Japanese Bakehouse: the art of shokupan & other recipes

Japanese Bakehouse: An intimate conversation with Satoshi Narusawa and Harvard Wang

Some book launches are especially close to our hearts, and this is one of them. Satoshi and Harvard are friends as well as customers of ours, and we’re delighted to celebrate their new book, Japanese Bakehouse, at Books for Cooks. We've been priviliged to witness the journey of this book from concept to contract, draft, proof, and finally published.

Satoshi trained as a pastry chef in Tokyo before moving to Australia, where his passion for Japanese bread led him to begin making shokupan. Its popularity inspired him to open Little Cardigan in Melbourne in 2018. His co-writer, Harvard Wang, is a photographer, food writer and restaurant reviewer.

Satoshi’s Little Cardigan bakery has introduced many Melburnians to the pleasures of Japanese shokupan: that wonderfully soft, fine-textured bread that makes such a good sandwich. But there’s a whole world of Japanese baking beyond the loaf, and Japanese Bakehouse is a delicious invitation to explore it.

With more than 80 recipes, the book ranges from breads, buns and sandwiches to French–Japanese pastries. Among them are black sesame croissants, brioche noir and peanut butter and miso cookies, as well as shokupan sandos filled with strawberries and cream or pork katsu. The recipes also explain the techniques behind shokupan’s distinctive texture, with guidance on making the jams, creams and condiments that bring everything together.

We’ll be settling in for an intimate conversation with Satoshi and Harvard about their work and the making of the book. Amanda will be baking from its recipes, with tastes to enjoy as we explore shokupan and some of its many possibilities.

We’re looking forward to an evening of good conversation, good baking and the pleasure of sharing it all with friends. We hope you can join us.

Tim and Amanda
Books for Cooks

FAQs

Will the event be held outside?

Yes, subject to weather, the event may be held under the Market sheds behind our bookstore. We recommend dressing warmly.

Will the tastes prepared by you cater for food allergies and specialty diets?

No. We will endeavour to choose taste options that cater for most people. Our kitchen is not gluten-free.

Can I buy Japanese Bakehouse?

Yes, copies will be available for purchase on the night.

Can I bring a book I purchased elsewhere to be signed?

Please don't. We subsidise our events and buying a book from us makes our events sustainable. If you do bring a book purchased elsewhere, please consider supporting our events program by buying another book

I can't attend the event, can I buy/pre-order a signed copy of the book?

Yes. Copies will be available for signing and purchase on the night. If you can't attend, we can organise to post signed and personalised copies to you. Please call to arrange.

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

If you haven't visited the bookstore for a few years, please note we have moved to the northern side of the Queen Victoria Market. Our address is 115-121 Victoria Street (next to A Shed)

We recommend public transport.

The 19, 20, 57, 59 (Elizabeth St)and 55 (William & Peel St) trams go past the Queen Victoria Market and run frequently. We are in the Free Tram Zone and are a short 50m walk from the Elizabeth St Queen Victoria Market stop and the Peel St Queen Victoria Market stop. The new Victoria St stop is directly in front of the bookshop. State Library, Parkville, Melbourne Central and Flagstaff railway stations are two blocks away.

If driving, there is plenty of metered parking on Queen St near the corner of Victoria St. There is also limited parking on Victoria Street outside the store.

What is the refund policy?

Tickets are not refundable.

Is my registration/ticket transferable?

Yes - to another person - just have them present your ticket on the evening.

I have a ticket but can't attend.

Space and tickets are limited. We will have a waiting list. If you can't attend having booked, please either give your ticket to someone else or let us know so we can issue your ticket to the next person on the wait list.