The trend in donuts has been brilliant, fun pastry chefs trying to out-do themselves with crazy fillings and toppings. The antidote to that trend is Hans’ Bakery in Anoka.
I heard it was crazy there, with people lining up – so after the WCCO Noon show two weeks ago, I drove up 169 to Anoka (30 minutes from downtown Minneapolis) to see what all the fuss was about.
There was a line – that’s for sure! And this is at 1:30 in the afternoon on a weekday!
But people were so nice, so excited to have this bakery open again. It was a legend, then fell on hard times, then closed down. Kind of parallel to the life of the new owner: who was up, then down, now up again.
The Star Tribune does a nice job telling that personal story. And I thought it was so cool, I got my friend Edward Moody to go out there for WCCO This Morning last week.
My trip was to find out if the donuts were good. And they are! They’re great!
The Bee-Hive is the legendary giant cake – it reminded me of the cream puffs I would get at the Wisconsin State Fair, except with a custard filling. Hans wisely sells “Bee stings” – single servings.
They also sell these Texas Donuts – just enormous things. They’re perfect!
I love a redemption story, a come-from-behind story, and it doesn’t get much better than this small-town bakery in Anoka. A great story, with a great tasting donut. Go get it!
Hans’ Bakery
1423 5th Avenue
Anoka, Minnesota 55303-2742
Phone: 763-421-4200
http://www.hans-bakery.com/