Bucheon bakery, last barley loaf for a balsamic brunch: Chamsae Bori

What kind of bakery is Chamsae Bori Sikppang in Bucheon?

Chamsae Bori Sikppang (참새보리식빵), Bucheon main branch, is a bakery specializing in barley sikppang (milk-bread-style loaves), near Bucheon Station and Bucheon Jayu Market. It's known as an easy-on-the-stomach, good-value healthy bread, and even on a weekday there were crazy crowds!! It's also famous as a bakery for people watching their blood sugar, since it offers healthy bread.

How do Chamsae Bori's 3 sticky barley loaves differ?

The bakery's loaves come in three kinds: Grand Prize sticky barley, grain sticky barley and rye sticky barley. It's considered a must-visit on a Bucheon bakery tour, and apparently it won the Grand Prize on SBS's Master of Living (생활의 달인) and was named the No. 1 loaf in Korea.

• No. 1, Grand Prize sticky barley: the loaf a master baker reportedly raved about
• No. 2, grain sticky barley: presented as good for managing blood sugar
• Rye sticky barley: said to be a loaf for gut health

It's the tastiest loaf in Bucheon, with a chewy, mild flavor, and since it's a handmade loaf baked with Korean-grown barley, I'd recommend it for everyone from kids to adults.

Can you still buy barley bread at 10:30 on a weekday?

Even around 10:30 a.m. on a weekday, the loaf shelves at Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch, were almost empty. The bread is fermented at low temperature for 72 hours so it's gentle on the stomach, and they say they use only healthy ingredients with no preservatives or additives, putting out freshly baked loaves from early every morning.

It's so popular that even at about 10:30 on a weekday the loaf shelves were totally empty T_T The grain sticky barley loaf I wanted, I didn't even get to see.

Why the shelves got busier after TV's Master of Living

Grand Prize, No. 1 in the loaf category of SBS Master of Living's bread war! It was popular before, but it seems to have gotten even more popular after appearing on the show. At this branch, No. 1 is the Grand Prize sticky barley and No. 2 is the grain sticky barley. The rye sticky barley is a bit smaller than those two, which may be why there was still stock.

Getting the last Grand Prize barley loaf while it cooled

The shelves were out of bread, and I got the Grand Prize sticky barley that was cooling as the very last one... Bread comes out when they open and no more is made after it sells out, so if I'd been just a little later I wouldn't even have seen it.

The loaf was so fresh it hadn't even been packaged yet, and I happily skipped off with it. Still, I got the No. 1 Grand Prize sticky barley loaf, and that's something! One bite gives a nutty barley flavor and a chewy, moist texture.

How to get a free financier with a receipt review

The bakery also sells madeleines and financiers (small almond butter cakes), and if you write a receipt review they give you a financier as a gift. I couldn't miss that, so I firmly bought the last Grand Prize sticky barley loaf, wrote the receipt review, and took home my financier!!

The owner and all the staff were kind, and they answered every question I had so nicely, which I loved~

Tasting the strawberry jam and mascarpone milk cream

There's strawberry jam and also mascarpone milk cream, and I agonized so much over whether to buy the creamy white mascarpone milk cream too!! There's a sample piled high with mascarpone milk cream, so whenever you buy a loaf you end up trying one, haha.

Is the Grand Prize barley loaf still chewy the next day?

Even eaten the next morning as brunch, the Grand Prize sticky barley loaf kept its chewiness. The crust was firm, the inside chewy, and not at all dry; even just dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar the bread was so good that I got to enjoy a lovely home brunch.

It was popular before and keeps getting more popular, so unless you go right when they open, getting a loaf seems really hard T_T