No need to go to the bakery, because now the kitty bread can come to you!
Despite its deserved image as a major rice-consuming culture, Japan also loves bread. In addition to stand-alone bakeries, every single convenience store and supermarket has a selection of sweet and savory baked goods waiting for customers.
However, it’s only a few very special bakeries that sell Neko Neko Shokupan. Translating to “Cat Cat Bread,” it’s exactly what its name promises: a loaf of fluffy, delicious bread shaped like a kitty.
Unfortunately, not every community has its own local Neko Neko Shokupan branch, and even for those who can make it to one of the company’s bakeries, there’s always the danger that the day’s stock of coveted cat bread will be sold out by the time you get there. Thankfully, as of this month Neko Neko Shokupan is finally available for purchase online!
Online sales started on April 15, and three flavors are being offered: plain, chocolate and azuki (sweet red bean, a staple of traditional Japanese desserts). The bread is being sold in two-loaf sets bundled with chocolate pens for extra sweet cuteness, with two loaves of plain Neko Neko Shokupan going for 2,980 yen (US$28) and plain/chocolate or plain/azuki combos for 3,180 yen.
In addition to looking adorable, Neko Neko Shokupan boasts some mouthwatering ingredients, with the natural sweetness of the Hokkaido-grown flour accented by a generous amount of milk, honey, and butter, making this, especially in the chocolate and azuki flavors, a tempting dessert, not just a sandwich-building tool.
Neko Neko Shokupan can be ordered online here, and since you can be sure everyone you know is going to want a slice, it really is a good thing you have to order two loaves at a time.
Source: Neko Neko Shokupan via Entabe
Top image: All Hearts Online
Insert images: All Hearts Online, Neko Neko Shokupan
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