Fujisan Bread: the mysterious braided bread that tastes like brioche and is meant to look like Mount Fuji.

Fujisan bread is a globe-trotting mysterious pastry.
It can be found under the name of Fujisan Bread (富士山面包), or Mt Fuji Swirl (เม้าท์ ฟูจิ สเวิร์ล), depending on the area where we find it, including Australia, where is a bakery chain called BreadTop that serves this sweet treat without filling or with a filling of cream, coconut jam and pandan.
Named after Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak, the fluffy bread mountain blends a Japanese dough-making method with French pastry techniques to form a tender, brioche-like bun, which also has the layers of a regular croissant.
When BreadTop launched its product, it described it as “Crispy, golden crust, a smooth, buttery taste, sugar on top as bright as spring snow”.
However, despite its Japanese and French influences, most recipes for this fusion food are in Chinese, and it is easy to find in Australia, as well as Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, China and Malaysia.

While Fujisan bread’s exact origins may never be clear, a few things are certain about its making.
Unlike typical French folded doughs, such as croissants, Fujisan bread must be made using a “tangzhong”, a Japanese preparation of cooked water and flour that, once cooled, gets folded into the dough mixture.
According to expert bakers, this addition makes for a softer bread with a creamy texture that stays fresh longer.
As for the layers that give Fujisan bread its characteristic swirl, they comes from a French pastry school technique of turning and folding known as lamination.
The laminated dough is then braided and swirled before being placed in a snug container.
And, while the dough rises in the oven, it blooms over the pan’s edge, erupting like its eponymous volcano.
A light dusting of powdered sugar, and the snow-capped Mt. Fuji miniatures are ready to enjoy…

Images from web – Google Research