Shape into a large round, then let the 'Milk Yeast' do the rest

Just a short walk from the Ochanomizu University campus, a side street branches off Kasuga-dori. Descend this road, and on your left, you'll find MAHL ZEIT with its red awning. A banner proclaiming 'Milk Yeast Bread' flutters, and hand-drawn posters add to the lively atmosphere. Hesitantly opening the door, wondering who bakes these breads, I was greeted by the radiant smile of owner Sachiko Shirai.

Shirai-san used to teach at a baking school, but it was during a research group on bread and yeast that she encountered 'milk yeast.' Astonished by the deliciousness of bread baked with it, she became completely captivated. 'Meeting this milk yeast was a major catalyst for opening my bakery. I want to provide my family and those around me with food that is good for their bodies, helping them to be healthy. Since I've found something so wonderful, I have to share it,' she says. She then dedicated herself to research and opened MAHL ZEIT in 2000.



Shirai-san's bread simply cannot begin without 'Minna no Gyuunyu' (Everyone's Milk) from Tōmō Dairy. This milk is produced through a collaboration between a consumer group of mothers who wanted 'safe, real milk for their children,' the cooperative, and producers. It's said to have a taste closest to freshly drawn raw milk. This carefully produced milk, made from the milk of healthy cows fed on natural wild grasses using low-temperature pasteurization and non-homogenization (preserving its natural state without homogenizing fat globules), has a rich mouthfeel yet a clean aftertaste. It lacks any pasteurization odor and, above all, possesses the natural sweetness inherent to milk.

MAHL ZEIT's breads are baked using this 'Minna no Gyuunyu' to cultivate the house 'milk yeast,' along with domestic wheat, natural water from Shirokawa in the Southern Alps, and salt from Inner Mongolia rich in minerals. The ingredients are chosen to be as beneficial for the body as possible, with minimal added fats and absolutely no additives.



The top photo features the signature 'Rye Campagne.' With 20% rye, it has almost no sourness, and the more you chew, the more the 'milk yeast' flavor and the nutty aroma of rye spread through your mouth. It's perfect sliced thin and topped with ham or cheese. 'Todagakushi' is baked with domestic wheat and 20% buckwheat flour from Nagano's 'Tonoshiro Hojo-kan,' along with organic walnuts. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and rutin, it's surprisingly a great pairing with goat cheese.

In addition to bread, the shop also sells homemade tarts, organic ingredients like milk, salt, sugar, and honey, as well as natural cheeses recommended by Shirai-san, who is also a 'Chevalier du Taste Fromage de France' (Knight of French Cheese Tasting).

At the shop, Shirai-san and her staff begin their day by greeting the yeast, saying, 'Nice to work with you today.' 'I believe that when you work with a good feeling, the bread turns out even more delicious,' says Shirai-san. The staff, working diligently in the back of the shop, also have bright and earnest expressions.

MAHL ZEIT's breads offer not only the profound flavor of 'milk yeast' but also convey a deeply sincere impression. 'Freedom, Nature, and Benefiting People.'—As per Shirai-san's motto, a passion for 'doing good' seems to be infused into the bread itself.