30-second microwave potato bread in Sokcho: Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread

Hi everyone!! When you think of a Sokcho trip, you probably think of mulhoe (raw fish in cold broth) or sulbbang (rice wine bread).

But lately I've found it's fun to hunt down tasty breads or snacks while traveling around Sokcho too 🤤 This time, while looking for something to try with my family in Sokcho, I discovered Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store.

Especially the bultan gamjabbang (burnt potato bread) with a look I'd never seen before, and jjondeugi (chewy taffy snack) with a strange squid-like texture!

What Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store is like inside

Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store is a potato bread bakery on Sokcho's Haksapyeong-gil, and the shop itself was pretty distinctive from the start. From outside, colorful characters were painted on the walls, so it felt less like a typical bakery and more like a little souvenir shop you'd find at a tourist spot.

Stepping inside, it was cleaner than I expected, and there was a seating area on one side where you could eat sitting down. It'd be good either way — grabbing something to go, or resting a bit. Best of all, it wasn't a crowded, chaotic place, so I could browse and choose at my own pace. What caught my eye most here was, of course, the bultan gamjabbang.

Squid ink bultan gamjabbang: chewy outside, fluffy inside

The bultan gamjabbang is potato bread made with squid ink, apparently, and the outside has a grayish color that somehow makes it feel more upscale?

The outside is chewy, but the inside is packed with soft, fluffy potato.

Gangwon-do means potato, right? They say they use roasted potato, and you could definitely taste that clean, nutty flavor unique to potato. The chewy bread outside and fluffy potato inside matched way better than I expected.

How to reheat potato bread: 30 seconds in the microwave

The bultan gamjabbang was even better warmed up in the microwave. I brought it home and didn't eat it right away — I had it the next day, microwaved for about 30 seconds. Chewy on the outside??

Warming it up made the chewy outer skin so much softer and more elastic, and the potato inside got warm too, bringing out even more of its nutty flavor. Chewy outside, fluffy potato through and through inside!

The cold version and the warm version felt completely different. Cold, you really notice the chewy texture; warmed up, the potato's fluffiness and nuttiness come through more. Once I tried it myself, I understood why they tell you to reheat it.

(They say it comes out crispy outside, soft inside if you use an air fryer!!)

Squid jjondeugi we kept reaching for in the car

The squid jjondeugi I kept reaching for while driving!! This thing was sneakily addictive.

The unexpected standout was actually the jjondeugi. There's a subtle squid aroma, but it's not an overpowering flavor — the more you chew, the chewier it gets, and I kept reaching for more. We ate it while driving around, and it was the perfect snack to pop one at a time behind the wheel.

It's not sweet or intense, so there's no guilt, and when your mouth's a little bored, having one makes you crave another. A mild, understated charm that's oddly addictive. If you'll be doing a lot of driving around on a Sokcho trip, packing a snack like this seemed like a pretty good idea.

Sokcho trip snacks that work as gifts too

Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread's packaging was clean and tidy, so it also seemed good for gifting. Especially since everything is individually packaged, it'd be easy to buy several and hand them out to family or friends.

If you're looking for a food souvenir to bring back for people around you after a Sokcho trip, this seems like a solid option. Best of all, it's freezer-safe, so buying a lot at once isn't much of a burden. Even if you can't finish it all right away, you can freeze it and reheat it whenever you want. It seems like a good fit for people like me who like to slowly browse and take their time choosing what to buy while traveling. Recommended as a Sokcho trip snack!

Is Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread worth a stop in Sokcho?

Having tried everything, I get why so many people seek this out as a Sokcho bakery must-visit. The bultan gamjabbang especially sparks curiosity with its unusual look at first sight, and once you eat it, the clean potato flavor and chewy texture make it memorable. Personally, I'd recommend the method of warming it up briefly in the microwave.

If you're looking for a Sokcho bakery must-visit or a Sokcho bakery café, give Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store a try. Rather than a hectic, crowded line-up-and-grab atmosphere, you can browse at your own pace and pick out the snacks you want, which made it easy to slot into the middle of a travel itinerary without any pressure.