Bōshi-pan

Kochi's famous sweet bread are a must-know in Kochi Prefecture.

In Kochi Prefecture, there is a sweet bread that has become a commonplace. That is “Bōshi-pan”(hat bread). The bread was baked around 1955 by a bread manufacturer, Nagano-asahidō Honten, which poured sponge cake dough over the bread and baked it.

Unfortunately, the “Nagano-asahidō Honten” closed its business in 2019, but a bread manufacturing company in the prefecture, Yamate Bakery, continues to make “Bōshi-pan”.

The illustration character on the label of this bread is drawn by Takashi Yanase ! He’s too good to be true. Even Anpanman must be pale at the sight of “Bōshi-pan-kun,” drawn by a major figure in the industry.

I opened the package and found an interesting shape, like a UFO. The most distinctive feature of this bread is that the ears, or “brim” in the case of a hat, are like sponge cake dough.

The domed bread in the middle looks like the famous sweet boule. It is fluffy and the golden brown crust around it looks delicious.

The sponge cake dough at the “brim” of the hat looks absolutely delicious.

Delicious! Makes me wonder why this is a local bread only in Kochi. The middle part is also delicious, but the ear part is supreme. No wonder it has been loved for so long. The quality is worthy of a classic sweet bread.