FUJISAN BREAD

Worlds are colliding with this braided bread that tastes like brioche and is meant to look like Mount Fuji.

The bread of Fujisan is a world-trotting pastry of mystery. Named after Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest peak, the fluffy bread mountain combines a Japanese dough-making method with French pastry techniques to create a tender brioche-like bun with luxurious croissant layers. But as can be seen, by its Japanese and French influences, most of the recipes for this fusion food are in Chinese.

While the exact roots of Fujisan bread may never be uncovered, there are a few things that are clear about making a tender, golden-crusted treat. In contrast to typical French folded doughs, such as croissants, Fujisan bread must be made using tangzhong, a Japanese preparation of boiled water and flour that, once cooled, is folded into a dough mixture.

According to the bakers, this addition makes a softer bread with a creamy texture that stays fresh longer. As for the luxurious layers that give Fujisan bread its characteristic swirl, this comes from the skill of flipping as well as folding of the French pastry school known as lamination. The laminated dough is then tiled and swirled before it is placed in a snug container. And as the dough rises in the oven, it blossoms over the edge of the pan, erupting like its best-known volcano. A light dust of powdered sugar and snow-capped Mt. Fuji miniatures are ready to eat.

Author: Shobana Manokaran