Crumbs to Crunch

I have a new love and it is called melonpan. This sweet bread is everywhere in Japan, and when it’s fresh out of the oven, nothing can beat it. It is a light, sweet bread with a crisp top and can be recognised by the distinctive crosses etched onto it. The name comes from the fact that it apparently looks like a cantaloupe melon, rarely is the bread actually melon flavoured. As for 'pan', that is the japanese word for bread, which originates from Portuguese.  On my quest to eat as much melonpan as possible, I found myself at Asakusa Kagetsudo Honten. This tiny little shop near the Asakusa Temple in Tokyo is famous for its jumbo melonpan. Asakusa (Senso-jiin) is one of the most famous sights in Tokyo. This Buddhist temple was built in the seventh century. The big gate of thunder opens the way to a path lined by little huts selling Japanese souvenirs and snacks. Once you arrive at the temple, you can get good luck by wafting incense over yourself. You can even find o...

I recently came across an unusual and not entirely appetising sounding snack. How would you like to nibble on some athlete's foot? Japan is well known for its unusual food, whether its wacky ice cream flavours (I've heard that squid ice cream is a thing...) or their gung ho attitude towards raw meat, fish and eggs. Therefore it should have come as no surprise to me that my local bakery's speciality is called Mizumushi, or athlete's foot. Fear not! Instead of munching on a diseased body part, I was relieved to find out that Mizumushi is actually a type of bread. Each bread bun is shaped like a foot, with a light dusting of bread crumbs and sugar, representing the diseased aspect! Inside there are a variety of fillings. I went for the peanut cream, and I was not disappointed. Half-way between custard and peanut butter, it was certainly delicious. So just as you would never judge a book by its cover, don't be put off if a sweet snack has a slight...

Don't throw away your stale bread! Torrijas (pronounced tor-ee-hass) are a Spanish take on French Toast that has a cinnamon and zesty taste. You can use ordinary sliced bread but it tastes even better with old baguette. Torrijas are usually eaten during Holy Week  but I don't see why you can't eat it all year round! Here is my Spanish friend's recipe. Ingredients: Stale bread Milk Sugar Cinnamon Lemon Zest Oil Note: I haven't put any measurements as it depends on how much stale bread you have. You have to measure all the ingredients by eye and by how sweet/cinnamony you like your desserts! Method: 1. Measure out enough milk to cover all of your bread. Heat the milk in a saucepan with 1tsp cinnamon, some lemon zest and sugar to taste. 2. Leave the milk to cool down. 3. One the milk is cool, soak slices of stale bread in the milk. 4. Fry the soaked bread in a lot of oil. (Sorry, this is not the healthiest of recipes but it does taste amazing...

At Crumbs to Crunch we often turn to baked goods when the weather is bad . So it was a stroke of luck that in the midst of freezing rain and hail we suddenly found ourselves in the cosy interior of the Swedish Church Café . Situated near Edgware Road, the Swedish Church is a bit of a hidden gem. Sure, there is the largest Swedish flag that I have ever seen hanging outside, but we had to buzz to get into the building, and the café itself is tucked away down some stairs and round a corner.  Once you're there, it really feels like you've been transported to Stockholm. The lovely café is filled with Swedish magazines, all the signs are in Swedish and all the staff speak Swedish. In fact, we were the only non-swedes there. It seems like the perfect place to hang out for the home-sick Swede (or just those who love Sweden! I've watched enough episodes of The Bridge to make me a big fan of Scandanavia. Even if there do seem to be a lot of murders there.....