Salon du Pain 2026 | 04 The Breads Taking Shape

Salon du Pain 2026
Taste of Memories
A Special Two-Day Showcase
30–31 May 2026
GF Concourse, Isetan The Japan Store
Lot 10, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Salon du Pain is getting closer, and the breads are slowly taking shape.

At this stage, I am thinking less about ideas on paper, and more about how each bread should be eaten.

The first bite.
The texture.
The acidity.
The savoury depth.
The aftertaste.

For this showcase, I wanted to prepare breads that are not only soft, sweet, or immediately familiar. Some of them are darker. Some are more savoury. Some carry bitterness, saltiness, acidity, umami, smoke, earthiness, or roasted notes.

They are breads for a slower way of eating.

Something to enjoy with tea, coffee, a sparkling drink, or as part of a quiet meal. Something to share at the table. Something to taste while talking. Something that does not reveal everything too quickly.

I think of them as breads for a more mature palate.

Not difficult breads.
Not serious in a heavy way.
But breads with a little more depth, a little more tension, and a longer finish.

The breads I am preparing are built on the Respectus Panis method. This gives me a slower base to work from — one that can carry flavour without becoming too heavy.

From there, I started to build the pairings.

The first group begins with a plain Respectus Panis base.

These are the more familiar savoury breads — direct, generous, and easy to understand, but still with enough sharpness to make each bite interesting.

There is Chitose leek with beef bacon, Parmesan, and red onion.
Anchovies soaked in vinegar with Émile Noël black olives.
An épi with chicken ham and Dijon mustard.
Chicken ham with Brie, gherkin, and wholegrain mustard.
Mentaiko préfou.
Garlic préfou.

This group stays close to the idea of a savoury bread table. Cheese, mustard, ham, anchovy, olive, garlic, and mentaiko — flavours that feel familiar, but still carry character when placed on a fermented bread base.

Then there is the darker group.

Buah keluak and cacao husk.

This direction feels deeper and more Malaysian to me, but not in the obvious way. Buah keluak brings an earthy, almost mysterious depth, while cacao husk adds a roasted aroma without making the bread sweet.

With this bread, I wanted the pairings to feel layered.

Grilled mushrooms, grilled pepper, kailan, and kulim oil.
Tiger prawn with avocado, pickled red onion, and calamansi vinegar.
Satay sausage with béchamel and pickled red onion.

This group moves between forest, smoke, seafood, spice, acidity, and creaminess. It is not about making Malaysian flavour loud. It is about letting it sit naturally inside the bread.

Another direction is hojicha and black sesame.

This bread carries a quieter roasted note. I like how hojicha gives bitterness without being harsh, and how black sesame brings a nutty depth that works with both sweet and savoury ideas.

For this group, the pairings move between Japanese ingredients, chocolate, cheese, and texture.

Red bean with matcha chocolate terrine.
Hojicha chocolate terrine with chocolate crémeux.
Brie au Bleu with genmaicha chocolate terrine, red peppercorn, and bubu arare.

This is the part of the table where I wanted to play with contrast.

Sweet and salty.
Creamy and crunchy.
Roasted and sharp.
Familiar and slightly unusual.

Some pairings may sound unexpected at first, but I like that. Bread does not always have to be gentle. Sometimes it can carry tension too.

There is also a beetroot bread.

The colour gives it a different mood immediately, but I did not want the beetroot to be only for appearance. I wanted it to support stronger savoury fillings.

Spanish paprika chicken chorizo with béchamel and corn.
Scallop with renkon, zucchini, edamame, semi-dried tomato, and red peppercorn.

This group feels brighter, but still savoury. The beetroot gives colour and earthiness, while the fillings bring sweetness, spice, seafood, crunch, acidity, and a little heat.

And finally, there is the Kouglof.

Coffee, chocolate, candied chestnut, and raspberry.

This one stands apart from the Respectus Panis breads. It is richer, softer, and more comforting. After the savoury directions, I wanted one piece that feels more rounded — something with the warmth of coffee, the depth of chocolate, the sweetness of chestnut, and the brightness of raspberry.

Looking at these breads now, I feel that the table is becoming clearer.

It is not a table built only for comfort.

It is a table built for tasting.

Some breads are direct.
Some need a slower bite.
Some are made for people who enjoy stronger flavours.
Some may only make sense after the second mouthful.

That is what I wanted.

Bread can be simple, but it does not always have to be plain. It can carry appetite, conversation, memory, and a little surprise.

These are the breads taking shape now.

Still being adjusted.
Still being tasted.
Still being refined.

But slowly, they are becoming ready for the table.