Dough on the road

I’ve been working as a baker in Japan for more than 10 years. After returning home from a trip to Australia in 2023, I felt a sense of discomfort. Many types of baked goods from other countries, such as Italy’s maritozzo, French canelé and American-style donuts, are adapted into Instagrammable fashion accessories. I wanted to experience the original forms of bread, to find out about their history and how they are deeply rooted in people’s daily lives. I travelled for four months, visiting 28 cities in 25 countries.

Bánh mì

About 50 km north of Nha Trang in Vietman, there is a salt field called Hon Khoi, which I visited because the salt I use for baking comes from that area. Leaving behind the noisy, motorbike filled streets, I arrived in a village where loads were carried by cows. I was so happy to visit the place behind something I had always been using. It made me want to reflect the background of ingredients through bread. I also stayed at a homestay, where I made bread with the children of the host family in return for their hospitality. Even though we didn’t speak the same language, we could communicate through baking. The power of bread is truly amazing.

Khobz

In my travels around Africa, Morocco was the most memorable. Instead of making bread in a bakery, there were communal baking areas where bread was made and then distributed to stores. Local people also brought their own dough from home to be baked there. A typical bread in Morocco is round, flattish and about 2-3cm thick. Known as kesra, or simply khobz (bread) It is usually served with meals and often eaten by dipping it into something. 

Ekmek

Turkey has a long history of bread-making, and bread consumption is very high. Bread is deeply connected to people’s daily lives, making it an essential part of their culture. Maybe because of that, I found simit (a sesame-covered, twisted ring-shaped bread) in Istanbul cost only about 20 Turkish lira (about 75¥ or 40p) each. It was cheaper than any other food.

Pane

In Italy, I visited a traditional bakery about an hour by train from Naples, run by the family of Real Bread Campaign ambassador Giovanni di Sarno. They kindly let me observe their work and even allowed me to make a traditional bread called frisella. I was surprised that meals sometimes include both bread and pasta. Many Italian breads are hard because they are meant to be dipped in sauces or oil. This shows how closely bread is connected to their food culture.

Pain

In France, I visited a bakery in Colmar where a friend of mine works. The bakery has been using BIO (organic) wheat for years. Recently, many schools in France, especially in rural areas, have started choosing bread made from BIO wheat for their students. Choosing organic food is not only for personal health but also for the environment. It was good to see this mindset being ingrained from childhood. I also found it refreshing to learn about people’s approach to work and life. Their focus on why they work and the importance of spending time with family, things that is easy to overlook when living in Japan.

While many breads from other countries arrive in Japan as glamorous, fashionable products, I realised that most of them were created by necessity or coincidence. l travelled to Bordeaux to explore the history of canelé, where I was surprised to learn that it originally was made using ingredients left over from winemaking. 

Brød

In Denmark, I tasted rugbrød (rye bread) for the first time. It was a wholegrain rye rugbrød, fermented with a rye sourdough starter culture. Rugbrød plays a central role in Danish life and helps maintain people’s health. Unlike Japan’s culture of eating bread that has been freshly-made that day, rugbrød can be kept at room temperature for over a week and still enjoyed. I learned how people find creative ways to make it delicious and use every last piece, which gave me ideas for addressing Japan’s food waste problem. There are many insights from Nordic countries that could help reduce food loss.

Pan

In Madrid, I contacted a bakery famous for roscón de reyes. The bakers allowed me to touch the dough and hear about the challenges they face and the current bakery scene in Spain. Interestingly, countries that were colonised by Spain — like the Philippines and Mexico — still have traditional Spanish breads like ensaimada and pan de sal embedded in daily life. Back in Spain, however, San Francisco-style sourdough has become a trend in recent years.

Bread

In the USA, I participated in a bakery tour through an Airbnb experience. I had the opportunity to try a variety of breads, including bagel sandwiches, burgers, and wraps with phở (Vietnamese noodle soup) ingredients inside. It was fascinating to see the diversity in bread. I felt that the speed of trends and fads was similar to that in Japan.

In the UK, I participated in Giovanni di Sarno’s bread-making class. Through baking together, I learned about food knowledge and the importance of choosing quality ingredients.

Simple yet deeply meaningful

Traveling around the world, talking to bakers and even making bread myself, was such a rewarding experience. Even when language was a barrier, I was able to connect with people through bread. In today’s world, we can easily gain information through social media, but at the same time, there is a lot of fake news. I’m grateful to have broadened my perspective and explored what bread truly means. This journey helped me eliminate misconceptions and review my choices.

With its long history, bread has always been something that supports people — it’s simple, yet deeply meaningful. This experience allowed me to return to the basics and strengthen my resolve about why I want to make bread.

@kon1192

Originally published in True Loaf magazine issue 62, April 2025.

 

See also

An A to Z of Real Bread

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