What is the "Middle Bread" by the two makers? How Kamiyama's everyday bread is made
~ Food Hub Project "Kamapan" Report ~

Hello. This is Nakaniwa, the editor-in-chief.
The other day, I heard an interesting story from Manabe, head of the production department and manager of the Food Hub Project .

"There are two bakers at Kamapan who have great careers and make bread with completely opposite methods. Normally they would clash, but from the beginning they enjoyed their differences and tried to make bread that was in the middle, not the bread they wanted to bake."

After hearing Manabe's story, I felt that something very interesting was happening at Kamapan and I needed to document it, so I decided to cover the story.

In Manabe's recent post, he went into detail about why Food Hub makes bread, the role of Kamapan in the overall project, and the characteristics of the bread. But this time, we'll narrow the focus a bit and share the story of how Kamapan is made, as told by the two makers.

Two creators came to Kamiyama from Tokyo

Kamapan was born as part of the Food Hub Project and is a bakery located in Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture.
Kamapan's business hours are from 9:00 to 18:00. On a busy day, they bake 500 to 600 loaves of bread (on a lighter day, they bake around 400) in three batches. This is no small amount of bread in the business area of Kamiyama Town, which has a population of around 6,000. At the moment, they also have many customers from outside the town.

The creators behind Kamapan are Shiomi Satoshi and Sasagawa Daisuke.
As mentioned at the beginning, the two of them come from bakeries that use completely opposite baking methods.

Shiomi works at Levain, a long-established natural yeast bread shop in Tomigaya, Shibuya Ward, where he mainly makes so-called "hard" bread.
He originally worked as an elementary school teacher, but wanted to continue researching his love of fish, so he decided to study oceanography at a university in Okinawa. During that time, he came across a nearby bakery called "Munakatado," which bakes bread in a wood-fired oven, and decided to work there as a part-timer. Everyone there seemed to enjoy baking bread very much. After this experience, he thought, "It would be sad to just leave this as a part-time job," so when he returned to Tokyo, he searched for the best bakery in Tokyo, and came across Levain.

Satoshi Shiomi

When he was about to leave Levain and open his own bakery, Manabe approached him about collaborating on the development of Kamapan menu items. At first, he was hesitant, but he thought this was fate and decided to participate.
Currently, as he prepares to open his own shop, he spends half the month in Kamiyama, developing Kamapan menus and baking bread on a daily basis.

Next to the workshop, there is a notebook with illustrations by Shiomi, written by his wife, a picture book author. Perhaps one day a picture book on "How Kamapan is Made" will be published?

On the other hand, Sasagawa-san decided to become a baker from a young age because his father worked in the bread making business.
Immediately after graduating from high school, he began working at a bakery, where he not only made bread but also managed the quantities. He then went on to work at a bakery called " Bour Bour Bour Boulangerie " in Hachioji, where he made a wide variety of breads, from rye bread to croissants, using mainly refined yeast but also natural yeast.
"The chef at BourBour was also in charge of the designs, and they were very good at advertising and selling the products."
Sasagawa believes that how you communicate is also important in a bakery, and perhaps influenced by his senior colleague, he began to think about making a living from "bread + alpha."

Daisuke Sasagawa

As he was thinking about going independent and wondering what kind of bread he wanted to make in the future, he came across a job advertisement for Kamapan . Mr. Sasagawa, who had always been interested in what was going on in Kamiyama, went to an interview after reading the article. He also attended the anniversary party of Monosus, which is a joint investor in Food Hub Project Co., Ltd.

"I felt no discomfort when Hayashi (CEO of Food Hub Project Inc. and CEO of Monosus) said, 'If we are accepted by the community, we will be successful, but if not, we will just quit,' or when Manabe said, 'Work like you live.' I didn't try to understand it, but it just flowed into me. The vague thoughts inside me were taking shape and becoming visible."

Believing that "there is a better chance of realizing my vision here than in Tokyo," Sasagawa decided to move with his family to Kamiyama.

Mr. Sasagawa and his family attended a party held in the warehouse of Food Hub's agricultural director, Mr. Shiramomo. He is holding his twin daughters in both arms. Apparently, the children also snack on Kamapan bread when they come home from nursery school.

Enjoying their differences while making bread together until they become buddies

There are bakeries that use natural yeast and bakeries that focus on yeast.
Were you ever worried about two people from completely different backgrounds, both of whom come from bakeries, making bread together?
First, we asked Mr. Sasagawa.

"I had the image of Levain being a serious bakery, so I wondered if Shiomi would be a difficult person, or if he didn't understand yeast, and I was a little nervous."

