Trader Joe's Pumpkin Brioche Twist: This TJs brioche was in the same section as the pastries, so I was expecting it to taste more like a dessert. In reality, it's definitely more of a flavored bread than a cake, with the same buttery texture as regular TJs brioche but with a faint yet distinct spiced pumpkin flavor. Reading the label more carefully, I saw that they do accurately describe it as "slightly sweet" and "lightly spicy." Overall, I found it a bit too mild to be satisfyingly festive. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes bread pumpkin brioche twist 3.0Hop Shu-Kuri-Mu Matcha and red bean bread: There is a small bakery in the heart of Azabu-Juban in Tokyo that has the most delicious cream puffs – they also sell a variety of other baked goods, including fresh loaves of bread with visually striking swirls of flavor baked in, similar to what you might see for flavored milk bread loaves at Asian bakeries more generally. Their loaves tend to be about half the size of what you might see in the US. I really enjoyed the spongy, stretchy texture and faint sweetness of this loaf. If you ev... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended azabujuban japanese tokyo hopshukurimu matcha red bean bread 3.5Nezu No Pan Apple Ginger Bread: A warming mix of apple and ginger that reminds me of autumn back home. The ginger is pleasantly spicy and candied, and the bread is spongy and moist. Eating these mini loaves maes me feel like a giant, as they're about the size of bread you might see in a kitchen playset for kids. I liked this flavor but I would rate it as third behind the mugwort and lemon poppy bread I had tried previously, probably because the apple and ginger flavor combination is not quite as unique. 3.5/5.0
recommended tokyo bread nezu nezunopan apple ginger 3.5Nezu No Pan Black Sesame Raisin Bread: I loved the bread I was gifted from this bakery in Nezu so much that I wanted to see all the flavors they had to offer. I bought two more mini-loaves to try. The first was sliced black sesame raisin bread, with a thin crust and chewy stretch interior mixing a healthy amount of black sesame and plump raisins. I really liked the savory taste of the black sesame, but I found the raisins to be overpoweringly sweet – about half the quantity would have been better balanced in my eyes. The quali... (read more) 3.0/5.0
bread tokyo nezu nezunopan black sesame raisin 3.0Nezu No Pan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: The other flavored bread that I received from the bakery Nezu No Pan, located close to Nezu Station in Tokyo, is a lemon poppy seed loaf. It's pleasantly acidic, with a lemon flavor that's both sweet and sharp but not overly so, as the flavor is mellowed out by the pillowy, chewy bread. The texture somehow combines the best of mochi-like chewiness with the moist, soft consistency of freshly baked bread. A standout combination – the flavor alone is definitely one of the best lemon breads I... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional tokyo nezu bread bakery baked nezunopan lemon poppy seed 4.5Nezu No Pan Mugwort Bread with Red Beans: My friend purchased two different mini loafs from Nezu bakery Nezu No Pan, whose bread has a texture unlike any I've had before. The outside of the loaf is a normal thin crust, but the inside is stretch and chewy, a bit like mochi but definitely lighter (for example, you can easily break off a piece). This bread has a vivid green color and slightly bitter herbal flavor from mugwort, a plant used to flavor some Asian desserts (the only other time I had it was also in Japan, and it was used ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese nezu tokyo bakery nezunopan megwort bread red beans 4.5