Best Of Minnesota: Bakery
RED WING, Minn. (WCCO) -- The hunt for Best of Minnesota: Bakery saw the biggest response from WCCO viewers in the history of the franchise.
And more than half of all the votes were for Red Wing's Hanisch Bakery.
"When people walk in, they have to stop a second, probably more than a second, and take it all in," said Bill Hanisch. "Because it's a lot.'
Don't let Hanisch's baby face fool you. This is a man who's spent more than half his life in a bakery.
"I started here when I was 15 mopping floors," he said.
About six years ago, Bill and his wife, Robyn, an accomplished cake decorator, bought the place and started stacking the racks with all sorts of goodies.
This time of year, the star of the show might be a traditional Polish dessert called a poonch-key.
"I like to say it's a Bismarck on steroids," he said.
If you're looking something that doesn't require a bib, try the maple-bacon cake doughnut.
"The cake doughnut kinda gives you that pancake-like flavor and textures," he said. "So it's just like eating pancakes and syrup, with a little bit of bacon thrown in the mix."
Hanisch's is probably best known for their cookies, which are slathered in scratch-made buttercream frosting.
"When you've got kids coming in, and you've got lots of finger prints on the glass at the end of the day, you know it's been a good day," he said.
The bakery even showcases a replica of Matt Brickman's face - complete with the mustache from Movember.
