Latest news with #bakeries
Japan Times
12-07-2025
- Japan Times
Road-tripping through central Hokkaido? Don't miss these bakeries
The landlocked subprefecture of Kamikawa in central Hokkaido is a scenic wonder, spanning over 250 kilometers from the town of Nakagawa in the north to the village of Shimukappu in the south. Nestling within the region is Asahikawa, Hokkaido's second largest city, the lavender fields of Furano, and Daisetsuzan National Park, home to the prefecture's tallest mountain, Asahidake. With summer well underway, Kamikawa is turning into a popular region for road trips among locals and tourists alike. If you are planning a long drive (or ride), scheduling some breaks along the way is de rigueur. As Hokkaido is known as the 'bread basket of Japan' — the prefecture is an agricultural powerhouse of rice, wheat and dairy production — I chose some bakeries you should stop by to fill your picnic baskets and fuel your travels. Boulangerie Aman Opened in 2021 and occupying a converted shipping container, Boulangerie Aman specializes in country-style bread, much of which incorporates locally grown soba flour. Its onion loaf is rich and sweet, perfect for topping with cottage cheese. The Rustic Sudachi loaf, flavored with the Japanese citrus, is simply delicious when toasted and topped with butter. The shop's cylindrical croissants are also made with fermented butter for an extra creamy flavor. Aman often holds pop-ups and events on weekends, so do check its social media for the latest updates. The last time I was there in June, husband-and-wife owners Kotaro and Eiko Ogura were doing an event with the Asahikawa Hanasaki branch of Muji. The bakery is located in the Etanbetsu area, which is covered in fields of white in late summer when the buckwheat flowers are in full bloom. Chuo 121-2, Etanbetsucho, Hokkaido 071-1173; 0166-85-7995; ; 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.; closed Mon. and Tues. Boulangerie Mawarimichi Meaning 'detour,' Mawarimachi is worth its namesake, especially if croissants are your thing. Set a block in front of JR Toma Station, this tiny bakery makes the region's best croissants — their lamination is impeccably light, crisp and buttery — and pain au chocolat. The shop has been a regular stop for me, especially when I'm driving to Daisetsuzan National Park's Sounkyo Gorge, which is spectacular in all seasons but famed for its autumn foliage. Boulangerie Mawarimichi is where you'll find lamingtons, an Australian specialty of sponge cake squares coated in thin chocolate icing and desiccated coconut. | SIMON DALY Mawarimachi's multigrain cereal loaf is sliced at just the right thickness for sandwiches. The shop also sells lamingtons, an Australian specialty of sponge cake squares dipped in thin chocolate icing and covered in desiccated coconut. In December, its stollen is delicious, dense and filled with all the flavors of Christmas. Recently, the owners have also found an interest in natural wine and have stocked some in their store — the Wait Wait Wait 2022, a sparkling wine from France's Du Vin aux Liens, is perfect for summer. 3 Chome-4-10 4 Jominami, Toma, Kamikawa, Hokkaido 078-1324; 0166-56-037; ; open from 8 a.m.; closed Mon. and Tues. Hitosaji Bakery Hitosaji Bakery is the retail outlet of Hitosaji Farm, the largest local grower of a wheat hybrid named Kita no Kaori (Fragrance of the North), which was made by crossing native horoshiri wheat with Hungarian bread wheat to produce a high-protein, aromatic flour. In May 2025, the bakery reopened after moving from atop the nearby hill to be closer to the farm. Hitosaji Bakery specializes in high-hydration doughs, which are great for sandwiches. | SIMON DALY Led by head baker Eiji Oda, the bakery specializes in high-hydration doughs and dense fruit and nut loaves, which are some of my favorites for a simple breakfast. Hitosaji also makes delicious ready-to-eat sandwiches, such as bacon baguettes or Camembert and local asparagus rolls. Hitosaji is also just a 20-minute drive away from Biei's popular tourist attraction, the stunningly azure Aoike Pond. Murayama 1087-16, Omura, Biei, Hokkaido 071-0218; 0166-74-8307; ; 10 a.m-3 p.m.; closed Tues.,Wed., and Thurs. Panya Yamanaka Panya Yamanaka is run by the Yamanaka family, who have been in the business for 10 years. Many of the breads use exclusively Hokkaido ingredients, such as the potato rolls made with local tubers — they offer a rich, nutty wholemeal aroma and are great eaten on their own or filled with your favorite local cheeses. I like to top the rolls with my homemade chicken liver parfait . Panya Yamanaka's almond pastries and potato rolls are popular among visitors. | SIMON DALY The popular lavender fields of Nakafurano's Farm Tomita is also just a five-minute drive away, making Panya Yamanaka a perfect place to stop by while you are in the area. Kisen Kita 20, Nakafurano, Sorachi District, Hokkaido 0710-0704; 0167-44-3371; ; 9 a.m-5 p.m.; closed Sun., Mon. (for summer)