On the other hand, Shiomi-san said,

"Unlike Mr. Sasagawa, I only knew about natural yeast bread, so I was worried that I would be made fun of, and that I would be angry because I had heard that Mr. Sasagawa had been devoted to bread since he was young. Also, I go to Kamiyama half the month, but Mr. Sasagawa has a different approach to his relationship as a resident, so I wondered if that would work out."

Both of them were anxious about starting up Kamapan.

They actually started making bread together one week before their local opening on February 10, 2017.
In fact, it was the second time the two had met. It was also the first time they had entered the Kamapan workshop, and they had never used any of the equipment before. The way bread is made is greatly influenced by the equipment, so they had to figure out its characteristics.
The mission was to create Kama Pan, the bread that would become "Kamiyama's bread," in an unfamiliar environment and with team members working together for the first time, in an extremely short period of time.

"If I fail here, there will be no point in coming from Tokyo."

The two of them felt a lot of pressure, wondering whether they would be accepted in Kamiyama, as they had both gained experience working at bakeries in Tokyo.

The first test of their skills was a tasting session held within the Food Hub team two days before the town opening.
At the tasting event, we prepared two types of bread: one made with natural yeast and one made with yeast.
They will all taste the bread and compare it, deciding which yeast will be the main type for each type of bread (natural yeast for the sliced bread and yeast for the bun), and exploring the direction of the Kamapan that will become "Kamiyama bread."

Based on that direction, we went through a lot of trial and error, and two days later we were able to open it to the local community. It was a pretty fast-paced development.

As they battled against time and quality, the two found themselves becoming close.
Now we're like buddies, and we make bread together, enjoying each other's differences in baking methods and ways of thinking.

Checking the doneness of bread together

Two people shape the divided baguette dough

For example, the following scene occurred during the interview.
One day, Shiomi was dividing the focaccia dough.
Up until now, the divided dough had been placed in a stack of food processors to rest, but that day, Shiomi, based on his experience at Levain, suggested placing the dough directly on the baking tray. It was a different method than usual, but Sasagawa said, "Let's try it!", and they were able to shorten one process.

For a busy bakery, improving work efficiency is a pressing issue. What's more, when Shiomi isn't there, Sasagawa has to run the kitchen by himself (they're currently looking to hire new bakers). The accumulation of these kinds of innovations is important for the operation of Kamapan.

When one of them says, "What do you think of this?"
The other person replies, "Oh, there's something like that! Let's try it!"
In this way, rather than denying the differences in each other's ways, the two of them first accept them and try them out.

"We can do it because we're two people. If we were alone, we might get confused if we fail, but if we're two people, we can just come up with ideas together at that moment."

They suggest ideas to each other, like "Here's how you do it," or "This way is good too," and create something new. It was like a live performance, like two musicians having a jam session, and they looked like they were having a great time baking bread together.

Basking in the morning sun, Sasagawa and Shiomi work side by side to shape rice flour baguettes.

What kind of bread is the Kamiyama bread made by this team of buddies?

"I wanted to make bread that was in Kamiyama, but it was in the middle."

" said Shiomi.
Although they were complete opposites when it came to bread-making techniques, in their pursuit of "Kamiyama bread" they arrived at a bread that was somewhere between the two of them, rather than the bread that each of them wanted to make.

"Kamapan's mission is to make 'Kamiyama bread.' We try to see what happens when we combine this and that. Even if we make our own claims, I don't think that will be Kamiyama bread."

Sasagawa says that when Shiomi comes to Kamiyama, he tries to let her do as she likes as possible, and when she's not around he makes bread while thinking, "What would Shiomi do?"
"If I just do it my own way, it's no fun at all," says Sasagawa.

It is not your bread, nor is it entirely the other person's bread; it is bread that exists between you and the other person.
It's like the bread reflects the relationship between the two people.

Now, let me tell you more about Kamapan, the "bread" that sits in the middle of the two of them.

Everyday bread in Kamiyama

"What kind of bread is Kamapan?"
When I asked Mr. Sasagawa, he said, "It's everyday bread."
The answer I got was:

Everyday bread.
It is a bread that can be eaten every day, and it is not delicious because someone says it is delicious, but a bread that is rooted in daily life.

"For example, a lot of bread in Tokyo has become a fashion. Of course it has its own unique character, but it's not something you can eat every day. Not only is it expensive, but if it's too chewy or filling, it loses its convenience as something you can eat every day.
I feel like a lot of bread is chosen because someone said it was delicious.

I think that everyday bread is the snack your local elementary school student buys after school with 50 yen in hand, or the bread you buy on the way home from the dentist."

They say that working at Kamapan makes it easy to see who is eating bread and how, and it makes them happy to be able to see.

The representative of Kamapan's "everyday bread" is the white bread.

The chewy and moist bread,
A sweet and sour secret.

