Perfect pastry
In the heart of uptown Minneapolis, crowds line up around the block waiting for their turn to enter the small bakery under the yellow and black striped awning. Their goal: getting a taste of the world’s best cinnamon rolls.
Isles Bun & Coffee was crowned roll royalty late last year. Reviewers for World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls (worldsbestcinnamonrolls.com) proclaimed: “Isles’ cinnamon rolls aren’t just baked goods — they’re works of art.”
AMPI’s dairy farmer-owners and buttermakers play a central role in helping Isles bakers create culinary art each day. Dinner Bell Creamery unsalted butter is a key ingredient in their renowned cinnamon rolls.
“We thank dairy farmers for producing all of this butter to create something delicious and world famous,” manager Abby LaCroix said.
BETTER WITH BUTTER
Isles bakers — who prefer to call them cinnamon buns rather than rolls — have been using Dinner Bell Creamery butter in their recipes for about five years.
“Butter is key to the products we bake,” LaCroix said. “It adds so much flavor.”
They go through over 100 pounds of butter each day to make their classic cinnamon buns and signature Puppy Dog Tails (their take on the traditional cinnamon twist). Butter use climbs even higher around Christmas and Easter because the cinnamon buns are a holiday breakfast tradition for many families.
As an artisanal bakery, Isles sweet treats are made from scratch, formed by hand and baked in small batches all day.
“Small batches equal big flavor,” said Micheal Novotny, lead baker.
Each batch of dough makes only four pans of the big-as-your-plate cinnamon buns, six per pan. Bakers use 1 1/2 pounds of butter per batch to make the dough and cream cheese frosting.
THE REAL THING
Using real butter, never a substitute, has always figured prominently in the bakery’s success. LaCroix repeats wise words she learned from Jeff Veigel, the late co-owner of Isles Buns: “Never cheap out on the butter.”
Real butter contributes to the structure and classic softness of the celebrated Isles cinnamon bun, Novotny said. The fat provides moistness while the liquid helps hydrate and bind all the ingredients together.
Unsalted butter is used because it has a lower water content. “Excess water can interfere with gluten development,” he explained.
Besides being a chief ingredient in their classic cinnamon roll, Isles bakers use Dinner Bell Creamery butter to make their lineup of caramel sticky buns, rustic cakes, cookies, biscotti, scones and brownies.
“Whipped butter gives our cookie dough a light and fluffy consistency,” Novotny said.
BEYOND THE BUNS
Isles’ slogan “Let us sweeten your day” is about more than getting all the frosting you can eat heaped on top of your cinnamon roll. Opened in 2000, the little bakery quickly became part of many daily rituals and walks around Lake of the Isles, the bakery’s namesake less than two blocks away.
Owner Catherine Veigel is proud to operate a place of connection and community.
“This bakery is the soul of our community. Generations of families have gathered here, from children sitting at the counter watching us bake to those same children returning years later with kids of their own. It’s a tradition we’re proud to keep alive,” she said.
Isles classic cinnamon rolls are often included in important moments like weddings, baby showers, first dates, milestones and victories. The bakery offers take-and-bake pans of rolls so customers can enjoy freshly baked pastry for their home celebrations.
Come late December, another bakery will earn the honor of having the world’s best cinnamon rolls. Title or not, the bakers at Isles Bun & Coffee will be sticking to what made them beloved long before it made them famous: “We use fresh ingredients, roll them by hand and bake till the cows come home.”
SIMPLY THE BEST
The food critics at World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls say they travel thousands of miles each year in the quest for the perfect combination of cinnamon, sugar and frosting.
“Out of thousands of submissions and recommendations, a name kept surfacing—whispered by cinnamon roll aficionados, typed in glowing online reviews and celebrated by locals,” the reviewer said, explaining what prompted a visit to Isles Bun & Coffee.
In selecting the Minneapolis bakery for the honor, the reviewers said, “To earn the title of the World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls, a bakery needs to deliver something extraordinary. Isles does just that.”
Here’s what they loved:
Dough: “Soft, pillowy and slightly yeasty, the dough strikes the perfect balance between texture and flavor. Each bite practically melts in your mouth.”
Filling: “A swirl of cinnamon and brown sugar creates an irresistible flavor — sweet, warm and perfectly spiced. It’s rich but never overpowering.”
Frosting: “Here’s where Isles really shines. Their cream cheese frosting is thick, tangy and generously slathered on top of each roll. For those who can’t get enough, extra frosting is served in a to-go coffee cup.”
In summary, the reviewers declared the Isles’ pastry “a cinnamon roll that’s nothing short of transcendent.”
Bakery Basics
WHAT:
Isles Bun & Coffee
WHERE:
1424 West 28th Street, Minneapolis, MN
WHEN:
Tuesday–Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
