Quest for the City Bakeries Coffee Bun Recipe (CBCBR).....

[Tusker]

Lo, these many years I've wandered through the wilderness, searching high, low, in ablow the bed, behind the sideboard, under the budgie's cage, and I even had a quick shuftie in the midden a time or two. Let me explain.......

As a small child in Springburn, my Mammy used to take me with her when she was doing her grocery shopping..... Now we're talking about the 1950's, here....Occasionally she'd stop into the City Bakeries shop which was on Springburn Rd, almost opposite Kay St , where the freezing cauld Swimming Baths were. (I discovered the freezing cauld part for myself, a few years later, as an adolescent -- but I digress.) As I recall, The yellow-tiled exterior of the City Bakeries was on the left hand side of a wee laneway that ran at right angles to Springburn Rd, opposite the swing park which was on the same side of Springburn Rd as the freezing cauld Swimming Baths on Kay St. (Oh, right. I already told you that, didn't I?)

On the other side of the City Bakeries laneway used to be a Bike shop -- I can't remember if it was a Halford's or an independent.....well, that's not important, but I *can* remember going there to buy my bicycle tire repair kits in later years. They came in long, narrow, hinged tin boxes, and had a wee tube o' rubber cement, a wee bent bit of chromed tin which looked something like a mini carrot grater (to roughen up the area of the inner tube where the patch was to be applied) and a variety of patches. I was always spending my pocket money buying them, because I seemed to get an awful lot of punctures. But I'd use the repair kit once, then I'd either lose it, or my pals would find out I had one, so we'd sit at the edge o' the kerb, repairing punctures until we ran out o' cement, or somebody accidentally knocked the wee tin box and it's remaining contents down a nearby stank (sewer drain cover) or stood on the wee tube o' glue -- which someone else had carelessly left lying around rather than putting it back in its wee tin box wi' its patchy pals.....But where was I?? Oh aye, City Bakeries Coffee Buns......

Anyway, sometimes my Mammy would buy some "teabreid" as a wee treat if we were about to be involved in that important social event known in Glasgow as "havin' visitors". It didn't take me long to discover that when we got home, my wee sister invariably got her pick of the sticky buns first. Now I'm as gallant as the next gentleman but EVERY time? C'mon! Gimme a brekk! I mean am I being inconsiderate in raising a question about favouritism here?

See, the thing is, she'd ALWAYS pick the one I had my eye on. I SWEAR she was psychic. If I even THOUGHT about the Paris Bun -- WHAM it was gone. Rock cake? Meringue? Fern cake? Eiffel tower? Same thing. It was positively uncanny!

But one day, my Uncle Nat visited and over a cuppa and some cakes he'd brought, happened to mention that his favourite cake was the "fly cemetery" (raisin square). I of course asked why it was called a fly cemetery, and he explained with that twinkle in his eye, that the baker caught flies and pulled the wings off them before baking them into the wee flat sugar-coated squares. My wee sister turned bright green, suddenly lost her appetite, and my love of fly cemeteries was born.

Shortly afterwards, I discovered that she didn't like the taste of coffee. Coffee Buns (or were they coffee biscuits?) moved up to near the top of my list. So when my opinion was asked regarding the infrequent purchase of cakes when a "visitor" was coming..........(Naw, naw! Wait! I'm nearly finished, honest!).....

I'm not a fickle man, so my love affair with coffee buns continued for many years -- until I moved to Canada, and City Bakeries shut down. I blame myself. I really do. If only I'd bought a few more fly cemeteries and coffee buns\biscuits when I had the chance......

I can purchase fly cemeteries with ease at any Scottish bakery, and in one particular visit to such an establishment, had the delightful experience of answering a Canadian ladies enquiry as to why I'd asked for fly cemeteries and the clerk had known exactly what I wanted. What were fly cemetries and why were they called that, the lady wanted to know? Oh, Deja Vu, I thought to myself, as I thoughtfully provided my Uncle Nat's explanation, and delightedly watched her undergo the same reaction as my wee sister all those years before. Fortunately, the lady had already made her purchases, but I left whistling the tune "Memories Are Made of This".