One loaf costs 300 yen. For those who are used to buying bread from supermarkets, it's not cheap, but for those who often buy bread from bakeries, it may not be expensive.
This bread can be eaten like rice and you won't get tired of having it on the table every day. It's heavy when you hold it, chewy when you bite into it, and the sweet and sour flavors spread throughout your mouth.

"Bread is made from two seeds."
"I'm going to make raisin yeast," Shiomi said, showing me his raisin starter and home-cultured fermented yeast.

"Raisin yeast is made by adding wheat to raisin liquid, which is made by fermenting water and raisins. Its leavening power is weaker than that of yeast, but it has a chewy texture."

I tasted a little and it was sweet and sour.
Because the seeds themselves are sweet, the amount of sugar used in this bread is less than half of what you would normally use.
The chewy texture is also due to this type of influence.

Raisin yeast. Wheat has been added to the raisin liquid once. Bubbles of gas produced by fermentation are spreading throughout the mixture.

The raisin liquid during fermentation. When I opened the lid of the container, the gorgeous smell of raisins wafted out. Raisins floated to the surface and bubbles were bubbling. Apparently, the liquid is stirred from the bottom with a ladle from time to time to supply new oxygen and promote fermentation. I tasted a little bit and the sourness and sweetness spread in my mouth, making it a yeast that was "delicious even to eat."

And there is another type of starter used in bread: the "self-cultured starter." It is originally fermented with yeast from the raisin liquid and wheat, but then wheat flour is added and the yeast and sugar attached to the flour are added to ferment it. By adding water and wheat flour, the starter is given nutrients and grows.

When I asked him how long he plans to continue the business, he replied, "Forever. Like a rice bran bed, I plan to continue the business forever."

When you smell it, it has a sour smell similar to yogurt.
Apparently, lactic acid bacteria and yeast coexist symbiotically.

"Even the bacteria floating around in the air here comes through as a flavor."
" said Shiomi.

The home-cultured leavening agent coexists with the lactic acid in the air of Kamiyama and absorbs the yeast floating in the air, resulting in a flavor that can only be found in Kamiyama. The chewy, rich, sweet and sour Kamapan bread is made from a starter that combines these "raisin starters" and "home-cultured leavening agents."

By the way, there is another secret to the chewy texture: "Yudane."

If you add "yudane," which is made by boiling some of the wheat flour in hot water the day before and converting the starch into alpha-acids, when mixing the dough, you will get bread that will stay chewy and moist for a long time.

Add Yudane when mixing.

"Would you like some toast?"

With those words, they took the piping hot toast out of the oven. They showed us their highly recommended "delicious way to eat toast."

First, split the toasted bread in two.

Dip one side in plenty of white sesame oil and sprinkle a little salt on it.
(Black sesame oil will overwhelm the flavor of the bread, so it's important to use white sesame oil.)

The remaining half is served as a lump of cold butter, placed on hot bread.
Normally, you would spread butter on the bread and let it melt, but I was taught a very connoisseur's way of eating it by leaving the butter in chunks and enjoying the difference in temperature and texture between the hot bread and the cold butter.

Just as there are many different ways to eat rice, I think there are many different ways to eat bread. Kamapan's bread can be spread with butter, jam, or topped with side dishes, and of course it can be eaten just as is. If you visit Kamiyama, be sure to give it a try.
(You can also get a toast set for breakfast at Kamaya.)

Another "everyday life."
Koppepan (Japanese bread).

A roll is 50 yen

If the Yokozuna of the East is a slice of bread, the Ozeki of the West is a rolled bun.
Koppepan, which can be stuffed with red bean paste or croquettes, is truly an everyday bread.
Kamapan's koppepan bread is light and fluffy. Its round shape makes it easy to feel close to. It's the opposite of heavy, solid bread.

The starter used in Kamapan's koppepan bread is yeast and a self-fermenting culture.
Yeast is a leavening agent that allows you to enjoy the taste of the flour without any unnecessary flavors, and it has a strong leavening power, making it ideal for soft or light breads.

"The current shape of the bread roll was actually completed just two days before the opening reception."

Sasagawa shared the story behind how the koppepan bread, which is full of the lively atmosphere that is so characteristic of Kamapan, was made.

"The head chef said to me, 'Since we'll be putting side dishes in the rolls, can you make them a little lighter?'"

"Could adding butter and eggs solve the problem?" Sasagawa thought.
Usually, butter and eggs are used, but Kama Pan aims to make bread that can be eaten every day as a meal, so they searched for the simplest ingredients possible. However, they couldn't find a good idea...

"I'm out of ideas..."

And so the day arrived on March 1st, two days before the opening reception.
Until then, we had been using olive oil for our buns, but that day we happened to have run out of it.

