sora no kujira” – Authentic gluten-free rice-flour bread served at a popular tourist spot!Furano City

Furano City, located in the center of Hokkaido, is a beautiful region with rich nature and lavender fields, surrounded by the majestic mountains of the Tokachi Mountain Range.It is one of Hokkaido’s most popular tourist destinations, with many attractive specialty products such as melons, cheese, and wine.Did you know that there is a store where you can enjoy freshly baked gluten-free rice-flour bread along the driving route in Furano City?This time, we would like to introduce “sora no kujira,” a store that serves authentic rice-flour bread made by the owner, who used to be a wheat baker.

Furano City, where sora no kujira is located, is about a two-hour drive from Sapporo!

Furano City, where sora no kujira is located, is about 2 hours away from Sapporo City by car using the expressway.
If you use public transportation, JR or highway buses are convenient.

For JR trains, it usually takes about 2 to 2 hours and 50 minutes to arrive at Furano Station after changing trains from Sapporo to Takikawa Station.(It depends on the timing of connections.)

However, if you are able to use the “Furano Lavender Express,” a limited express train that operates only during the tourist season (June to September), you can travel between Sapporo and Furano in about 2 hours without changing trains.If your timing is right, why not take advantage of this service?(Information as of August 2024 / Please check the JR Hokkaido website for details.)

It takes about 5 minutes by car from Furano Station to the store, or about 23 minutes on foot.There is a popular ” Furano Marche” nearby, so you can do some shopping while you are there ^^^.

From a Wheat Bakery to a Rice Flour Bakery: The Trajectory of sora no kujira

Sora no kujira, nicknamed “Sora Kujira,” opened in August 2011 as a bread store using Hokkaido wheat.

In fact, Hokkaido is famous for its wheat production.Word of mouth at the time clearly indicates that the wheat bread made by the owner, Mr. Nishiyama, was well received and became a local favorite.

However, about 10 years later, to his surprise, he and his wife both developed allergies to wheat.

In the spring of 2022, the husband’s condition finally becomes so severe that the store is forced to close.

With a small child, the bakery that the family started may no longer be able to continue.

I can no longer make my favorite wheat bread.

I wonder how much he must have worried and struggled about the continuation of the store while he tried to physically rest and recuperate during the period of absence.

After much thought and consideration, they arrived at the conclusion that we had to change our business to a “gluten-free rice-flour bread store.

Since then, they have made trial after trial of rice-flour bread, and finally, in September 2022, the store will be re-launched under a new name, “sora no kujira” (rice-flour bread and baked sweets).

sora no kujiraFrom official Instagram↓
Excellent baked rice-flour bread
If you go back to the Instagram, you can also see the lineup from the wheat bread era.

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〘グルテンフリー〙米粉のパンと焼菓子(@sora.no.kujira)がシェアした投稿

In approximately three short months, they completely eliminated wheat from their diet and started over with gluten-free bread.It is easy to put it in words, but it is not hard to imagine that there was a lot of hard work involved.

However, I personally felt that the owner’s idea of using the allergy as an opportunity to gain a new perspective and convey the health benefits of gluten-free bread as well as the unique appeal of rice-flour bread is a wonderful thing.

……I still can’t forget how good flour tastes, I would love to eat wheat bread every day.
We hope to convert that feeling into rice flour and take the time to share with you the aroma of rice flour, its glutinous texture, and the appeal of rice flour.

sora no kujira Taken from the official Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CikG7IRBKih/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

From “bakery sora no kujira” to “bakery &coffee soranokujira” and now to “rice-flour bread and baked sweets soranokujira.
The trade name may change little by little according to the form of the store, but the word “sora no kujira” is always at the core of the business.

In fact, this word was filled with a very nice thought (^^).In fact, this word was filled with a very nice thought (*^^*).

「そら」＝「sora」＝　Words meaning “sky
「の」＝「nonbiri」＝It means taking it easy.
「く」＝「kutsurogi」＝It means relaxation.
「じ」＝「jibun」＝It means myself.
「ら」＝「rashisa」＝〜Meaning that there is a ~ness
In other words, the name of the restaurant reflects our wish to be a place where people like the sky, relax, and be themselves!

The owner, Mr. and Mrs. Nishiyama, wrote down their ideal of what they wanted the restaurant to be like, and rearranged the first letters to form the word.

The name of the restaurant was inspired by a picture book-like name that is easy for families to relate to with their children.
The illustration of the whale, which is the logo, also fits perfectly with the worldview of the company.

Hearing this episode somehow warmed my heart.

From bread, pizza to baked goods!Rice Flour Bread Lineup

Upon entering the store, one is greeted by a cute set of sofas and tables.
Behind them are shelves full of rice-flour bread!

Freshly baked muffins and mini loaves of bread are on display.
Of course, all are wheat-free and gluten-free.Other allergens, such as milk and eggs, can be found on the in-store label.

A complete lineup of baked goods, meal-type breads, and hard breads are available, all at reasonable prices.
As expected of bread made by a former wheat baker.It is hard to believe that all of these are made from rice flour.
If you visit the restaurant without knowing it, some people might think it is a wheat bread store.

