Bread winner: Shio pan makes a comeback as bakeries roll out flavours from ham to kaya

SINGAPORE – The plain old shio pan has been having a glow-up recently.

The Japanese salted butter bun now comes with inventive fillings, including savoury ones like garlic cheese and honey ham, and sweet versions such as strawberry custard and kaya.

Believed to have originated at Pain Maison in Ehime Prefecture in late 2014, the crisp buttery rolls first appeared on local bakery shelves in 2015. They staged a comeback in 2021, buoyed by the Covid-19 pandemic baking craze.

Mr Eric Ng, 46, executive director of Swee Heng Bakery and founder of halal-certified bakery chain Crolo By Swee Heng, which specialises in croissants and “crorolls” (a combination of croissants and rolls), says shio pan with fillings and flavours have gained momentum since 2024.

“They are becoming a staple in the bakery scene,” he says.

Swee Heng 1989 Classic and Crolo introduced plain shio pan ($2) in 2023 before moving on to flavoured versions in October 2024 with items such as Garlic Cheese Shio Pan ($2.50).

Between July and August, Swee Heng Bakery rolled out eight new variations, among them Fish Fillet Cheese with Egg Shio Pan ($2.50) and Strawberry Custard Pudding ($3).

Mr Ng says: “As more and more bakeries are selling the original shio pan, it becomes common. Competition is keen, so sales for each brand will drop as everybody is vying for the same consumer dollar. The pie is only so big. We have to come up with new flavours to attract customers back to our brands.”

Japanese bakery chain Four Leaves, which began selling original shio pan in 2017, launched the Honey Ham Sio Pan ($2.40) at its St Leaven Bakery outlet in Takashimaya’s Food Hall in April 2024.

The chain’s general manager, Mr Chua Koon Yong Thomas, 63, says the launch was aimed at revitalising the sales of the original shio pan.

Honey-baked ham was chosen as the filling because it is a basic and familiar ingredient that most customers can relate to. Its taste also blends well with the texture and flavour of shio pan.

It took about a month to develop and test the recipe.

Bakeries specialising in the crescent-shaped bun are also driving the trend, offering a growing range of flavours and fillings.

More choices for consumers

For Butter Town, which began as a home-based bakery in August 2022 before opening its first hawker outlet at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre the following May, offering a range of shio pan with different flavours and fillings made business sense.

The bakery, started by two sisters, wanted to specialise in shio pan but needed to give customers choices.

Co-owner Serene Tan, 33, is not surprised that flavoured and filled versions have been well-received, as they are tastier and consumers perceive them as offering better value for money.

“Customers see them as more filling for the stomach than an ‘empty’ bun, even though it is flavoured with salt and butter.”

The bakery started with eight flavours, including Garlic Cheese Shio Pan ($2.80) and Black Sesame Mochi Shio Pan ($3). Its OG Shio Pan is $2.20, which will go up to $2.40 on Sept 1.

Butter Town’s range has since expanded to over 20 flavours in rotation, with the latest flavours being Kaya Shio Pan ($2.80) and Salted Egg Yolk Custard Shio Pan ($3.50), both launched in August.

Its popular Mentaiko Onion Shio Pan ($3.40) was discontinued in April due to a 30 per cent surge in the cost of imported mentaiko from Japan.

The bakery, which now has two outlets, says the flavour is in demand, but it is seeking a more sustainable source before considering a return, as raising prices too steeply would not be viable.

Co-owner and head baker Danielle Tan, 28, hit upon the idea of adding flavours and fillings while developing her recipe for the original shio pan in late 2020, before she even thought of turning it into a business.

A self-taught baker, she spent months baking shio pan daily, with family members roped in to taste her experiments.

Her sister Serene recalls that the family soon grew tired of eating the plain shio pan. Their mother began stuffing the buns with omelette, tuna and braised pork belly to break the monotony, sparking the idea for flavoured versions.

Future of shio pan

Butter Town has taken shio pan a step further by introducing its Shio Pan ATM, a vending machine that dispenses a rotating range of the bakery’s buns. The first machine was launched in Woodleigh in January, followed by a second one at Hillion Mall in August.

At any one time, each machine offers five to six flavours, such as Chicken Floss Shio Pan ($9 for a bag of three). The OG Shio Pan is $7.20 for a bag of three.

