Their breads have an unmistakable flavour and the biscuits, buns, cakes and sweets, all have a distinct taste about them. Though there are several Iyengar bakeries around, it’s virtually next to impossible to fake the taste of a genuine Hassan Iyengar Bakery.

The S V Iyengar Bakery on Hennur Cross is one such real McCoys from Hassan in the City. It opens shop as early as six in the morning. The dough is readied, the ingredients for cakes and sweets are prepared afresh everyday. Here the puff takes different forms, the bread too comes in different flavours and the cakes sans fresh cream are fresh through the day. By seven in the evening, most racks are empty.

This bakery was started by M L Ranganath about 20 years ago. What was started in a small way has grown to become the most popular outlet in and around  Kalyan Nagar and Hennur side. 

This place is well-known for Dilpasand, a sort of pattie that’s stuffed with coconut and jaggery fillings. The buns come in interesting varieties, stuffed with potato, capsicum and onion. Ranganath says he makes sure he adds a lot of mint and green leaves as the primary ingredient. “It doesn’t make the food heavy. It’s tasty and feels light on the stomach. We try not to make it too spicy,” he says.   

Most items are baked at the store. “Only the sweets are made and brought from home. They need to be kept fresh and they’re made by our family members,” he says.
  There are an array of biscuits as well. Ranganath says for the health freaks there are ragi bites, there are also cashew biscuits, salt and the kara ones. “We make sure we add a fair amount of sugar, butter and fruits. Care is taken to make sure one doesn’t exceed the other,” explains Ranganath.  

The bakery and its surroundings are sanitised and kept clean. The oven and the other items used for baking and cooking is cleaned, dried and kept away from dust.
    The regulars at the bakery vouch for its hygiene. There
are people who come in for a quick something in the morning and the place teems with college-goers at tea time. “I stay away from home and have most of my snacks from here. It’s served clean and is delicious,” says Sujith Rao, a student at the Indian Academy in Kalyan Nagar.
Nina C George