celebrated with beer but you never know. Anyway I'd love to hear them. Please use the comment box below to share them with our readers.

Thanks

Cinnamon Bun Recipe #3 - the calories continue

2011-11-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

For my third baking attempt I have made a few alterations. The first was to the dough. Last time it wasn't bad but it still lacked the eggy taste and elastic texture I remember so this time added an additional egg yolk. I remember my grandmother saying she used to add extra egg yolks until she got into trouble from the UBC dietitian. So one more egg yolk. I also added an extra tablespoon of butter for a total of 5 tbs as the dough was a little dry.

The filling and the brown sugar/cinnamon mix for the bottom

For the filling I increased the sugar by one tablespoon as the buns are a tich bitter since I'm using Saigon cinnamon. The cinnamon stays the same as does the butter. Finally the glaze on the bottom was quite dry last time so I'm increasing the brown sugar to 5 TBS, decreasing the cinnamon to 1 tbs and adding an additional tbs of butter. You can never have enough butter.

Recipe:
1 pkg active dry yeast (8grams or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
(mixed with 1 tsp sugar in 1/4 cup warm water)

1/2 cup whole milk scalded
1/4 cup plus 1 tbs unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

2 large eggs plus one egg yolk, mixed

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I'm using Anita's organic All Purpose flour)

Filling:

4 tbs sugar

2 1/2 tbs ground cinnamon

1 tbs unsalted butter melted

Glaze: (this goes in the bottom of the pan)

5 tbs brown (demerrara) sugar

1 tbs ground cinnamon

1/8 cup melted unsalted butter (or 2 tbs)

Glaze for top of buns once risen:
1 tbs butter melted and brushed on the buns once they have risen
1/2 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs sugar

Directions:

Dissolve 1tsp sugar in the warm water and stir in yeast. Let sit until foamy app 10 min.

Scald the milk ( I used a candy thermometer 175 degrees F) stir in butter, sugar and salt then let cool to luke warm

Prepare filling, sugar and cinnamon only, melt butter separately.

Once doubled punch down dough and roll out on floured surface into a rectangle app 12 X 18". The dough should be rolled out very thin as it will puff up. My grandmothers buns had many layers and all were very thin. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Roll up into a jelly roll, starting from the long side, pinch seam to seal. Cut into 2 inch slices. Spread glaze into the bottom of a cake pan. This time I used a 10" round cheese cake pan that allows you to remove the side once baked. This should let the buns rise higher and straighter. Because of the gaps I used a large round of parchment paper inside to hold the melted butter and sugar glaze.

Arrange slices cut side down in a circular pattern barely touching each other. Cover with waxed paper and let rise in a warm place for app 1 hour or doubled in size.

Placed in the pan on top of the glaze

After reading a couple of books on baking I have put a baking stone on the very bottom rack in the oven. This is supposed to help even out the temperature in the oven and also put more heat on the bottom which should allow the buns to rise more. I'm also put a pan of boiling water into the oven for 15 minutes which should increase the humidity again helping the dough to rise.

After rising in the pan I brushed with butter and sprinkled w/ sugar/cinnamon before putting them in the oven

Out of the oven and looking good.

It's so rewarding having the house fill with the smell of cinnamon and knowing coffee time is only minutes away.

The verdict for Recipe #3 is:

The dough was a little too moist and sticky in both rises. I probably should have added another 1/4 cup flour. Once baked it's also too light and fluffy. The air pockets are too big. Not sure why this is. Even though I used the same amount of cinnamon in the filling as last time it didn't taste as strong, perhaps the extra sugar or the increase in size in rising.

Also I need to roll the dough out wider. I'm not getting enough layers so rather than going for a rectangle i'll roll it out square or roll up the buns starting with the short side.

Finally, the bottom glaze still did not melt and solidify. It has been suggested that I don't melt the butter but do it as a smear. So I'll try again next weekend after I go to the gym to wear off all the extra butter.

Cinnamon Bun Recipe #2

2011-11-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

Second try. This time decided to try the recipe that is posted on the UBC Alumni Affairs site though with a few alterations. Also am cutting the amounts by 1/4 as I don't want to have to eat my way through eighteen buns if they're not up to scratch.

The ingredients for the dough:

1 pkg active dry yeast (mixed with 1 tsp sugar in 1/4 cup warm water)

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I'm using Anita's organic All Purpose flour)

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Filling:

3 tbs sugar

2 1/2 tbs ground cinnamon

1 tbs unsalted butter

Glaze: (this goes in the bottom of the pan)

3 tbs brown (demerrara) sugar

2 1/2 tbs ground cinnamon

1/8 cup melted unsalted butter

Directions:

Scald the milk ( I used a candy thermometer 175 degrees F) stir in butter, sugar and salt then let cool to luke warm

Dissolve 1tsp sugar in the warm water and stir in yeast. Let sit until foamy app 10 min.

In a large bowl beat eggs, add milk mixture, stir in foamed yeast. Add 1 cup flour and beat well for 5 minutes. ( I did this by hand using a wooden spoon as it's such a small amount) slowly add the rest of the flour continuously beating for another five minutes. This produced a much softer dough than the first method I tried in recipe #1.

Turn dough out onto a well floured surface then knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a well greased bowl, I used a little safflower oil, cover with a damp cloth then let rise in a warm place for app 1 hour or double in size.

Prepare filling, sugar and cinnamon only, melt butter separately.

