Baking & Snack - February 2025 - 114

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
Milk
Bread
Tom Cat Bakery brings Japanese
shokupan to the American consumer
by Lucas Cuni-Mertz
Tom Cat Bakery's
Japanese Milk
Bread is available
in Sandwich Bread,
Seeded Pullapart
Rolls and Burger
Buns.
New York City-based Tom Cat Bakery, a producer of
fresh and frozen artisan breads for foodservice and
retail, likes to keep its ear to the ground for the latest
products building buzz in bakery. Working closely
with its customers, including chefs of some of the
finest restaurants in New York, the bakery discovered
what soon would become its latest innovation:
Japanese milk bread.
Also known as shokupan, this enriched white
bread is similar to brioche but uses heavy cream instead
of butter as well as honey for a light sweetness.
" But what makes Japanese milk bread truly special
is the texture - a fluffy, springy crumb that only
comes from using yudane, a cooked flour and water
mixture, " explained Peter Sonenstein, vice president
of marketing, Tom Cat Bakery. " [Our customers] told
us they had very few options available in the United
States. After talking with customers, analyzing the
trends and researching the techniques required to
make the best, most authentic Japanese milk bread,
we knew this product would be an excellent addition
to our artisan bread portfolio. "
The bread was a natural fit for Tom Cat, which is
owned by Tokyo-based Yamazaki Baking. The bakery
quickly partnered with Yamazaki's master bakers to
learn how they make their high-end shokupan.
" We went straight to the source and obtained
numerous sample loaves from Japan and from
Yamazaki's retail bakeries in California, " Sonenstein
said. " During their trips to the US, the Yamazaki team
tasted a lot of samples and was excited to share
their expertise. Ultimately, we created bread that
114
Baking & Snack | february 2025 | bakingbusiness.com
both Japanese and American audiences loved. "
Tom Cat Bakery originally planned to make only
shokupan sandwich bread, but the bakery loved the
flavor and texture so much that it quickly added pullapart
rolls and burger buns as well. All three products
launched in foodservice in February last year, and the
sandwich bread and rolls launched in retail last fall,
with the burger buns being added in spring of 2025.
Sonenstein said feedback from chefs, consumers,
retailers and distributors alike has been enthusiastic.
" As awareness grows among consumers, we
expect the market for artisan Japanese milk bread
products to expand rapidly as an alternative to other
more common enriched breads like brioche, " he said.
Tom Cat's shokupan is well-positioned to capitalize
on the big shifts seen in the in-store bakery
in recent years, Sonenstein added, including a skew
toward younger shoppers without kids and growing
Generation Z interest in fresh bakery items.
" The dollar and unit growth over the past few
years has centered around the breakfast daypart, "
he observed. " Our Japanese milk bread products
are sized for smaller households, with half loaves of
sandwich bread and 8-packs of rolls. "
The bread is available at FreshDirect and Food
Bazaar in the New York City metro and distributed
through Bozzuto's Inc. in Connecticut. Both the sandwich
bread half loaves and 8-pack pull-apart rolls sell
for a suggested retail price of $7.99 and are distributed
frozen with a nine-day ambient shelf life after
thawing. All three breads are available to foodservice
customers nationwide through Dot Foods.
*
Tom Cat Bakery
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
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