Akipan is a small Japanese bakery and toast cafe at Shop 3/2/14 Bunn St, Pyrmont. It bakes shokupan, the soft Japanese milk bread, and sells it by the loaf. I paid $28 for the Premium White, and the doors are open Thursday to Saturday, 7am to 6pm.
I got there by accident. I’d had a meal in Pyrmont and was walking past when the smell reached me, milky and warm, well before the shop came into view.
The shop is tiny and it was packed with locals ordering takeaway. Loaves sit behind glass in clear bags, each with a label and a QR code under the word “Instruction”. On the table where I ate, the wooden stirrers stand in an old Pommery mustard jar.
The Bread and Shokupan
There are three white loaves: Premium White, Yudane White and Soft Milk Loaf. Matcha, raisin and wholemeal sit next to them.
Premium and Yudane share the same Japanese flour. Akipan says its flour is imported from Hokkaido. The only difference is butter, which the Premium has, and it smells richer for it. Yudane, in case the word is new to you, is a technique where part of the flour is cooked with hot water first, so the dough holds more moisture. The bread stays soft for longer because of it.
I brought home the Premium White and a round matcha loaf, and the matcha won. The hojicha loaf had sold out, so that’s the one I’m after next time.
How much
At the counter, $28 felt like a lot. The loaves are long and big, though, and mine lasted a week.
The shop hands out bags for splitting a loaf into portions. Freeze them and toast a slice when you want one. On day one the bread was a touch drier than I’d expected, then it softened after a couple of days on the bench. I turned some of it into French toast at home, which was very good.
The Mochi Toast
Toast is made to order here, and I went for the mochi one. The bread came out dark and well browned, with pieces of soft mochi across the top and brown sugar syrup pooled in the gaps. There was a golden dusting over everything that I’m fairly sure was kinako, roasted soybean flour. One corner had burnt a bit, and it didn’t bother me.
The bread was soft with a little chew. The mochi and syrup took me straight back to hong tang ci ba, the Chinese brown sugar rice cake. It’s sticky and sweet, and a mess to eat. A review from late 2024 listed the toasts at around $15 to $18. The loaves have gone up since then, so trust the current menu over that number.
For more to do this break, try our things to do with kids listings or the dessert cafes category.
Before You Go
- Address: Shop 3/2/14 Bunn St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
- Hours: Thursday to Saturday, 7am to 6pm when I went. A late-2024 review also listed Tuesday and Wednesday, so Instagram (@akipan_sydney) is where to confirm. Not Quite Nigella
- Premium White loaf: $28
- Website: akipan.com.au
Questions About Akipan
What is shokupan?
It’s soft Japanese milk bread, a fluffy white loaf that stays moist for days. Akipan bakes it fresh and sells it by the loaf.
Is Akipan open on weekends?
Saturdays, yes. Sundays, no. The hours I saw ran Thursday to Saturday.
Can you freeze the bread?
I did. The shop gives you bags to portion a loaf, and I toasted slices as I went.
Do they serve coffee?
Akipan serves matcha, hojicha, coffee and tea alongside the bread and toast.