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Butter's global price surge hits croissants and kitchens alike
(Bloomberg) — At the Mamiche bakeries in the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Paris, their famous pains au chocolat and croissants depend on an essential but increasingly scarce ingredient — butter. Foreign Buyers Swoop on Cape Town Homes, Pricing Out Locals Trump's Gilded Design Style May Be Gaudy. But Don't Call it 'Rococo.' Massachusetts to Follow NYC in Making Landlords Pay Broker Fees NYC Commutes Resume After Midtown Bus Terminal Crash Chaos What Gothenburg Got Out of Congestion Pricing The bakery's regular supplier can no longer provide a steady flow of French beurre de tourage, a type of flat butter used to make the pastries. Mamiche has gone searching elsewhere to ensure the steady flow of sweet treats from its ovens, but it's coming with a cost. Butter prices in most of the world are lingering near record highs, with little end in sight to the surge. It's the result of a complex interplay of factors — challenges faced by dairy farmers from France to New Zealand, changes in Asian consumers' appetites that's spurring global demand, and commercial decisions by milk processors defending their bottom line. The end result is more cost pressure on consumers' favorite foods. 'When we have to change supplier, we can really see the difference' said Robin Orsoni, commercial operator for Mamiche. Other providers are charging prices 25% to 30% higher but Mamiche has to absorb the cost because 'we want to make our customers happy, we need the butter.' Around 70% of the butter exported around the world comes from two places — Europe and New Zealand. Each began 2025 with historically low stockpiles, and this supply tightness has caused prices to spike to a record, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. The roots of the squeeze can be traced back to 2022, when the price of milk in Europe peaked as inflation and fuel costs hit farmers hard, pushing dairy processors to look at the best way to maximize profits. Butter is made by removing cream from raw milk and churning it. Once the process is complete, you are left with butter and buttermilk, the latter of which 'has some industrial uses, but those are relatively limited,' said Monika Tothova, an economist at the FAO. It's used for some cooking, to make other dairy products, and for livestock feed. In contrast, 'if you make cheese, you process the entire volume of milk,' said Tothova. Even the by-product from cheese-making, called whey, is in high demand from commercial food makers for flavoring and nutrition, or gym enthusiasts to bulk out the protein in their diets. European Union dairy processors have making more and more cheese. As a result, the bloc's butter production has steadily declined and is expected to hit an eight-year low this season, according to estimates from the US Department of Agriculture. Milk production itself is also becoming more challenging. In Europe, farmers' herd sizes are shrinking due to financial pressures, and they now face added risks to their cows from bluetongue virus, said Jose Saiz, a dairy market analyst at price reporting agency Expana. Lumpy skin disease, which can curb an infected cows' milk yields, is also making its way into Italy and France. Just as butter has fallen out of favor with dairy processors, consumers are developing a stronger taste for it, particularly in Asia. Global consumption of butter is expected to grow 2.7% in 2025, outpacing production, according to the USDA. In China demand has already grown by 6% in just one year. Usage in Taiwan between 2024 and 2025 rose 4%, while in India, the world's largest consumer, it is up 3%. Hong Kong's French bakery chain, Bakehouse, has been tapping into Asian consumers changing tastes. Its annual butter use is currently about 180 tons, an increase of 96 tons from the prior year after they opened two new stores, in addition to another 180 tons of cream, according to co-founder Gregoire Michaud. The firm only buys from well established suppliers — New Zealand has a top-tier reputation but China isn't good enough yet, he said. In New Zealand, which is a major dairy exporter and produces about 2.5% of global milk supply, butter production has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, fluctuating around 500,000 tons a year since 2020. As in Paris, supply scarcity and high butter prices have forced Hong Kong's Bakehouse to cycle through three different providers in just a short period - from Australia, to New Zealand and then Belgium. Now they're potentially looking for a fourth. Western consumers are also eating more butter, which for years was shunned for being unhealthy, as they look to cut ultra-processed foods out of their diets. Purchases of pure block butter in the UK have grown, said Susie Stannard, lead dairy analyst at the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. 