Bucheon barley bread bakery, 3 loaves compared at camp: Chamsae Bori

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch (참새보리식빵 부천본점) is a barley loaf bakery that won the top prize on SBS's "Master of Living" (생활의 달인), and it's billed as the number one barley bread shop in Korea🏅 I kept hearing about the endless queues and how you might miss out if you don't go early, so I ran all the way from Yeongdeungpo to Bucheon. The idea that barley bread doesn't taste good? Totally gone. It turns out to be healthier and tastier🫶 It's also easy on the stomach afterward, so I especially recommend it to people like me who love bread but find it heavy to eat a lot of. Here's my barley loaf story.

Chamsae Bori Sikppang Bucheon main branch: hours and closing days

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch is open from 10:00 to 20:00 and closed every Monday and Thursday. It closes early once all the bread sells out, it's takeout only, and there's no parking.

• Hours: 10:00-20:00
• Closed: every Monday and Thursday
• Closes early when everything sells out
• Note: takeout only
• Parking: not available

How to walk to Chamsae Bori Sikppang from Bucheon Station

From Bucheon Station, walk about 5 minutes past Bucheon Free Market (부천자유시장) and you'll spot Chamsae Bori Sikppang. It's on the corner across the crosswalk at an intersection, so it was easy to find.

Can you still buy loaves at 11:30am on a weekend?

I got to Chamsae Bori Sikppang's Bucheon main branch around 11:30am on a weekend, and luckily there was no wait. There weren't a huge number of loaves, but all three kinds were still available☺️ The shop closes early when the day's bread sells out, usually around 3pm.

If you join the shop's group chat, they announce sellouts every day, so it's worth checking to avoid a wasted trip.

What goes into Chamsae Bori Sikppang's barley loaves?

Chamsae Bori Sikppang says it uses no margarine and no preservatives, and instead uses premium New Zealand butter. A healthy bread, no less.... Looking around the shop, I could totally see why so many people keep coming back to this Bucheon loaf bakery.

They advertise 10 times more dietary fiber than rice and 70 hours of "silent fermentation" and so on. Doesn't it just feel like it must be healthier and tastier!? haha

Tasting zone: Daesang loaf with mascarpone milk cream

The Bucheon main branch has a tasting zone that shows real pride in its bread, and you can try the Daesang loaf piled with mascarpone milk cream. Wow........ this is seriously good❗️ Totally worth the trip all the way here 😭 After one bite I couldn't not buy it, so I ended up getting 2 Daesang loaves.

The mascarpone milk cream goes so well with the bread that I wanted both, but the cream has to be kept refrigerated. I was worried it would melt in the weather outside, so I reluctantly skipped it🥲 Suddenly I was so jealous of people who live nearby... They also have strawberry jam besides the milk cream.

Which of the 3 barley loaves to buy for a camping trip

After some deliberation, I took 2 Daesang loaves plus one grain loaf and one rye loaf. Honestly, I'm not a big raspberry fan, so I'd planned to skip the rye loaf. But it's such a famous shop, and after trying it myself it was way better than I expected. I felt I wouldn't be satisfied until I'd tried every one, so since I'd come all this way, I loaded up☺️

Free financier and purchase coupon

Besides the three main loaves, the only other item is the financier (a small almond butter cake). You get one free if you write a Naver receipt review, so I wrote one right away.

When you buy a loaf you also get a coupon, which can be exchanged for various goods or bread, so regulars probably enjoy using them.

My generous haul of barley loaves❣️ I felt so content. All 4 came to just over ₩20,000, which, given bread prices these days, makes this a very reasonably priced Bucheon loaf bakery.

Daesang vs grain vs rye barley loaf: how do they taste?

The weather was perfect, so I took the loaves straight to a campsite and tried one of each😋

Daesang sticky barley loaf: a bread lover's top pick

The bread lover's top pick is, of course, the Daesang barley loaf🍞 It really gets better the more you eat. No wonder it won the Master of Living grand prize👏👏 It's moist and soft, and it seems sweet but isn't haha. Plus it has that chewiness barley is known for, so I could easily eat 3-4 slices in one go.

Grain sticky barley loaf: nuttier and plainer

The grain barley loaf tastes slightly nuttier and plainer than the Daesang. The texture is a bit coarser, I'd say? I'd recommend it to people who like grains.

Rye sticky barley loaf: a surprise favorite

The rye barley loaf, the one I expected least from, was clearly sweeter and richer, probably because more ingredients go into it. It turned out to be surprisingly my style, and I was moved eating it.

Is barley bread easy on the stomach the next day?

That day I ate about a third of each loaf, yet my stomach felt really fine the next day. Normally, after eating a certain amount of bread, getting gassy is the default, but this is clearly a health bread, so I think it'd be easy on older folks too. It was such an impactful Master of Living grand prize bakery that Bucheon now makes me think of barley loaves first🤩 I strongly recommend giving it a try.