“Sticky cinnamon buns belong to Philadelphia as much as Independence Hall and the Twelfth Street Market. Not just any cinnamon bun, this bun of Quaker City, but a bun unique, of true cinnamon flavor, of a stickiness incarnate.

“Time was when every bake shop in the city made the buns daily, the very rich ones baked in ring pans, these for tea and eating at dinner; the less rich in square pans, these buns made bigger—a breakfast bread. Bakery buns in olden days were just about perfect. Times change and today only a few commercial bakers turn out these buns of tradition.

“There is no one recipe for this cinnamon bun because home cooks can’t agree. They argue minor matters. Which syrup for soaking? Shall it be raisins or currants, or maybe half and half? And should there be nuts? About the raisins: the only right kind is the seeded, never the seedless.

“A pilgrimage to Philadelphia in search of the bun traditional led down Race Street to the kitchen of Harriet E. Worrell, scarcely more than a stone’s throw from Ritterhouse Square. The Ogdens and the Worrells, she told us, are cinnamon-bun families from away back—meaning they like sticky buns daily, baked at least three times a week.

“Harriet’s buns are baked in a glass casserole so she can peek to gauge the right shade of brown. She tucks six buns around the outside and one in the middle. Enough syrup goes into the dish to soak half an inch up the bread. The outside fold of the bun is about a quarter of an inch thick, but after one unwind the layers are thin as cardboard. There is no argument whatever about when to serve sticky buns; good for any occasion.

“A birthday party isn’t a party unless sticky buns are there, light as a feather, served with Philadelphia ice cream.

“What is this Philadelphia ice cream? [See recipe in Desserts section.] It means ice cream “Simon pure,” made of the richest ingredients. This real-thing ice cream has but three ingredients in its basic recipe: cream, sugar, and a touch of vanilla bean. Fruits and other flavors can be added as you will.

“In the old days Philadelphia families were often divided about the best place to eat ice cream around town. Of all these great ice cream places, only Barrett’s remained and there it was, bar and all, in the Twelfth Street Market. Here we give you the basic recipe as it was made at Barrett’s and in Philadelphia home kitchens. Yes, ma’am, freezer-made served on the soft side, for then it’s more flavorful.”

Clementine Paddleford, How America Eats (1960)

PHILADELPHIA CINNAMON BUNS

Yield: 2 dozen buns

1¼ C milk, scalded, cooled to lukewarm
1 envelope active dry yeast dissolved in ¼ C warm, not hot, water
5 C (about) sifted flour
1½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar, plus an additional ¾ C
½ C shortening, beaten until light
2 eggs
¼ C (½ stick) butter, softened
½ C brown sugar, combined with 2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ C chopped walnuts
½ C raisins or currants
1 C corn syrup (Karo)

Combine lukewarm milk and yeast mixture, make a sponge by adding 2 C of the flour, salt, and 1 Tbsp sugar, beating until smooth, and set aside in a warm place. Whip additional ¾ sugar into whipped shortening, and add eggs 1 at a time, beating each in thoroughly. When sponge is bubbly gradually beat in sugar mixture, stir in remaining 3 C flour “or enough to make a soft dough,” cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Divide risen dough in half, roll out each portion to ¼-inch thickness, and spread evenly with softened butter. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, scatter nuts, and raisins or currants evenly over dough, dribble each with part of the corn syrup, roll up each as for jelly roll, and cut into 1½-inch lengths. Stand buns in 2 deep 9-inch pans that have been well buttered and then filled with remaining corn syrup to a depth of ¼ inch, cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 350˚. Bake buns about 45 minutes or until brown. Turn buns out of pans immediately.