'Consumers who can afford it will still buy butter,'she said, but they aren't immune from price pressures. At the newly opened Morchella restaurant in London's Clerkenwell district, the brown butter and bread that was so popular at its sister eatery, Perilla in Newington Green, has been replaced with olive oil. Before the recent price hikes 'you'd put a lot of butter into the pan to base that piece of fish and meat,' said Ben Marks, who heads up the kitchens at Perilla. 'Now you've just got be much cleverer.' Relief for consumers isn't expected to come any time soon. Butter prices are also affected by the global conflicts, supply chain disruptions and tariff wars that have roiled every other commodity. Amid this 'very hot market,' Hong Kong's Bakehouse is now prioritizing butter from closer providers to avoid a loss of supply, said Michaud. Orsoni said Mamiche will absorb the higher cost of butter to keep French staples affordable for its customers, but Perilla's Marks said it's 'inevitable' that diners will face higher prices. The heat wave seen in Europe in recent weeks could also exacerbate the situation. High temperatures can reduce yields from diary cows, while also pushing up demand for other products that compete with butter for the fatty cream taken off the top of milk. Tennis fans reaching for cream to accompany their strawberries as they watch Wimbledon, or workers cooling down with an ice cream in city plazas, 'can only hold butter prices up,' said Stannard. SNAP Cuts in Big Tax Bill Will Hit a Lot of Trump Voters Too For Brazil's Criminals, Coffee Beans Are the Target America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried Sperm Freezing Is a New Hot Market for Startups Pistachios Are Everywhere Right Now, Not Just in Dubai Chocolate ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
05-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Butter's Global Price Surge Hits Croissants and Kitchens Alike
At the Mamiche bakeries in the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Paris, their famous pains au chocolat and croissants depend on an essential but increasingly scarce ingredient — butter. The bakery's regular supplier can no longer provide a steady flow of French beurre de tourage, a type of flat butter used to make the pastries. Mamiche has gone searching elsewhere to ensure the steady flow of sweet treats from its ovens, but it's coming with a cost.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
I'm a professional baker — most of my favourite kitchen tools are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2025
In my friend group, I'm definitely the personality hire, except when it comes to cooking advice. After a decade of working on food trucks and in bakeries (even opening my own in 2015), I've become the go-to person to ask, 'Why did my cookies go flat?' or 'What should I make for Easter dinner?' Cooking and baking professionally, combined with years of trial and error as a home cook, means I've tested (and tossed) a lot of kitchen equipment in my life. Over the years, I've formed very strong opinions about what to splurge on and what to skip altogether when it comes to outfitting your kitchen. I've cooked up a list of my favourite kitchen appliances, utensils, and accessories that have proven to be ride-or-die for the everyday home chef. My favourites range from investment pieces like a Staub Dutch Oven to a set of silicon baking mats that are under $20. And the best part? So many items are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2025.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Paris Baguette: The Korean bakery that wants to make croissants less French
Head into the basement of any bustling mall in Singapore and the chances are you will smell the sweetness of fresh, buttery baked lines of people swarm the counters of Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Singaporean bakeries – tray and tongs in hand, after picking out cream rolls and milk breads or filled croissants and fruity pastries from crowded display Paris Baguette, its inspiration is clearly in the name, the outlets are also decorated with the colours of the tricolour, the signage shows the Eiffel Tower and the ambience seems to be aiming for something close to the charm of a Parisian it is 100% Korean."I wouldn't limit our bread to everything from France. We are an international brand," says Jin-soo Hur, president and chief executive of SPC Group, which owns Paris Baguette."Like croissants, could you say this is a European