Pan (The Breads of Japan)

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Rice might still be the number one staple in Japan, but bread is so popular that a typical breakfast might be toast and coffee as it would be fish and miso soup. The Japanese word for bread is “pan”, but if you look up the etymology you’ll find the same word for bread in the Portuguese language. It makes sense since bread was first brought to Japan by the Portuguese in the 1500s.

I love all the dessert breads and savory combinations that make up the selection at a typical Japanese bakery. I even like the old-fashioned An-pan pictured above, which I think is still a comfort food to many Japanese. It was invented by Yasubei Kimura, a former samurai who turned to baking when the samurai class was dissolved with the influence of Western culture. Today the Kimuraya Bakery is the oldest chain in the country, and An-pan can be found everywhere, filled with sweet chestnut, white bean paste, and other dessert fillings as well as the traditional red bean paste. The black sesame seeds on top is the classic An-pan look.

melonpan

Melon Pan is another of my favorites. It’s not even usually melon flavored, but there’s something about the crusty, cookie dough outer shell and soft, moist bread inside that is so good, it doesn’t need any filing. This is an awesome sweet bread, loved by everyone in Japan, and instantly recognized by its signature cross hatch pattern and round shape–like a melon.

creampan2

Cream Pan is a soft bread very similar to an-pan in fluffy consistency. The big difference is the filling, which can best be described as a creamy custard. There are all kinds of variations on the outer shape, but to me, it’s the filling that makes a really good cream pan. Not too soft, but firm enough not to ooze out; and eggy like a good custard should be.

shokupan

Then there’s the Shoku Pan, a very ordinary loaf of Japanese white bread. This is the kind of bread served at breakfast–sometimes as a simple slice of buttered toast with coffee, called a “Morning Set”. The unique thing about shoku pan though, is the thickness of the slices–sometimes over an inch thick for breakfast, sometimes a thin, one-third inch for sandwiches. Unlike American white bread, shoku pan has a soft, creamy taste and a stretchy kind of texture that is unbelievably habit forming. When making tea sandwiches with the thin ones, be sure to cut off the crust for a better presentation. When I used to make my daughter’s lunches for school, her friends were impressed that the crusts were cut off! LOL. The thick ones make an excellent breakfast–toasted to a golden brown goodness.

currypan2

Now let’s get into some savory breads–my favorite thing for snacks and lunches. First up is Curry Pan. Real Japanese style curry, thickened and stuffed into a deep fried dough coated with bread crumbs. Amazing! Maybe a bit oily sometimes, but so good if you’re a fan of curry. These football shaped snacks are very popular and can be found anywhere in Japan–convenience stores, train stations, corner bakeries, vending machines; anywhere!

korokkepan

Then there is the Korokke Pan, a deep fried potato croquette wedged in a soft roll and drizzled with a sweet/salty sauce. Even if the croquette (korokke) is unlikely to be crispy anymore after having been on the shelf for awhile, this is still good stuff! A close relative to this sandwich is the Katsu Sando, made with a pork cutlet in place of the croquette. Now that’s a lunch, man.

yakisobapan

The last one is the very popular Yakisoba Pan, which seems a little top heavy on the carbs when you realize it’s a noodle sandwich, but it works somehow! I guess you have to first be a fan of yakisoba, the chow mein like fried noodles that most Japanese kids grew up with. I’ve always loved this tangy dish because it’s so loaded with flavor. If you can put it between two halves of a hot dog style bun and call it a sandwich, then so be it! I won’t complain.

So that’s my list of top breads of Japan. What are yours? Here are some recipes from the Zojirushi site. Try them for yourself!

An-pan

Shoku Pan

Curry Pan

Melon pan

credits: an-pan and yakisoba pan by JPinfo.com, shoku pan by JapanTimes.com, melon pan by JapaneseCooking101.com, other images by Bert Tanimoto

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About Bert Tanimoto

Oldish father (still) of two youngish (but now young adult) kids. Zojirushi enthusiast and professional writer. California resident with roots in Hawaii and Japan. Classic rock, popcorn movies, audio books, spam, sushi and cone filtered coffee. Guilty pleasures include donuts and pop bands like ABBA and Wham! Don't laugh, you should see my vinyl collection--I give hair bands and prog equal credit.

9 thoughts on “Pan (The Breads of Japan)

  1. Searched your site today for a hot dog bun recipe for my bread maker. We haven’t been leaving the house much during the pandemic. This would be a great addition to your recipes. Either a regular hot dog bun or pretzel bun.

    • That’s a great idea! If you haven’t seen the Bread Recipe books yet, you might find more breads. On the website home page go to Support>>Instruction Manuals>>Breadmakers and look up your model for the Recipe Book. Also, I baked a colorful Rainbow Bread and posted here. Try it! Came out great!

    • Hi Amy, pretzel buns sound like a delicious idea, thank you for sharing this with us! We will take it into consideration for future recipe ideas. For the time being, we have a recipe on our page called “Smoky Sausage Rolls”, which can be made as an alternative to hot dog buns – it’s essentially a delicious roll with a sausage baked into it! Here is the recipe if you’d like to try: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/recipe/smoky-sausage-roll.

  2. My son has a Milk Bread obsession and learned to make it. Now his birthday is coming up and I wondered if there was a special baking dish used by the Japanese to make bread in? I’m looking to buy him something really nice for his kitchen to support his new found passion for bread making.

  3. I have the milk bread recipe from the BB-HAC10 but I gave the machine to my son in California when I got my BB-HAC20 (?). Will the recipe work in my big machine? My only concern is that I don’t have a ‘soft’ setting. How do I modify to create the same effect? I plan to use the ‘P
    Pullman loaf pan’ so I can use the bread for tea sandwiches.

    • Hi Maria, and thanks for reading my post! If you are referring to the BB-PAC20 Breadmaker that you have, you can see on the Basic White Bread recipe that you can adjust it to work with your machine. It also tells you which setting to use for your particular model.

      Tea Sandwiches sounds like a great idea. Let us know how it goes!

  4. Bert-san,

    Thanks for all the recipes and suggestions on the site. I recently purchased the BB-PDC20 breadmaker to keep my NP-GBC05 rice cooker company. I got the breadmaker because I wanted to be able to make limited-ingredient breads that won’t go bad the next day like the ones at the store. Now, I love shokupan, especially via the yuudane method. My biggest complaint is the fact that it takes 3 days before I can cut into it. Now, I don’t believe there is a machine that has a “set it and forget it” setting for shokupan. Also, so many recipes out there are either tangzhong or dry milk powder recipes. Is there a recipe for yuudane style that the PDC20 can be used or should I stick with the stand mixer/3 day method? Thank you in advance.

    • Hi Ed! Sorry, but I don’t think I’m knowledgeable enough to answer your question about tangzhong or yudane improvers because I’ve never used them. I have the smaller BB-SSC10 breadmaker at home and I’ve baked a lot of breads with it, including baking from start to finish in the breadmaker and also using it just to make the dough. I did a rustic French bread starting this way, then finished baking in my Toaster Oven. And I also did a savory one using Everything But The Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s, complete from start to finish in the breadmaker on the white bread setting. Even the seasoning was added via the auto dispenser. Check it out if you’re interested! https://www.zojirushi.com/blog/homemade-bread-day/

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