The Story of Our Cinnamon Buns
I have been making the cinnamon buns that are now known as “Awn's Cinnamon Buns,” for more than a decade. Growing up my dad talked about the story of the Tuck Shop cinnamon buns from the University of Alberta. Although the Tuck Shop was gone when he was a university student, when he was a young child growing up in Garneau he remembers going tobogganing and heading to the Tuck Shop for hot cocoa (not the cinnamon buns though!). It seems the famous cinnamon buns came and went through the years, and lots of Edmontonians have different memories of these buns. By the time he was in university the cinnamon buns were made and enjoyed in the Central Academic Building and said to sell out so quickly with an eager line of students waiting as the buns came out of the oven.
When I was in university, I remember attending a play for a course on campus with my dad during alumni week and him sharing these stories (as there were big stickers on the concrete saying “Alumni Week” with a picture of the tuck shop buns). That weekend, I found the recipe online through the New Trail magazine and made the buns in a very different method to how we make them at Awn. The original recipe called for margarine (gasp! - an ingredient I didn't grow up eating, and now definitely encourage folks to stay away from) - I used butter, and the method of boiling water to melt the butter just didn't make sense to me, but I did it anyway. The recipe calls for a huge amount of yeast and sugar too - a quick bread really. The method was all around a bit cumbersome. At the time I didn't know anything about dough I hadn't yet been to culinary school…. I made them to the method using my mum's hand mixer which the dough managed to crawl up the beaters at a pace I couldn't quite stop and into the machine - needless to say, the machine was toast! They over rose in the oven, leaving a mighty mess to clean up. I think back on it and it's a wonder I went back and gave it another go, the second time around they were perfection, quickly becoming a family favourite. While my brother was training with Edmonton Fire Rescue Service, he would frequently call requesting a tray of the buns, he still requests them now to take to his hall. My nephew can hoover a cinnamon bun (that for a long while were bigger than his face) faster than you can say Awn Cinnamon Bun - and my other brother always has a stash frozen in to thaw and enjoy with a morning coffee.
Over the years I have worked to tweak and adapt the recipe to new knowledge and skill, reducing the sugar and yeast, and completely re-writing the method, all while keeping the same delicious flavour and texture. So, although the Awn cinnamon buns are inspired from the Tuck Shop cinnamon buns, they're quite different. To me it's one of the most amazing things about recipes - the stories and ways that recipes travel and change - and so many things can impact the way a recipe changes. In this case my goal was to make a slower bread with less yeast and sugar (while still having that sweet bread flavour), and for the method to resemble the method of other doughs I teach. I wanted it to be attainable for the team to create within our schedule, and for students too. I never stray from sharing the original story of where a recipe comes from even if I've completely re-written it, because the inspiration and story add so much value.
Although they were a family favourite, when I opened Awn - I always imagined having more than one cinnamon bun in our repertoire, a rotation of cinnamon buns of sorts. We started with these buns, and they quickly became a favourite (even being voted in the Tomato Top 100 last year), and I haven't looked back. I don't think we'll ever have a different bun on the menu! On the note of the Tomato Top 100, a shameless plug - voting is open for 2023, have you had something at Awn that you enjoy, and thing is worthy of the title of best things to eat or drink in Edmonton? Nominate us here!
They're tricky to make, but also so satisfying. The dough is quite high in hydration, meaning it's a sticky and wet dough - it can be overwhelming to think how you'll get such a dough into a knotted bun - I'll share a hint with you, once the dough has been dipped in butter and your fingers have a coating of butter - the dough becomes much easier to work with. It's the perfect dough to learn that if you're confident and purposeful with your movements, the dough doesn't need to win the battle that can sometimes feel on the table - you against this wet dough.
Our cinnamon buns are made in house each day - they take over 20 minutes to knead in a stand mixer, we let the dough rest, catching it before it oozes out of the bowl, turning it onto the counter and dividing it into pieces. It's then dipped in butter, tossed in cinnamon and sugar, stretched, knotted, and popped into a baking tray. The buns prove before going into the oven. We often get asked why our buns aren't out earlier in the morning. A great question. I've always had the mindset that asking my team to come into work at a “baking” hour isn't fair - our first kitchen shift starts at 6am and the buns come out around 9:30 - without having someone come in an hour and a half earlier (4:30am!), we can't make a consistent bun for you - and that's our top priority… While having happy staff!
They are sweet, but not too sweet, they taste of good butter, and the texture of the dough is light and flavourful. My favourite way to eat our cinnamon buns? About thirty minutes after they come out of the oven (that's around 10am at Awn!), with some cultured butter and a cup of tea. Perfection!
And guess what - you can learn to make them! On our next schedule I have added a new class - Awn's Favourites Sweets where you'll learn to make the recipes from our café that we get asked about all the time. Our cinnamon buns, sausage rolls, lentil rolls, brownies, oat bars and more! Sign up here!