product? I would say it's a universal product."SPC traces its roots back to a small family-owned bakery shop that opened 80 years is now a key player in mass producing bread and pastries in South Korea, employing 20,000 people across all its brands. SPC says its sales hit $5.6bn (£4.26bn) last 1988, Paris Baguette was born becoming the first Korean bakery brand to open an international store in China, which continues to be a big it has 4,000 stores across 14 countries including in Asia, Europe and the Baguette has big overseas expansion plans, setting a target of more than 1,000 new branches internationally by 2030 – many of them in the investing in a factory in Texas which will become its largest overseas production facility when it is completed in 2027, supplying the US, Canada and Latin America. For Mr Hur, capturing the American market is a priority because it would mean Paris Baguette has succeeded internationally. Food as culture Sport is central to Paris Baguette's strategy through a partnership with English Premier League football club Tottenham had a similar deal with France's Paris St Germaine for two seasons, providing fans with its baked products and desserts on match days of home games."I think food is culture. Sports brings a lot of people into the stadium, and there's always good vibes in London," said Mr captain of South Korea's national team was also the captain of Spurs. Son Heung-min led his team to victory in the Europa League last month, ending the club's 17-year wait for a trophy. It's not about a Korean leading Spurs for Mr Hur is a "top club and Paris Baguette wants to be best in class too," he says. K-mania Workers don't like to wake up early to knead dough by hand, Mr Hur says softly. He credits his company's system of delivering frozen dough to franchises around the world for improving efficiency and extending shelf has a strong heritage of baked goods, but with rapid urbanisation, and changing lifestyles demand for on-the-go convenience foods is growing across the region already offer a huge variety of like pain au chocolat and sandwiches are abundant, but they are also known for Asian-inspired flavours - be it pandan, durian, salted egg, red bean or matcha-filled croissants and Baguette is responding to the demand through a halal-certified plant in Malaysia, to supply customers in South East Asia and the Middle the fascination around Korean culture globally, experts say there could be an opportunity for Asian bakeries to see even more and Japanese culture is so popular around the world now that maybe they're seeing things on their screen, and then they're willing to try it as well, said Saveria Busato, a pastry and bakery chef at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore."I just came back from a trip to Italy and I was quite surprised to see a lot of Asian bakery and pastry shops in Italy and I was super see the local people, the Italian people, that they were kind of exploring."But can frozen dough produce the same quality of goods as an artisanal bakery? I put Chef Busato to a blind taste test. He pulls apart a croissant made with frozen dough (although he doesn't know it), inspecting the elasticity and smelling it."This is quite bad. There is no honeycomb inside, it's totally hollow. The lamination doesn't have much strength because the internal part collapses. There is no butter profile. It's gluey and dense. There is no smell," he tells me. Chef Busato acknowledges that it isn't practical to seek artisanal standards if you're mass-producing baked goods, and so big players will have to rely on frozen about the traditional Asian baked goods though? Chef Busato on tasting a Korean milk bread, a fluffy white bread filled with cream, said he thinks it would do well in Europe."It's fantastic. It's very good. The smell of milk is coming over is nice. It's fluffy. It's refreshing... Reminds me of some kind of snack when I was younger that I was bringing to school." Adapting tastes The cost-of-living crisis is a major challenge for Paris Baguette – not least because of the US inflation rate as it seeks to push into the American market. A lot of companies are having to change their business because it's not profitable for them, Mr Hur of Paris Baguette's biggest competitors globally – Pret A Manger – has had to experiment with subscription services and expand dine-in options after Covid pushed the sandwich and coffee chain into loss, and it was forced to close dozens of outlets and cut more than 3,000 global economic environment weighs on Mr Hur too but he insists profit is not his only goal. "If we are only trying to make profit, we'll just stay in Korea," he says."We want to change the bread culture around the world. I want to find a way to keep opening up a lot of bakeries. It is good for my country, and good for people."
