The Cult of the Khara Bun: How the Iyengar Bakery Built an Empire on Trust and Sugar
The Cult of the Khara Bun: How the Iyengar Bakery Built an Empire on Trust and Sugar The Cult of the Khara Bun: How the Iyengar Bakery Built an Empire on Trust and Sugar By Shashi Bellamkonda | January 8, 2026 You smell an Iyengar bakery before you see it. It is a specific, aggressive aroma: a collision of yeast, caramelized sugar, and the sharp, savory hit of curry leaves baking into dough. It’s the smell of 4:00 PM in Bangalore, a sensory alarm clock that tells an entire city it is time for tea. Walking into one of these establishments—often barely larger than a walk-in closet—feels like stepping out of the chaotic Indian street and into a temple of orderly carbs. The layout is always the same: glass counters smudged with fingerprints, stacks of golden-brown "puffs," and loaves of white bread wrapped in wax paper that crinkles like old parchment. There is no menu board, just a man behind the counter who knows what you want before ...