Once doubled punch down dough and roll out on floured surface into a rectangle app 12 X 18". I discovered that you want this quite thin as it will puff up. brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Ready to rise

Roll up into a jelly roll, starting from the long side, pinch seam to seal. Cut into 2 inch slices. Spread glaze into the bottom of a cake pan. I used a 10" round pan with 2" sides. Arrange slices cut side down in a circular pattern barely touching each other. Cover with waxed paper and let rise in a warm place for app 1 hour or doubled in size.

Doubled up nicely, I brushed them with the remaining melted butter

Love that smell

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove and invert onto plate. Have coffee ready.

The glaze on the bottom was a little dry, more butter needed

The Verdict:

The dough was a lot better this time. Lighter and softer but still didn't have the smooth eggy flavour I remember. Next time I'll try adding one more egg.

The filling was much nicer, could still use a tich more sugar, maybe one more tablespoon.

The glaze was a bit of a disappointment. My grandmothers buns were covered in an almost translucent hard glaze that dripped down the sides. I suspect she used more butter and sugar. Next time.... God the calories are going to kill me.

cinnamon bun recipe #1

2011-11-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

To get started on my journey of recreating my grandmothers recipe for cinnamon buns I needed a basic yeast bread dough. I figured that starting with someone else's I could adjust it to try to match the taste of hers which were light, but had some stretchy body and a buttery flavour. I started with a recipe I found in a Williams-Sonoma book "Essentials of Baking".

This called for:

Dough

2 pkg of active dry yeast

1 cup whole milk heated to 105-115f

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

5 1/2 cups all purpose flour

(mace and orange zest but I left this out)

Filling

6 tbs sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon. (this was a ridiculously small amount for 18 buns)

I used 5tbs cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter melted for brushing

1 large egg beaten to brush on top.

This recipe called for mixing the yeast in the milk but I found that it didn't foam well even after adding 1tsp sugar. Also it called for adding all the ingredients together and mixing them up with a spoon until it formed a dough then kneading until elastic for 5-7 min.

After oiling the dough and letting rise in a bowl until double app 2 hours I punched it down and divided into half. I rolled out the dough to app a 10 x 16 inch rectangle and brushed with the melted butter and sprinkled half the filling onto it. I rolled up the rectangle into a log starting on the long edge then cut 2" pieces. Repeat with second piece of dough. After placing them cut side up in a pan, just barely touching each other I let them rest again for just under an hour. Then I brushed the tops with the egg mixture and baked them in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes as called for.

The smell while baking is incredible and they came out looking not bad.

The verdict:

The temperature was a little high. I checked my oven with a thermometer and it was 400 degrees but the buns were a little dry and overdone. The dough was a little tough, (maybe because of the way it was all mixed together at once). Next time I'll lower the temperature.

The amount of cinnamon that I used was right on but because I was using a high grade Saigon cinnamon they tasted a bit hot. Also for that much cinnamon I should have used more sugar. The other thing was my grandmothers cinnamon buns always had a thick sugary almost candy coating on the bottoms which when you flip them becomes the top. I realized that you also need to put a sugar/cinnamon/butter filling on the bottom of the pan. Next time...

In search of the real UBC Cinnamon Bun and the story behind their creation.

2011-10-26T14:31:00.001-07:00

I have started this blog to set the record straight about the iconic UBC Cinnamon Bun and to tell the story of Grace Hasz, the baker who made the first cinnamon buns sometime in 1954 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

A tall order but I have a vested interest and a special edge. You see Grace Hasz was my grandmother and I grew up eating her cinnamon buns.

Taken in 1966, Granny whipping up something fantastic in our kitchen

Amongst my fondest and strongest memories of childhood is the smell of cinnamon that wafted in the room whenever she came over. She passed away when I was twenty-four but to this day the smell of cinnamon conjures up her image trundling through our front door laden with shopping bags filled with food and baked goods and always on the top was a tin foil package that contained a little piece of heaven. Whenever I mention to people that one of my favorite spices is cinnamon and how I love cinnamon buns people start to reminisce about their student days at UBC and the cinnamon buns that they still remember fondly. If you went to university in Vancouver from 1954 to 1970 or so you know what I mean. If you went after I'm afraid you never had a true cinnamon bun because nobody ever used her recipe after she left. The recipe that was published in the SUN paper or by UBC is not the one she used. There just isn't nearly enough cinnamon. They call for only 2 tbs of cinnamon for 18 buns when you need at least 9 tbs for that much dough. The buns should be almost black from the cinnamon, the smell overpowering.

In fact her original recipe doesn't exist, it was never written down. She kept it all in her head. Year after year, she baked up to 120 dozen cinnamon buns per day five days per week but she did it all from memory. Once I asked her for the recipe and she just laughed, she said "it's a 100 pounds of flour, dozens of eggs, many pounds of butter, sugar and cinnamon, I don't know how to break it down into smaller quantities" Even after she retired and only baked them for the family the recipe was never written down she just made them instinctively.

Over the years and in many cities around the world I have searched for a bakery that made similar cinnamon buns and only once have I come close. In Vancouver we have a bakery called Solley's that is the closest to my grandmothers cinnamon buns. Unfortunately they seem to use an oil instead of butter, but they are still the closest.

So as I have some time on my hands I have decided to try to recreate her recipe and I will write about my trials and tribulations in this blog. Eventually I hope to succeed and I will share with everybody the recipe that comes the closest. This will be a tough challenge and will entail a lot of mixing, cursing and tasting. So in order to stay fit I will also be going to the gym everyday to wear off the calories. These Cinnamon buns are not for the faint of heart. The UBC ones are estimated to be 433 calories each with 14 grams of fat and I know they pale compared to my grandmothers.

It's going to be a tough job but somebodies got to do it and it's a journey worth traveling. Let's bake.....