Bucheon bakery stop before a child's hospital checkup: Chamsae Bori

Chamsae Bori Sikppang (참새보리식빵), Bucheon main branch, is famous as a Bucheon bread spot. I'd walked past people waiting in line for ages and wondered what the fuss was about, but it was always sold out or closing early, so I'd only been looking from the outside for months. This time my child had a checkup at a university hospital, and I happened to pass by right around opening time, so I finally stopped in.

How long is the weekday open-run wait at Chamsae Bori Sikppang?

I arrived around 10:10am on a weekday, and it took about 20 minutes to buy and get back out. The shop is said to have won the Grand Prize on SBS's Master of Living (생활의 달인) and been picked as Korea's No. 1 loaf of bread nationwide, so I wondered whether it was just hype or actually tasty.

People were already lined up 5 minutes before opening, and I thought I should hurry, but there was nowhere good to park nearby, so I ended up a bit late.

I got there around 10:10 and was out in about 20 minutes, and I could watch lots of loaves selling out fast. They say bread goes even faster on weekends, so an early run and a wait really are a must. Yes, this is a legit Bucheon bread spot.

What's the difference between the 3 barley loaves?

The loaves sold at Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch, come in 3 kinds: rye barley, grain barley and Grand Prize barley.

They all look pretty similar from the outside, but the taste and density differ a little, and the owner thoughtfully marked them in order of best sellers, so picking wasn't hard.

Walk in and the toasty, delicious smell of bread wafts out. The loaves sell out fast, yet they keep baking more inside, which made me think, yep, this is the real deal. They also sell the potbelly financier (배불뚝 휘낭시에), so I grabbed some of those too.

It depends on taste, but most people buy at least one Grand Prize barley loaf, praised by a master baker. People who can't eat bread often because of blood sugar go for the grain barley loaf, and those who find wheat flour hard on the stomach mostly picked the rye barley loaf.

I picked one of each so I could compare, and I was so curious how they'd taste even before buying.

What ingredients go into Chamsae Bori Sikppang bread?

They say they use New Zealand premium butter and 100% fresh cream. Above all, there's no margarine, so the bread feels softer and easier to digest.

I suppose that's because, to win that prize, they only serve loaves kneaded by hand from the early morning every day, shaped by hand and baked with care. You can see the effort they put into warm, fresh bread right there in the shop.

These are the selling points the shop advertises.

• 72-hour cold fermentation for bread that's easy on the stomach
• Only healthy ingredients, with no preservatives or additives
• Freshly baked loaves served from early morning every day
• Master-baker-praised Grand Prize barley loaf / best-for-blood-sugar grain barley loaf / rye barley loaf for gut health

Taste ranking of the 3 barley loaves

Personally, I liked them in this order: Grand Prize barley loaf > grain barley loaf > rye barley loaf.

Counter tasting: mascarpone milk cream

At the register there's also a sample of mascarpone milk cream bread. The plain loaf is already chewy, soft and tasty, but they sell the mascarpone milk cream too, and it's good eaten together like this.

Eating it at home: a good snack for kids?

As soon as I got home, I tore into one of each! After eating bread in the morning, I often feel not lasting fullness but fake hunger right away, and my blood sugar spikes. But this bread is soft and chewy enough that I'd happily pack it as a snack for my kids. Kids especially love bread that's good plain, and this is exactly that style.

These days lots of fancy loaves cost over ₩10,000 each, but Chamsae Bori Sikppang's prices are reasonable, which I think makes it even more popular. I'd wondered why people stand in that long line, but after one visit I get why they queue and buy so much. It's good as a kids' snack, good as a gift for older folks, and good to eat at home: a proper Bucheon bread spot.

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch: hours and prices

• Address: 183-1 Gyeongin-ro, Sosa-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea (1st floor)
• Closed: every Monday / Thursday
• Opens: 10am on Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun
• Grand Prize barley loaf (praised by a master baker): ₩6,000
• Grain barley loaf (best for blood sugar): ₩6,500
• Rye barley loaf (for gut health): ₩3,700