Handling the dough minimally to retain sugars within the bread

Hachioji, once a prosperous post town, now bustles with a different kind of energy. Proceeding straight through the West Radial Road from the North Exit and crossing the Yōkamachi intersection on Route 20, you'll find the "Mizuki-dori Shopping Street" beginning.
A few meters ahead, "Boule Beurre Boulangerie" appears, with its refreshing blue facade and red door, resembling a small general store.

Chef Takeshi Kusano's striking encounter with bread happened, surprisingly, in a rural corner of California.
Thatbakerywas so popular that customers would travel over 20 miles (about 30 kilometers) to visit. Every item had a rich, deep flavor of the flour. While searching for bread this delicious in Japan, he discovered the bread from the renowned "Nicolas." He later met the chef there and felt a strong urge to create such bread himself. He quit his advertising production job and began his apprenticeship at "Nicolas."

What Chef Kusano prioritizes in his bread-making is to treat the dough with utmost care, handling it minimally, and retaining as much sugar as possible within the bread.
Because the bread-making process is simple, even slight adjustments can significantly alter the taste. Naturally, he uses no chemical additives, instead employing a variety of starters, including natural yeast, rye sourdough, and poolish, to bake his diverse range of breads.



His recommendation is the "Fruity," a long, thin bread made with rustic dough, generously filled with cranberries and walnuts. It offers a satisfying chew and a rich flour flavor, making it so addictive that you might finish the entire loaf in one sitting.

The shop's namesake, "Boule Beurre," is a croissant with a deep flavor developed over more than two days. The number of folds in the dough has been intentionally reduced, resulting in a crust that is more 'bari-bari' (crispy and crackly) than 'pari-pari' (lightly crisp).

While the daily "Baguette Polish" and other hard-crusted breads are popular, the limited display space means a wide variety of daily specials are offered.
Even on the day of our visit, customers were frequent. A man on a bicycle passing by called out from outside the shop, "Excuse me, do you have that long, thin banana bread?" The response, "Ah, that's tomorrow's," was met with, "I'll come back tomorrow then," revealing a friendly rapport.

Mr. Kusano opened his shop diagonally across from his family's flower shop. He says the location was "purely coincidental," but the joy of seeing familiar faces from his past come to buy his bread must be immense.

In the future, he dreams of expanding the kitchen and opening a bakery with a cafe, reminiscent of those found on French street corners. As a former graphic designer, he undoubtedly has a clear vision in mind.