At that moment, Sasagawa remembered that the head chef had made muffins using rice flour and rice oil for the opening reception, and an idea struck him.

"Can't this be made with rice oil?"

I tried using rice oil instead of olive oil and...

"He's here, isn't he?!"

The fluffy and crispy bread is baked.

And so, just before the opening, Kamapan's koppepan bread was completed.

Koppepan dough is also used to make many other breads. Sandwiches (with bean paste and butter), curry bread, sweet potato loaf... Koppepan dough is truly versatile. It is made into various shapes and is used by customers every day.

Everyone's favorite Anko Butter is 280 yen (excluding tax). The Anko is currently made by a local Japanese confectionery shop.

Left) Curry bread, 250 yen (excluding tax). The head chef of Kamaya makes the curry filling the day before.
Right) Sweet potato loaf, 400 yen (excluding tax) (seasonal limited item. As of May 2017, it has become Mugwort Loaf). The hugely popular sweet potato loaf was in fact a bread made through a process of trial and error. It was originally made with sliced bread dough, but there weren't enough sliced bread molds, so it was made into its current shape, which doesn't require a mold. It was difficult to mold the sliced bread dough into this shape, so when they tried it with bread roll dough, the dough absorbed just the right amount of moisture from the potato, resulting in a bread with just the right amount of chewiness.

With the dawn,
"Kamiyama bread" is baked

The bakery starts early in the morning.
Kamapan also starts at 5am.

The exterior of Kamapan at 5am. A single light is on just before dawn.

Would it be okay if I came in just as preparation begins?
The day before the interview, I asked Mr. Sasagawa,

"That's fine. I think Shiomi-san and I have a morning ritual."

The reply was:

I wonder what the ritual is...
I'm very curious...

I was more interested in the "ritual" than in the research, so I headed to the workshop anxiously wondering what was going to happen at 5am.

And then,

I was brewing coffee.

This coffee has an exquisite balance: it is strong yet has a light bitterness and a fruity aftertaste.
Sasagawa apparently orders the beans from his favorite shop in Hachioji.

"What's the name of the shop?"
"Kazaana Coffee."
"Wind hole?"

It's not a "kaze-ana" (wind hole), but kazaana coffee. "Khazana" means "treasure" in Urdu.
Grinding the coffee beans by hand and carefully brewing drip coffee was the "ritual" that started Kamapan's day.

A baker's day is a very busy one.
I stand there making bread from 5am until closing time.

"I'd really like to eat lunch with everyone at Kamaya. Eating delicious food is important.
My immediate goal is to create a system where we can all eat dinner together at 2 p.m.

The coffee brewed at 5am by these extremely busy bread makers felt like something irreplaceable.

So, what kind of bakery will Kamapan evolve into in the future?
When I asked Mr. Sasagawa what he wanted to do in the future, he replied,

"I want to make rye bread."

The answer was:
When Sasagawa said, "I'll definitely do it," Shiomi echoed him, saying, "I'll definitely do it." Absolutely.

The Food Hub has been growing wheat since October last year.
There is also talk of making campagne (a hard bread that goes well with meals) to go with the harvest. The day may not be far off when we can make "locally produced, locally eaten" campagne made from wheat grown in Kamiyama, with a higher rate of food eaten.

Could undiscovered rye bread and country bread become a part of everyday life in Kamiyama?
Kamapan will continue to experiment and experiment in the future.

About an hour after my morning coffee ritual, the sunlight that was just beginning to rise through the studio window facing east gradually revealed the outline of the grass and mountains in front of me.

"Can you see it? I really love this moment."
Shiomi and Sasagawa knead bread while looking out the window.

As the sun began to rise, the outline of the grass in front of me gradually became clearer.
"I'm usually looking at the mountains."
Mr. Sasagawa looks happy when he says that.

As the sun rose, for some reason, the two of them started to take off their jackets together. Exposed to the sunlight, they seemed to be filled with energy.
The home-cultured yeast lives and breathes the air of Kamiyama, and the bread makers also make bread in a healthy way while feeling the nature of Kamiyama.
This is how the morning begins at the Kamapan workshop, and it continues like this every day.

Bread and people live and grow together.
It is gradually becoming more and more rooted in everyday life in Kamiyama and is continuing to evolve.
I would like to continue to follow Kamapan in the future to see where its evolution will take it.

The view of the inside of the store from the kitchen. It's as if the place is surrounded by the trees of the mountains, a special view that only the chefs can see.

Kamapan & Store

Address: 190-1, Jinryo-cho, Kamiyama-cho, Nansai-gun, Tokushima Prefecture ( Google Maps )
Business hours: 9:00 – 18:00
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (open on public holidays)
Phone : 088-676-1077