Japanese Bread Haul - Shokupan, Melonpan, Anpan and More

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Japanese Bread Haul - Shokupan, Melonpan, Anpan and More

Japanese Bread Haul

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I have visited Japan this winter. I really love Japanese bread, which is always the one on my shopping list. You know that bread is everywhere in the world, but Japanese commercial bread is not as same as one U.S. supermarkets sell. I don't know why Japanese bread tastes so good. When I visit Japan, I always buy some there and bring them to U.S.
In Japan, I purchased 8 kinds of bread at a supermarket and drugstore. You might wonder why I purchased bread at "a drugstore". In Japan, while small drugstores have a limited selection of grocery, spacious drugstores sell a large selection of grocery with affordable prices like regular supermarkets do. I purchased some bread at Drugstore Mori (ドラッグストアモリ) located in our hometown, Fukuoka. Anyway, I'm going to share what I purchased in Japan with you. :)

Japanese Sliced Bread, Shoku Pan (食パン)

Japanese Sliced Bread

I really love Japanese sliced bread, which is called shoku pan, shokupan (食パン), in Japanese. Most Japanese sliced bread is thicker than American sliced bread. When you toast Japanese sliced bread, it's crispy outside, yet it's still fluffy inside. :) Usually, packages of Japanese sliced bread have number such as 4, 5, 6 and 8, and it indicates how many slices in the package and also means how thick the slices are. You can choose your favorite thickness of slices.

1. Pasco Choujuku 5 Slices (パスコ超熟 5枚切)
Japanese Sliced Bread
5 Slices for 158 yen at a supermarket in Japan

Pasco Choujuku 5 Slices (パスコ超熟 5枚切り)

Pasco is one of bread brands from Shikishima Seipan (敷島製パン), a bread manufacture company and was established in Nagoya, Japan in 1919. I love Pasco Chojuku! When I lived in Japan, I used to eat chojuku every morning. As you can see the photo, this contained 5 very thick slices.

2. Fujipan Honjikomi 4 Slices (フジパン本仕込 4枚切)
Japanese Sliced Bread
4 slices for 138 yen at a supermarket in Japan

Fujipan Honjikomi 4 Slices (フジパン本仕込 4枚切)

Fujipan is one of the most famous Japanese bread manufacture companies. The company started selling bread in Nagoya, Japan, in 1922. This package contained super thick 4 slices. My husband and I made this egg toast this weekend. It tasted great! You can check out its recipe in my previous entry.

Egg Toast

3. Fujipan Neo Kokuto Roll (フジパンネオ黒糖ロール)
Brown Sugar Bun with Margarine
6 buns for 160 yen at a drugstore in Japan

Fujipan Neo Kokuto Roll (フジパンネオ黒糖ロール)

I also love this one! This is a brown sugar bun with margarine inside. I love eating it without heating it. If you heat it, the margarine will be melting inside the bread.

4. Yamazaki Snack Stick (ヤマザキスナックスティック)
Japanese Bread Sticks
6 sticks for 85 yen at drugstore in Japan

Yamazaki Snack Stick (ヤマザキスナックスティック)

Yamazaki, Yamazaki Seipan (ヤマザキ製パン), is the largest bread manufacture company in Japan. The company was established in Chiaba, Japan in 1948. Yamazaki Snack Stick (ヤマザキスナックスティック) is slightly sweet and fluffy bread sticks. When I was a kid, I loved it very much. 　

5. Francois Melon Pan (フランソアメロンパン)
Sweet Bun Covered with Crisp Cookie Dough
98 yen at a supermarket in Japan

Francois Melon Pan (フランソアメロンパン)

Francois (フランソア) is a bread manufacture company and was established in Saga, Japan, in 1951. Melon pan, melonpan (メロンパン), is a sweet bun covered with crisp cookie dough. If you are a bread lover and want to try unique bread originated in Japan, I recommend you to try melon pan. I think everyone loves it. You can find melon pan at most bakeries and supermarkets in Japan. :) I purchased this one because I had melon pan at a hotel I stayed in Osaka for the first time in many years. When I lived in Japan, I had melon pan sometimes, but after moving to the U.S. from Japan, I didn't eat one for a very long time. I thought I should buy melon pan at a supermarket! As I expected, this one was very delicious. It's fluffy inside, and sweet outside.

Francois Melon Pan (フランソアメロンパン)

6. Topvalu Mini Cream Pan (トップバリューミニクリームパン)
Small Bun with Custard Cream
5 buns for 88 yen at a supermarket in Japan

Topvalu Mini Cream Pan (トップバリューミニクリームパン)

I love Mini Cream Pan! Each small bun has custard cream in it. Topvalu (トップバリュー) is a store brand of Aeon, a Japanese supermarket and retail store chain. Many Japanese bread manufacture companies make mini pan series such as mini cream pan, mini anpan and mini choco pan.

7. Yamazaki Tsubu An Pan (ヤマザキつぶあんぱん)
Small Bun with Sweetened Azuki Bean Pastes
5 buns for 108 yen at a drugstore in Japan

Yamazaki Tsubu An Pan (ヤマザキつぶあんぱん)

I also purchased this Yamazaki Tsubu An Pan (ヤマザキつぶあんぱん) at a drugstore. Each small bun has Japanese red bean paste in it. My father also loves this mini anpan.

8. Yamazaki White Danish Chocolat (ヤマザキホワイトデニッシュショコラ)
Danish with Chocolate Bar
125 yen at a drugstore in Japan

Yamazaki White Danish Chocolat (ヤマザキホワイトデニッシュショコラ)

This is Yamazaki White Danish Chocolat (ヤマザキホワイトデニッシュショコラ). My husband purchased this one and had it in Japan. This white danish had a large chocolate bar in it. He told me that this was his favorite one when he lived in Japan. The danish was not sweet but was very delicious with sweet milk chocolate. I also really loved it. :)