「食べログ パン 百名店 2026」発表！“塩パン発祥”の店が初選出！一方 ブーム終焉の高級食パン店が挑む新たな進化｜TBS NEWS DIG

This article is about bread, a breakfast staple. Do you remember the boom in high-end white bread a few years ago? While the boom is over, a certain product using this white bread has become popular. We interviewed the shop about their new venture. The "Tabelog Top 100 Bread Shops 2026" were announced the day before yesterday! 100 shops were selected from each of three areas across Japan as "Must-Visit Bread Shops." Returning from last year's selections are "Pelican," which boasts unwavering popularity for its simple yet never-tiring white bread, and "Zopf," a specialty shop for crispy, freshly fried curry bread. Many well-known shops among bread lovers have firmly established themselves. And, making its first appearance in the "TOKYO" area this year is… Reporter: "This shop has a wonderful buttery aroma that wafts even outside." This is the first Tokyo branch of "Pan Maison," a shop in Ehime Prefecture said to be the birthplace of salt bread. The shop's most popular item is, of course, salt bread. This special soft French bread is filled with plenty of butter, topped with rock salt, and baked to a crisp. At a reasonable price of 120 yen each, most customers buy multiple loaves! Customer who bought 4 salt breads: "The butter flavor is really strong, and the buttery taste really soaks in. I love salt bread and buy it often." Customer who bought 10 salt breads: "Butter. It's all butter. It's so juicy, and I like it best when it's fresh." The shop itself seems very pleased to have been selected as one of the "Top 100 Bakeries." Katsutake Hirata, President of Pan Maison Tokyo: "It's incredibly gratifying to receive an award for something tangible. In particular, we are extremely happy that our customers chose us." Meanwhile, the "high-end bread boom" is still fresh in our memories. With the end of that boom and rising raw material and labor costs, the number of bakery bankruptcies had been on the rise in recent years. However, last year saw a significant reversal, with a substantial decrease. What exactly is going on? We visited a shop that spearheaded the past boom… Reporter: "This shop sells sandwiches." The display case wasn't filled with sliced ​​bread, but with various kinds of sandwiches. Yes, that's right! Owner, Takashi Kato: "The high-end sliced ​​bread boom ended after about two or three years, so we decided to start making sandwiches using that high-end bread." Originally, this shop only sold high-end sliced ​​bread (two loaves for 854 yen), but as the boom subsided, they started selling more affordable sandwiches using that bread. Now, it's a well-established local bakery. Customer: "It's like getting two treats in one! The bread is delicious, and they've thought about the combinations to go with it, which is great." Yes, that's right! Owner, Takashi Kato: "Sales are going well, and sandwiches are one of our main products." A bakery evolving with the times. It seems their new challenges will continue. ▼TBS NEWS DIG Official Website: https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/ ▼Subscribe to our channel [Easier access to the latest news]    / @tbsnewsdig   ▼NEWS DIG Latest News [Important information close at hand] https://www.google.com/preferences/so... ▼Submit information here: "TBS Insiders" https://www.tbs.co.jp/news_sp/tbs-ins... ▼Submit video here: "TBS Scoop Submission" https://www.tbs.co.jp/news_sp/toukou.... #news #TBS #newsdig