Bucheon bakery win after two sellouts: Chamsae Bori Sikppang

Barley loaves from Chamsae Bori Sikppang, bought on the third try

I always have to try bread that's supposed to be delicious, and after three tries I finally managed to buy some from this famous Bucheon bread bakery. Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch proudly holds the Masters of Life grand prize, but especially on weekends, it's not easy to buy without doing an open run. Right before this visit, I went an hour after opening and found everything sold out.

After that happened, I made up my mind that I would eat it no matter what, so I really committed and managed to line up before opening time. Having been, I get why everyone waits in line to eat it! It's a healthy bread with barley that's good for you, so I'm planning to do another open run next time.

• Address: 183-1 Gyeongin-ro, Sosa-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: 10:00 - 21:00
• Closed every Monday and Thursday

72-hour cold fermentation and in-store purchase only

At Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch, they say the 72-hour long low-temperature fermentation creates gluten-breaking enzymes, making it a healthy meal-replacement bread that's easy on the stomach. Using only 100% domestic barley and fresh ingredients, you can taste bread baked fresh every morning. Delivery orders aren't possible—only in-store purchase. This kind of thing just makes consumers want it more, haha!

How long is the line 10 minutes before opening?

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch opens at 10am, and when I arrived 10 minutes early, a long line had already formed. I hurried to the back, and even before opening the line kept growing behind me. Listening to the people ahead of me, this bread draws people not just from Bucheon but from far away too.

They use eco-friendly barley, New Zealand grass-fed butter, high-calcium milk, fresh eggs, and a natural fermentation starter made in-house, so it really did feel like precious bread you can't find just anywhere.

Doing an open run for a famous Bucheon bread bakery only builds up the anticipation for the bread! Especially since a lot of the people waiting were elderly, it naturally gave me confidence in the quality of Chamsae Bori Sikppang's ingredients.

Sure enough, this place holds an impressive title—it won the SBS Masters of Life grand prize. It was also selected as Korea's number-one bread nationwide.

One group at a time: still a 15-minute wait after the open run

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch operates by letting one group in as one group leaves, once entry begins. Even after doing the open run, I still had to wait 15 minutes to get in. The bread selection was simpler than I expected.

Rye chapssal barley loaf and grain chapssal barley loaf

Rye chapssal barley bread (glutinous barley) is for gut health—the elderly person ahead of me grabbed ten of just this one. Curious, I grabbed one too.

Chamsae Bori Sikppang bread contains no chemical additives, preservatives, or margarine, so it seems like a good alternative food for people who need to manage their blood sugar. I also picked up a grain chapssal barley bread.

Skilled bakers make the bread in-house, and the low-temperature aging technique is meant to preserve the bread's natural flavor and texture as much as possible. Given the specs, the price is also fairly cheap relative to living costs, which is probably why everyone waits in line to buy it.

The bread sells out within an hour or two of opening, so there's no doubt about freshness at all. Being able to taste bread baked fresh every morning is another advantage of this place.

The free financier for a receipt review

I thought there wouldn't be anything besides barley bread, but they were also selling financiers. This cute financier is a free gift if you write a receipt review.

As a famous Bucheon bread bakery recognized by Masters of Life, you can trust and eat this bread without any worry.

Tasting samples with mascarpone milk cream

There was also a tasting bread with mascarpone milk cream spread on it, so I grabbed a few pieces while waiting. The cream had zero heaviness—light and soft.

Most of the people picking bread ahead of me bought heavy loads with both hands full. Luckily there's no per-person purchase limit, so quite a few people were leaving with their arms completely loaded.

Since it was my first time, I picked one of each kind, and I also got a free financier for participating in the receipt review. It wasn't too sweet, making it a perfect dessert to pair with coffee.

How the barley loaf tastes rolled up with cream cheese

I wondered how to eat the bread I'd bought at this famous Bucheon bread bakery, and decided eating it plain would be tastiest. Even though several hours had passed since it was made, the soft, fluffy texture of the bread was impressive.

I spread just one layer of cream cheese and rolled it up—it was the softest bread I've ever had. Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch, I loved being able to try bread that's healthy yet fluffy and delicious. Once I finish it all, I'll go buy more!