Fluffy, rich egg bread is what you’ll find at this specialist bakery in Azabujuban. The unique recipe hails from Sumihira Ryokan at Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo prefecture. Motosoe is known for its cube-shaped egg bread, which the bakery has been making for over 100 years. The shop is worth a visit for its interior alone, as the walls and ceiling are covered in countless tree branches and twigs resembling a bird's nest.
To give the bread the utmost eggy flavour, the buns are made with non-GMO organic eggs sourced from farms around Japan. After the bread comes out of the oven, it’s dusted with fine sugar and brûléed on top for a gorgeous caramelised coating. The egg bread is best eaten fresh, but it still tastes great the next day if you chill it in the fridge. The colder temperature will help give the bread a moist, pudding-like texture. If you've got more leftovers than you can handle, the bread also makes wonderful french toast when pan-fried with some butter.
Aside from the egg bread (¥540 each), the bakery also offers egg bread sandwiches (five pieces for ¥2,150) and fermented red bean castella cake (¥2,700). Due to the popularity of the bread, vouchers are distributed in the morning from 10.30am, with pick-up between 11am and 1pm. A second distribution starts at 1.30pm for pick-up between 2pm and 5pm.