Gunsan bakery sweet potato cake for Dad’s 70th: Hongyun Bakery

For my dad’s 70th birthday, I got him a sweet potato whipped-cream rice cake from Gunsan, made with easy-to-digest rice flour.

When people think of bread in Gunsan, everyone thinks of Iseongdang first, right? But tucked away in a Suseong-dong alley is a bakery that locals quietly treasure. 🍞

It’s Hongyun Bakery (홍윤베이커리). It even appeared in the film Handsome Guys. 🎬 This time, I went to buy a cake for Dad’s 70th-birthday table. But I couldn’t just look at the cake and leave. While browsing the bread, this looked delicious too, and I was already wondering what I should take home next time. 👀

A rice-flour bakery that doesn’t use imported wheat

I spotted a phrase on the menu that made me go, huh? It said they “don’t use imported wheat.” 😳 I got curious and read every ingredient label, and they bake with rice flour, Korean wheat, and glutinous barley.

Rice flour is simply rice that has been finely ground. They use it as a main ingredient instead of wheat flour, and the sign said rice-flour baked goods are gluten-free and easy on the stomach. You know those people who feel bloated whenever they eat wheat bread? That’s when I understood why they come all the way here! 💡

Of course, not every bread is flour-free. Some breads do contain wheat flour, so check the ingredient labels carefully if you’re sensitive to it. 🌾

There was also a certification from the Korea Bakers Association saying this is Gunsan’s first rice-flour bakery.

A hygienic display case that opens with a button

I stopped again while looking at the bread display. Why was there a button on the case? 🔘 Where had I seen this before… I’d only seen one once before, at a shabu-shabu restaurant.

Press the button and the door slides open. 😳 It normally stays closed and opens only when you pick something up. When bread sits exposed at room temperature, dust settles on it and it dries out, right? Here, they’ve stopped that with one simple button. 👏

You can really feel how serious they are about bread hygiene from that button.

Browsing the shelves, from the sugar-free corner to jam

The shelves had more than I expected. 🥖 From plain rice-flour sandwich bread to glutinous-barley bread and ciabatta. There’s also a SUGAR FREE corner on one side, with vegan bread, barley bread, and ciabatta gathered together. 🌿

For anyone cutting back on sugar, these would be just right to pick up as a gift. 🎁

The egg tarts, Basque cheesecake, and potato bread really caught my eye, but the cake was the mission that day, so I saved them for next time. Egg tart is on my list next time! 🤤

Next to the register were real blueberry jam and peanut jam, too. If you buy them with bread, breakfast would be so much more filling, right? ☕

The sweet potato whipped-cream rice cake for Dad’s 70th-birthday table

Okay, now for today’s star. 🎂

I chose the No. 3 whipped-cream rice cake, ₩45,000. It has rice cake layers covered in whipped cream and topped with roasted sweet potato. Since it was going on Dad’s 70th-birthday table, I chose a dignified design. We were having it the next day, so it went straight into the fridge as soon as I got home. 🧊

At first, I chose a sweet potato cake thinking, “It’ll probably be similar to a chain bakery cake.” But one bite and—whoa!! The sweet potato mousse was tangy and smooth like yogurt. It wasn’t the heavy, cloyingly sweet kind of cake you expect from a bakery. The finish was fresh, so the older guests kept reaching for more.

At Dad’s 70th-birthday table, this cake was wildly popular with the older guests. (≧∇≦)/

I guess adults really have a soft spot for sweet potato cake, haha.

The rice castella cake I received on the house

When I paid, the owner slipped one extra item in for me: a rice castella cake, on the house. 🥹 I couldn’t resist taking a bite on the way home, and why was it this soft? Maybe because it’s made with rice—it just melts away in your mouth. 🤍

The one thing I regret is not buying milk to have with it. (ㅠ_ㅠ) Cold milk is the only right answer with this castella! They sell drinks here too, so why didn’t I grab one? I really regretted it. Next time, milk goes in the basket first. 🥛

When you’re craving bread that goes easy on your stomach

Hongyun Bakery shows you what “easy-on-the-stomach bread” can be. The rice flour makes it feel less heavy, and the cake wins over older palates too. If you’re wondering about a cake for your parents as a gift, how about Hongyun Bakery?

Things to know before visiting

• Rice flour is the main ingredient, but some breads contain wheat flour, so be sure to check the ingredient labels.
• I bought the cake right away during my visit, but the bakery advised asking ahead for the design and size you want, just to be safe.
• They said Gunsan Love Gift Certificates can be used in paper, card, and mobile forms, and that ZeroPay and Kakao Pay are accepted too.