The owner’s wife said, “In the days of wheat bread, we were able to offer more varieties, but with rice-flour bread, the variety is limited (because it takes more time and effort).”

Having some experience in baking rice-flour bread, I understand how difficult it is to prepare such a large lineup at 11:00 a.m., when the store opens.

For those who can’t eat wheat and have had to put up with bread until now, this is a heavenly place.

Taste freshly baked bread at eat-in

There are 8 to 10 seats in the store, including sofa seats and counter seats, and you can eat the bread you purchased on the spot.
I picked up four items that I was interested in and had them with coffee.

In summer, they do shaved ice, too……and I’m glad they have kids (junior high and under) sizes!

In addition, treats for dogs (rice flour and soybean flour rusks) and sorakuji’s original coffee are also available.
Incidentally, the coffee beans are produced under the supervision of ” Kita Kobo, ” a home-roasted coffee shop in Biei-cho.

The restaurant is equipped with a microwave oven and toaster oven, a consideration unique to rice-flour bread bakeries.

As the author has been reporting on her blog and Instagram for years, rice-flour bread is at its best in the first few hours after it is made.
Due to the nature of rice, and if additives are not used, the dough will inevitably harden over time.

For this reason, we recommend that you eat the rice-flour bread you take home on the same day as much as possible, and re-bake (reheat) any bread that has become hard.If you cannot finish the bread, freeze it and be sure to re-bake it after thawing, even if it is a hassle.

I was able to visit the restaurant shortly after it opened, so the bread was fluffy even without re-baking, but pizza and other breads with cheese on them taste many times better if they are heated.

The image below shows it after heating in a toaster (1000W) for 1 minute.
The cheese melted and it was great (≧▽≦)

Nevertheless, all breads are doughy and fluffy.
You can see that the egg salad sandwich (see the four images above) is so soft that the dough can be folded in two.

Of course, this is partly because it is freshly prepared and served at the best time, but the surface is also shiny and soft, as if it had been steamed.

According to the owner, Mr. Nishiyama, the secret to the soft and fluffy texture lies in the baking process.
He says that the white, soft texture is achieved by carefully adjusting the steam, timing of baking, temperature, and other details.

Many people visit Furano from far away, so it is very nice to be able to have freshly made bread in the store, and I think it is very valuable.

Plus: I froze a chocolate chunk cookie and tried it.

I took out a chocolate chunk cookie filled with crushed chocolate and froze it as recommended by the store to eat it cold.

Even when frozen, the dough does not become completely hard, so it can be eaten cold.
The texture of the cooled chocolate is irresistible.This was the first time for me personally to try it this way, but it tastes cool and delicious even in the hot summer.

Please try it if you have a chance.

sora no kujira　Store Information

After overcoming a difficult situation in which he and his wife developed wheat allergies, sora no kujira started baking again with rice-flour bread.

The rice-flour bread and baked goods made using techniques cultivated during the baker’s era are delicious and satisfy even those who love wheat bread.
When you visit Furano, why not stop by for “Sorakuji’s Bread”?

If you are too far away to go there, we recommend you to buy bread at sora no kujira online store or “rebake“, a website for ordering bread!

Also, in Sapporo City, there are days twice a month when you can purchase bread and baked goods from Sorakuji at ” Hakko JuiceBar Kiroropokkuru ” directly connected to JR Kotoni Station.(Please inquire at the store for more details.)

We also hear that they are opening stalls at various events, so please check the official sora no kujira Instagram for the latest information.

Thank you for reading to the end.

storename	Rice-flour bread and baked goods “sora no kujira”
address	3-130 Shintomi-cho, Furano-shi　Open Map
Access	・Approximately 2 hours from Sapporo by car on the expressway ・Take the Furano Highway Bus from Sapporo to Furano Station (approx. 2 hours and 40 minutes), then walk approx. 23 minutes. ・From Sapporo, take the JR Lilac or Kamui Express to Takikawa Station, transfer to the Nemuro Main Line to Furano Station (approx. 2 hr. 30 min. to 3 hr., then walk approx. 23 min.) ・Take the Furano Lavender Express (limited time only) from Sapporo to Furano Station, about 2 hours ride and 23 minutes walk from the station. ・Approximately 5 minutes drive or 23 minutes walk from JR Furano Station
phone	0167-56-7355
Business Hours	Monday-Friday：11:00-18:00 Sunday：11:00-16:00
regular closing day	indeterminate rest period (e.g. from work) ☆Please check our official Instagram for hours of operation and holidays.
parking lot	Approximately 8 cars on site
cashless payment	Credit card and code payment accepted
Number of seats	8-10 seats inside, 5 seats on terrace
accompanied by children	OK
Official SNS	Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sora.no.kujira Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Pansukisorakuji/ Line https://page.line.me/535bxaox?openQrModal=true
Official HP	https://soranokujira.com/ オンラインショップもこちらから
External Sites	tabelog https://tabelog.com/hokkaido/A0104/A010403/1034719/?msockid=1c66c5356fbe61ef06e0d7556e6c6030
remarks	Stay up to date on events and other store information on Instagram.