Stepping into the studio with the warmth of freshly baked buns in hand, Hilda Gerbrandt is no stranger to sharing good food and great stories. Gerbrandt first delighted us with her homemade Sloppy Joes back in January. Now, she's returned with a basket of warm, soft whole wheat buns, a recipe adapted from her sister-in-law, Linda Gerbrandt.
"I tasted Linda’s buns once, and I just thought they were so good," Gerbrandt shares. "Since then, I’ve adapted the recipe to be a little healthier by adding whole wheat flour, but you can still make them with just white flour if you prefer."
When she brought in her Sloppy Joes last time, it wasn’t just the filling that caught attention—it was the homemade bun that held it together. "I promised you it was a simple recipe," she laughs. "If you have yeast, flour, sugar, eggs, oil, and water, you can make these buns."
A family tradition of baking
Gerbrandt's love for baking stems from childhood, deeply rooted in family tradition. Growing up in a family of eight children, she recalls her mother’s bread-making as a grand operation. "My mom didn’t bake one loaf at a time. She used a massive metal bowl with a lid, what we called a ‘Backform’ in Low German," Gerbrandt reminisces. "You see them in antique shops now, but back then, it was an everyday kitchen staple."
One of her earliest memories of bread-making is less about the recipe and more about a moment of mischief. "I walked through the kitchen one day, and my mom was on the phone, gesturing at me to do something with the rising dough. I pretended not to understand, just to see her reaction. The lid was already rising off the bowl!" she chuckles. That moment turned into a lesson when her mother later handed her a handwritten recipe and told her to give it a try.
"She said, ‘If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.’ So I did. And I kept adding and adding until it wasn’t sticky at all. That bread turned out to be the best door stopper I’ve ever made!" Gerbrandt jokes.
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Learning from Dad
While her mother introduced her to bread, it was her father who taught her the art of making buns. "My dad worked in a bakery after moving to Canada from Mexico, and one day, he sat me down and said, ‘Hilda, you’re going to bake buns.’ I wasn’t sure at first, but he patiently guided me step by step."
With a Braun dough machine to help mix, her father walked her through the process, explaining every step with care. "When the buns came out of the oven, I couldn’t believe it—I had made something with yeast that actually turned out! It was a proud moment."
For Gerbrandt, buns have remained a favorite because of their simplicity and convenience. "They’re individual portions, easy to freeze, and perfect for grabbing one or two whenever you need."
A special bond
It’s not often that kitchen skills are passed down from father to daughter in Mennonite culture, making Hilda’s story even more unique. "My dad was so patient with me, and I’ll always cherish that time we spent together," she reflects.
Her buns are more than just food; they’re a symbol of love, tradition, and family history. As the studio filled with the warm aroma of freshly baked bread, it’s clear—Hilda Gerbrandt’s buns are more than just a recipe; they’re a story, one she’s happy to share, one delicious bite at a time.