The selection differs slightly from what is available at the brand’s outlets. Certain flavours cannot be stored in the machines, such as Kaya Shio Pan, which has a preservative-free, coconut-heavy composition that requires controlled storage conditions.

Woodleigh’s Shio Pan ATM is restocked twice daily at 11am and 3.30pm, while the Hillion Mall machine is stocked once daily at 5pm. The machines automatically stops dispensing any unsold items at 10pm to maintain freshness standards.

At Shio & Sato, a pop-up at The Centrepoint that launched in October 2024, founder Genevieve Lee, 27, began baking flavoured shio pan in early 2024. She was inspired after tasting a kombu version in Japan and created her own. The pop-up, which will end by late 2025, now offers eight to 10 rotating flavours.

Shio & Sato draws on both Japanese and local influences, using ingredients such as matcha, spiced potato and kaya. Ms Lee believes variety is crucial.

“We have sweet and savoury flavours in a nod to our name – shio (salt) and sato (sugar). Variety is something that our customers can look forward to, so that there’s always something new to surprise them with.”

A new flavour for September is Corn Cheese Shio Pan ($5.80), a polenta-crusted bun with melted cheese, miso-spiked corn custard and torched fresh corn with thyme.

Ms Lee is optimistic about the appetite for shio pan. “I do expect this trend to last as long as brands continuously push to tickle the tastebuds of consumers, and come up with more exciting and unique ideas and flavours.”

Butter Town

Where: 02-35 Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, 44 Holland Drive (10am to 2pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays and Mondays); 01-37 CT Hub 2, 114 Lavender Street (8.30am to 2pm, Mondays to Fridays; closed on weekends)

Info: Go to

buttertown.sg

or pre-order at

take.app/buttertown

(pre-orders are available only in bags of three or five shio pan)

Butter Town’s Kaya Shio Pan ($2.80 each, $8.40 for a bag of three) is a fragrant nod to tradition.

Each bun is filled with kaya made fresh daily in a process which takes more than three hours over a bain marie. The result is a smooth, creamy spread that pairs well with the bun’s crisp, buttery base.

The Salted Egg Yolk Custard Shio Pan ($3.50 each, $10.50 for a bag of three) offers a savoury counterpoint. Salted egg yolks are steamed, blended with butter and whipped into a luscious custard. The filling melds with the golden crust for a decadent take.

St Leaven Bakery

Where: B208-1-2 Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 391 Orchard Road (10am to 9pm daily)

St Leaven Bakery’s Honey Ham Sio Pan ($2.40) tucks a slice of honey-baked ham into a crisp, buttery bun for a hearty snack. The savoury richness is lifted by a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes, which accentuate the contrast between the soft interior and the golden crust.

Shio & Sato

Where: 01-33F/G The Centrepoint, 176 Orchard Road (noon to 7pm, weekdays, 11am to 7pm on weekends)

Shio & Sato’s Hokkaido Milk Shio Pan ($5.80) is filled with a light, milky cream enriched with mascarpone for depth and smoothness.

Not too sweet, it balances the bun’s buttery base with a gentle richness.

Another popular choice is Azuki Butter Shio Pan ($6.50), which pairs Hokkaido-sourced red bean paste with a slab of salted butter, echoing the flavours of the much-loved anpan (red bean bun) in a crisp golden bun.

Gokoku Japanese Bakery

Info:

gokoku.com.sg/locations

Gokoku Japanese Bakery, under food service company RE&S Enterprises, offers its range of shio pan at 11 outlets.

The Peanut Shio Butter Pan ($2.30) is packed with peanut butter paste, the An Shio Butter Pan ($2.40) is filled with premium chunky Hokkaido red bean paste and Rennyu Shio Butter Pan ($2.30) features a housemade rennyu – a condensed milk cream.

Crolo By Swee Heng

Info:

crolo.com.sg/find-a-store

The Chicken Vienna Cheese with Egg Shio Pan ($2.50) pairs a locally made chicken sausage with cheese and egg in a crisp, buttery bun, making it a familiar hotdog-style option for a quick meal on the go.

For something sweet, the Mixed Fruit Custard Shio Pan ($3) combines milk custard with fresh kiwi, strawberries and canned peach, a fruit-tart twist best enjoyed after it has rested for five to 10 minutes out of the fridge.