NOW, the point of this whole discourse is.....I'd love to find the recipe the City Bakeries used for its Coffee Buns\Biscuits. Over the years, I've had a couple of friends who were Scottish bakers - but either they didn't know what I was talking about, or they offered a recipe which produced a pale insipid imitation of the glorious confection produced by City Bakeries. I've asked in every Scottish Baker's I've ever visited -- but I think the word has got oot and there's a conspiracy to keep me and the City Bakeries Coffee Bun\Biscuit apart forever.

So this is an appeal to all and sundry (and even satrudry if he can help!) If you have the City Bakeries Coffee Bun\Biscuit Recipe (CBCBR), know where I can find it, or have a relly who might be able to point me in the right direction, and can bring my quest to a satisfactory conclusion, I'd be extremely grateful.....Thank you!

For those who must ask, my favourite colour's blue, and it's an African Swallow......

[WilmaM]

I don't know if this is what you are looking for or not, we may all end up with a fair collection of varied coffee bun recipes =D> yum!

This one was passed down through the family from my mum's Aunt, the funny thing is no matter which one of us makes it - they all end up different!

Coffee Buns
2 ounce Sugar
3 oz Margarine
1 tablespoon golden syrup
7 ounce Self Raising Flour
1 egg
half a teaspoonful of each of the following:
ginger, cinamon, mixed spice, bicabonate of soda, cream of tartar


cream marg and Sugar
Add melted syrup + beaten egg
Add dry Ingredients

Mix with a knife then roll into small balls

place on a greased tin

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for approx. 10 mins

[Tusker]

I'll have to give that a try WilmaM, thanks. However, as the CB Coffee Bun Afficionado Supreme, my initial assessment is that this recipe would produce a light-colored coffee soft bun\biscuit. Am I right?

The object of my affection, the sacred CB coffee bun, was a reddish-brown coloured, domed confection roughly 3"- 4" in diamer and 1/2" high at the centre, unlike the Paris bun which is soft, and has a golden yellow colour and fairly steeply-sloping sides rising towards a peak at the centre.

Although larger than an oatmeal cookie, and considerably darker in colour, the CB Coffee Bun had a similar texture and granularity, and would break if dropped on the floor.

I'll certainly give your recipe a try, though!....

[WilmaM]

As I said - each person's effort turns out differently - so perhaps your may miraculously meet your requirement

Mine did indeed turn out quite soft,
but the Aunt it came from - hers were much different
and any of my sisters effort would have broken your teeth s

her step sons in fact live in Toronto- perhaps if they get a whiff of these baking they will follow their noses.

MMMMMMMMM I think I should follow your example and make a batch!

[WilmaM]

I hauled out the mixing bowl tonight [ my bairns thought mummy was ill s ] and whipped up a batch of Auntie Hannah's coffee buns.

They scoffed them

I thought mine were as hard as bircks but they were soft inside so even the wobbly teeth managed .

Anyone else got a different version?

[Tusker]

Anyone else got a different version?

....I think the Bairn an' the former Keelie are the only wans aboot, Wilma!

[WilmaM]

Anyone else got a different version?

....I think the Bairn an' the former Keelie are the only wans aboot, Wilma!

Just twa Keelies Tusker ... I'm a Glesga transplant

[Tusker]

....I think the Bairn an' the former Keelie are the only wans aboot, Wilma!

Just twa Keelies Tusker ... I'm a Glesga transplant

Aw, aye? So you emigrated tae?

[Rachel]

tusker and wilma oh I do remember the teabreid. we got ours from the CB in Parliamentary road, only remember them as 'coffee buns' and paris buns and the fly cemeteries were my sisters' favourite, my favourite
was the snowball. I can't add anything to the recipe shown by Wilma but will try her recipe and perhaps experiment. Did the co-op also do a fine selection of teabreid. I recall an aunt of mine when she invited the family to afternoon tea her favourite saying was "eat up, the mer ye eat the bigger the dividend"
rachel

[Tusker]

:I recall an aunt of mine when she invited the family to afternoon tea her favourite saying was "eat up, the mer ye eat the bigger the dividend"
rachel

Rachel -- Just reading that last line, I was amazed to realise that today I can still recall my Mammy's "Divi number" from about 50 years ago. It was 22625. Talk about a blast from the past......