A cool idea from Coolish, and further proof that sweet bean paste makes everything better.

When you’re craving a snack, anpan (sweet bean paste bread) is never, ever a bad choice. Both sweet and substantial, anpan can be found at convenience stores and supermarkets across Japan, but if you want the really good stuff, it’s worth it to seek this treat out at dedicated bakeries, which is what recently had us on the train to Mitaka Station in Tokyo.

We were headed there to visit Toho Bakery, because while they’re not the only bakery in town that has anpan, they’re the only ones that have ice cream anpan.

Toho Bakery is a 10-minute bus ride from Mitaka Station, or a 25-minute walk if you’re feeling energetic/want to pre-bank some calories to spare before you enjoy this tempting double dessert. Whether you arrive by bus or on foot, though, it’s pretty easy to tell you’re in the right place, thanks to the bakery’s large-font signage and giant illustrated baker with an oversized baguette.

The ice cream anpan is a Toho project carried out in official conjunction with Japanese confectioner Lotte, maker of ice cream brand Coolish, which is so tasty that it can even bring virtual idols into the real world. Coolish’s hook is that it’s a drinkable soft ice cream sold in squeeze pouches…but what if instead of squeezing the ice cream into your mouth, you squeezed it into a piece of anpan?

That’s the idea Toho Bakery and Lotte came up with, and so in late June Toho started whipping up batches of Coolish-use Anpan.

If you’re wondering why they didn’t just call it “Coolish Anpan,” it’s because the baking process required to create bread is equally effective at melting ice cream, and so the Coolish has to be injected into the baked goods after they come out of the oven. What’s more, as a classy place that prides itself on high quality, Toho Bakery doesn’t want to pre-inject the ice cream before purchase and then leave the anpan to get soggy on the store’s shelves, so the 356-yen (US$2.20) Coolish-use Anpan is a set of one anpan bun and a mini Coolish pouch that’s given to you at the register, after which you squeeze in the ice cream yourself.

However, don’t make the mistake of assuming the Coolish-use Anpan is just a marketing name for a bundle of regular anpan and a Coolish. Toho Bakery actually created a different type of anpan specifically for this set. The sweet bean paste filling is less sweet than the bakery’s normal anpan, since it’s going to get an extra infusion of sweetness when the ice cream comes flowing in. The bread is also sized/shaped so that it has an air pocket at the top, giving it space for the ice cream to settle inside.

▼ Proportionally, the Coolish-use Anpan is taller than normal anpan, which usually has more of a dome shape.

Ice cream being a key ingredient means that time is a factor with the Coolish-use Anpan, and if you’ve got a long train ride home from Toho Bakery, taking an insulated bag and some ice packs with you wouldn’t be a bad idea. Of course, there are few things in life more difficult than resisting the urge to eat ice cream when you have some in your possession, and thankfully Toho Bakery has a few outdoor seats and tables where you can enjoy your bread immediately after buying it, which is what we did.

Coolish pouches have a pronounced plastic mouth, and while the original intended purpose is to make the pouch easier to drink from, this design point also makes it easy to stab the mouth through the top layer of the bun. Because the Coolish had just been taken out of the freezer, it was harder than usual, so it took a couple of strong squeezes to get it all in there…

…but we persevered.

Now it was time to taste the completed Coolish-use Anpan, and on a hot summer afternoon, it was pretty much perfect! Ice cream and sweet bean paste come from very different culinary lineages, but they actually go together extremely well, especially since Toho Bakery uses tsubuan, the type of sweet bean paste in which some beans are left unmashed, adding some enticing texture to the creamy mix that results from the addition of the Coolish. With a mixture of sweet and creamy flavors, the Coolish-use Anpan ends up being like a Japanese-style parfait that you can hold in your hand.

Now, if you’re thinking “Hey, couldn’t I squirt some Coolish into the anpan they sell at the convenience store closest to my apartment/hotel/ninja testing center in Japan?” the answer is yes, you can, and we can’t imagine it’d be anything short of delicious too. Like we said above, though, Toho Bakery’s Coolish-use Anpan is designed to make the combination as harmonious as possible, in terms of both flavor balancing and physical space.

▼ Some of Lotte’s official Coolish-use Anpan press photos

So if you can make it to Toho Bakery, it’s worth the trip to try the ultimate version of this sweets innovation, which is scheduled to be on sale until August 8, or while supplies last.

Bakery information
Toho Bakery / トーホーベーカリー
Address: Tokyo-to, Mitaka-shi, Shimorenjaku 1-9-19
住所　東京都三鷹市下連雀1-9-19
Open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (weekdays), 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Saturdays)
Closed Sundays, third Monday of every month
Website

Top image: SoraNews24
Insert images: SoraNews24, Lotte
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