What is Salt Bread? Origins of the Viral Asian Pastry
Written by Colette Nguyen
Salt bread has been popping up all over social media - and for good reason. Hailed for its rich, savory, buttery flavor and known for being “not too sweet”, this trendy pastry—also known as 소금빵 (sogeum-ppang)—originated from Korea with roots in Japan.
The History of Salt Bread
From what looks like a crossover of a croissant with a dinner roll, salt breads are baked with more than twice the butter content of other breads and sprinkled with salt on top. What makes it so delectable is its crispy exterior combined with a pillowy, fluffy interior. This is because as the bread bakes, the outer layer hardens and browns into a thin, crisp crust as the butter inside melts through the pastry, seeping through the bottom to give it that shiny finish.
Salt bread first became popularized in Seoul, South Korea, with many Korean bakery cafes offering the sweet and savory treat. Jayeondo Salt Bread became the flagship for this trend, with locations throughout Seoul specializing in the pastry.
Although salt bread became a viral sensation in South Korea, part of the influence comes from Japan’s salted butter rolls (shio-pan 塩パン). These East Asian pastries actually originate from European baking traditions of adding salt to sweets to enhance flavor. Think of pretzels in Germany, fougasse in France, and even pandesal in the Philippines, which has Spanish origins.
The Salt Bread Takeover
Taking inspiration from around the world to create our signature salt bread, the gals behind Sunkissed Bread & Bakery in Lakewood, CA put our own twist to this pastry by infusing nostalgic, Asian-inspired flavors we grew up with.
The Sunkissed Salt Bread lineup has something for everyone. Whether you're looking for a familiar flavor like Earl Grey, or a fruity treat like Guava Li Hing, there's something for everyone in our salt bread lineup. Follow us on Instagram to find our next pop-up event and grab a box of signature salt breads!
——————————————————————————————————————————————So, where does salt bread actually originate from? We’re not entirely sure either. What we do know is that there are different versions of salt bread around the world, across Asia and Europe, which have made their way to the United States.
The next time you’re craving some pastries, visit your local bakery or cafe to find some variation of salt bread—Korean, Japanese, Filipino, French. And check out Sunkissed Bread & Bakery to try our Original Salt Bread, Earl Grey, Guava Li Hing, and Honey Soy Garlic flavors!