Nestled at the foot of Mt. Yotei, amidst the vast nature of Niseko, lies the Okutsuchi Farm Stone Oven Bakery. Despite being surrounded by nothing but greenery, people who've heard the buzz about their bread, and those who have already fallen in love with it, visit one after another. Let's uncover the secret of what makes it so captivating.

Okutsuchi Farm Stone Oven Bakery started around the end of the 1990s. The Okutsuchi couple, who had moved from Kobe to Hokkaido, began the workshop literally from scratch while growing crops like pumpkins and beans. It's astonishing to hear that they even built an authentic stone oven by laying each brick one by one in between their farm work.
They say that leading up to the opening, they went through days of trial and error, making slight adjustments to the dough recipe and the stone oven's temperature. The inspiration was a bread that Mr. Morihisa Okutsuchi encountered in a provincial German city he visited for agricultural training. In pursuit of that unforgettable taste, he finally arrived at the bread of Okutsuchi Farm Stone Oven Bakery.
The authentic flavor that impresses even bread connoisseurs gradually built a reputation. As you enter the shop in Niseko and choose your bread, an indescribable aroma from the bread baking in the stone oven in the back fills the air. It's a heavenly space for any bread lover. Let's introduce a few of their recommended breads right away.
This rye bread uses about 80% home-grown and home-milled whole rye flour, and contains raisins, walnuts, and caraway seeds. It's packed with ingredients, giving it a satisfyingly dense weight. Its slight sourness pairs perfectly with cream cheese, and if you slice it thinly to accompany wine, a moment of pure bliss is undoubtedly guaranteed.
The pumpkin bread, with its subtle sweetness, is also popular. The secret to its sweetness is the generous amount of home-grown, fully-ripened pumpkin, whole-roasted in the stone oven and kneaded into the dough. You can enjoy its deliciousness whether you eat it as is, toast it, or warm it up in the microwave.
The mildly sweet raisin and walnut bread is recommended to be eaten toasted. Packed with raisins and walnuts, this bread is a big hit with female customers. Spreading some butter on it enhances the flavor even more.

Incidentally, the bread at Okutsuchi Farm Stone Oven Bakery is made using ingredients harvested right here as much as possible. So that's why the shop stands alone in the middle of the fields. When you visit the store, be sure not to miss the yellow sign.
For those who think, "It's a bit far to go to Niseko," you can also purchase their bread at "Kita Kitchen" in Sapporo's Aurora Town, Atsubetsu Ward, or in Asahikawa, depending on the day of the week. For detailed information, please check their official website below.

Once you try it, you'll surely want to eat it again. The bread from Okutsuchi Farm Stone Oven Bakery might just make you want to travel all the way to Niseko.


＜Okutsuchi Farm Stone Oven Bakery＞
Location: 421 Kondo, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: 0136-44-1095
Official Website: http://www.okutsuchi-farm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okutsuchi1979/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okutsuchi1979