Domestic Wheat, Natural Yeast, and Ingredients from Known Producers

Spica・Mugi no Ho is located about a five-minute walk from Nagahara Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line, just across the Kan-nana bypass, in a nostalgic shopping street. Though a small shop, it's a reputable establishment that also supplies bread to natural food stores in Tokyo. I still recall a loaf I received as a gift previously, packed with nuts and fruits. It had a firm, chewy texture and a substantial weight, yet possessed a clear, honest flavor.

Chef Yasuji Furuya, after working in corporate and restaurant settings, then at a major bread manufacturer, discovered natural yeast bread. After training at the long-established natural yeast bakery "Le Vent," he opened this shop in 1989. "I thought being a baker would give me more time with my children," he jokes, but it seems his decision was also driven by a profound realization of the importance of a healthy diet, partly due to his child's atopic dermatitis at the time.

Spica・Mugi no Ho's bread is made with a commitment to domestic wheat. The wheat grains are stone-ground fresh for each batch, and the dough is simply prepared using a self-cultured natural yeast, primarily derived from raisins, along with water and salt. To enhance the ingredients' natural flavors, no sugar is used, and the secondary ingredients mixed into the dough are sourced from producers whose origins are known whenever possible.

"What you eat today nourishes your tomorrow, so things made with good ingredients, prepared with care, are the best," says Chef Furuya. It's a simple truth, but in today's world flooded with junk food and products full of additives, his words prompt us to reconsider.



The signature bread, "My Favorite," is a luxurious loaf packed with domestic wheat, organic walnuts, currants, and raisins, generously coated with oatmeal on the outside. It pairs wonderfully with wine and cheese and is also popular as a gift. At the shop, it's sold by the slice, by weight.

The extra-large "Daily Bread" is a moist loaf made with Gunma-grown wheat, 35% Iwate-grown rye, 15% whole wheat, and Iwate-grown walnuts. The domestic walnuts, praised for their "milky flavor," have a rich taste, creating a bread with a deep flavor that you'll want to eat every day.

Even now, after years of experience, Chef Furuya finds joy upon entering his workspace, thinking, "This is wonderful. This is my space." He chose bread making as his lifelong profession and continues to bake honest, delicious bread with dedication every day. "Using natural ingredients is just natural for me," he says, his swift, fluid movements as he shapes the dough instilling a profound sense of calm.