It’s a sweet, white, fluffy textured loaf of bread with a golden brown top. The rectangular shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, is possibly the most humble yet most prized of the delectables alongside honey, dates, chocolates and pretzels to find their way into the expensive goody bag nominees get to take home from the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night.
The bag of goodies is said to be valued at $126,000 (R2.3m) and if media reports are anything to go by, the value of the this year's 'swag bag' is down on previous years.
So why a Japanese milk bread? Because the bread has become a staple for Hollywood's rich and famous. Described as LA's “orgasmic” bread, it is made by the now famous Ginza Nishikawa Bakery on Santa Barbara Boulevard in Los Angeles. They only bake 200 of the loaves daily which are said to be sold out within minutes of the bakery opening. Luckily, they do take orders.
It looks like a standard South African 'government' style white loaf, except this one comes with an eye-watering price tag of $18 dollars, about R335 a loaf.
And why this loaf? It's as white as the winners' bright smiles will be on Sunday evening yet when cut looks like cotton wool. This premium loaf is made with only the best ingredients — Japanese white flour, fresh cream (the bakery chooses cream over milk), butter, honey, alkaline ionised water and the tender loving care of owner/baker Noriko Okubo. It is said the finest Japanese blended flour is what gives this unique loaf the slightly sweet, silky and soft texture.
It's excellent for making premium sarmies where the bread is the mere carrier, the slight sweetness making the topping or filling the hero of the sandwich. The bakery even shares a breakdown on their website on how to enjoy prized bread:
Day 1 — Tear the bread and enjoy the silky soft taste.
Day 2- The bread will be sweeter so slice as thick as you like, add your favourite topping.
Day 3 — Toast or slice and freeze the rest.
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Japanese milk bread will play a starring role at the Oscars on Sunday
The humble sweet bread is one of the smaller gifts in the nominees 'swag bags'
Image: 123RF/ikarahma
It’s a sweet, white, fluffy textured loaf of bread with a golden brown top. The rectangular shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, is possibly the most humble yet most prized of the delectables alongside honey, dates, chocolates and pretzels to find their way into the expensive goody bag nominees get to take home from the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night.
The bag of goodies is said to be valued at $126,000 (R2.3m) and if media reports are anything to go by, the value of the this year's 'swag bag' is down on previous years.
So why a Japanese milk bread? Because the bread has become a staple for Hollywood's rich and famous. Described as LA's “orgasmic” bread, it is made by the now famous Ginza Nishikawa Bakery on Santa Barbara Boulevard in Los Angeles. They only bake 200 of the loaves daily which are said to be sold out within minutes of the bakery opening. Luckily, they do take orders.
It looks like a standard South African 'government' style white loaf, except this one comes with an eye-watering price tag of $18 dollars, about R335 a loaf.
And why this loaf? It's as white as the winners' bright smiles will be on Sunday evening yet when cut looks like cotton wool. This premium loaf is made with only the best ingredients — Japanese white flour, fresh cream (the bakery chooses cream over milk), butter, honey, alkaline ionised water and the tender loving care of owner/baker Noriko Okubo. It is said the finest Japanese blended flour is what gives this unique loaf the slightly sweet, silky and soft texture.
It's excellent for making premium sarmies where the bread is the mere carrier, the slight sweetness making the topping or filling the hero of the sandwich. The bakery even shares a breakdown on their website on how to enjoy prized bread:
Day 1 — Tear the bread and enjoy the silky soft taste.
Day 2- The bread will be sweeter so slice as thick as you like, add your favourite topping.
Day 3 — Toast or slice and freeze the rest.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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