Bread Works Imabari: Hard-Crust Bread from a One-Man Bakery (Go in the Morning)

This is what one visit to Bread Works can look like when the shelves are still full.

Bread Works is a small bakery on National Route 317 in Imabari, about 2.6 kilometres south of Imabari Station.

One baker makes everything on the premises, which shapes almost everything about a visit here.

The shop’s own website says it plainly: there is only one craftsman, so large quantities cannot be baked.

Arrive on a Saturday at around three in the afternoon and you may find a sold-out sign already hanging at the shop.

If you want bread from Bread Works, the single most useful piece of advice is to come in the morning.

One of the few places in Imabari for hard-crust bread

Imabari has plenty of bakeries, but not many that make European-style hard-crust breads.

Bread Works is one of the few, and that is what it is known for locally.

Its website lists baguettes, boules, walnut and raisin loaves and baked cheese breads, and says that a different selection of French breads is baked every day.

The recipe and method for the French bread dough are described by the shop as its own secret.

Alongside the hard-crust breads there are sweet buns, filled savoury rolls, bagels, scones and naan.

The bacon and egg roll in the photograph above is one of the savoury ones, with melted cheese covering the top.

The blueberry muffin has whole berries baked through it rather than a scattering on top.

The cream bun is a soft, pale, rounded loaf of the kind found in Japanese bakeries rather than French ones.

What comes through in every account of this bakery, including the original Japanese article on this site, is that the flour itself tastes good.

Half sizes make it easy to try several breads

Most items here come in a standard size and a smaller version at roughly half the price.

Local writers have been describing this system for years, so it is part of how the shop works rather than a one-off.

For a traveller this is genuinely useful, because you can taste four or five different breads without carrying a heavy bag or wasting food.

The original Japanese article picked out a bun called mochimame as its favourite, a small chewy roll filled with sweet beans, sold five to a pack.

There was an edamame version of the same bun as well.

Maple rusks keep better than filled bread

The shop calls its maple rusks a long-standing favourite, and puts them on the front page of its website.

They are made from the bakery’s own French bread, sometimes cut into cubes and sometimes into slices.

Dry baked goods like these survive a warm day in a bag far better than a filled roll does.

If you are looking for something to carry home or to eat later in the trip, this is the item to ask for.

Go in the morning, and phone ahead if you can

The official opening time is 7:30, and the shop is closed on Mondays.

Local writers who have visited describe shelves that are already noticeably empty before ten in the morning.

The hard-crust breads have been announced as coming out of the oven later in the morning than the sweet buns and loaves, although those timings are the shop’s own and can change.

Bread can be reserved by telephone, and reserved bags have been seen waiting behind the counter.

If there is something you particularly want, phoning ahead is the reliable way to get it, though the call will be in Japanese.

Closing time appears as 18:30 on the official website while other listings give different figures, so treat the official website and the telephone number as the sources to trust.

Getting there

The shop is about 500 metres from the Katayama intersection on Route 317, on the right-hand side, with a branch of the Ehime Bank opposite.

The Fuji Imabari supermarket stands in the same neighbourhood and makes an easy landmark.

From Imabari Station it is about 2.6 kilometres by road, which is roughly ten to fifteen minutes by bicycle or a walk of thirty to forty minutes.

There is parking in front of the shop, but the space is small.

One thing worth being honest about is that this is not a bakery you pass on the way to the Shimanami Kaido.

Sunrise Itoyama, where most cyclists begin the crossing, is about 6.5 kilometres away in the opposite direction.

Bread Works suits people staying in central Imabari who want good bread before setting off, rather than riders who are already on the road to the bridge.

If you are picking up a rental bicycle in Imabari, our guide to rental cycle options in Imabari covers where to collect and return one.

Other bakeries in Imabari

Imabari has several long-running bakeries, and their closing days are spread across the week.

Bakery Shop Epi opens at six in the morning and closes on Tuesdays.

Boulangerie Soga opens at half past six and closes on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Seikado opens at seven and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Rilio no Pan opens at half past seven and closes on Sundays.

Because Bread Works also closes on Mondays, Epi or Soga is the better choice if that is the day you are in town.

Frequently asked questions

What time does it open? 7:30, according to the shop’s own website.

Which day is it closed? Monday.

Will there still be bread in the afternoon? Often not, so come in the morning.

Can I reserve bread in advance? Yes, by telephone, in Japanese.

Is there parking? Yes, in front of the shop, but it is small.

Can I pay by card? We were not able to confirm this, so please bring cash.

Is it on the Shimanami Kaido route? No, it is about 6.5 kilometres from the Itoyama starting point.

Shop information

Bread Works（ブレッド ワークス）

4-11-6 Koizumi, Imabari, Ehime 794-0064（愛媛県今治市小泉4-11-6）

Telephone: 0898-31-4677

Open 7:30 to 18:30, closed on Mondays.

Hours and closing days are taken from the shop’s official website and can change, so please check before you go.

Official website: https://breadworks.info/

Our Imabari guide for Shimanami Kaido cyclists covers the rest of what the town offers before you set out.

Original article in Japanese: 「ブレッドワークス」小泉のフジの近くにあるハード系やもっちりパンが美味しい｜今治ランチ隊が行く！

 - English