POF Bakery (which stands for Product of Flour) is not in central Tokyo, but it’s well worth the trek to try out their unique baked goods. It’s also one of the few spots in the city that turns out fresh sourdough creations.
Owner and baker Takafuki Shibasaki found his love for sourdough when training in San Francisco and has never looked back. All the bread baked here is organic and ranges from crusty sourdough loaves to soft, fluffy shokupan (Japanese milk bread) that’s still favoured by many locals.
The sourdough comes in a few different varieties: a regular loaf as well as a fig or walnut option. Another rare thing to find in Tokyo is proper rye bread. POF spins out organic rye loaves as well as a more hearty cereal rye variation. There’s more than one type of shokupan, too, as you can get loaves with sweet raisins as well as a premium kakushoku, which is made with eggs and butter, giving it a brioche-like texture.
You’ll also want to pick up a few of the sweet items on hand including the decadent pain au chocolat, fig rhubarb bread, custard-filled buns and the seasonal croissants which come in unique flavours like pina colada and white chocolate pistachio.
To go along with their natural bread, you can also pick up bottles of natural wine here too.