Pre-pandemic, the green vinyl booths in the back room of King’s Bakery would often house a group of older Chinese men, who’d sip coffee and play the board game Go. But even while it’s not been possible to eat in, the bakery’s display case brims with Chinese baked goods ready to take home. There are classics, such as sweet ‘pineapple’ buns (named for their cracked crust — they don’t typically contain fruit of any kind) and canary-yellow egg tarts, as well as hybrid creations like the hot dog-crossed bun: a sesame seed bun topped with a sausage, green onion and cheese. Meanwhile, in the suburb of Beaverton, Oyatsupan is devoted to shokupan: Japanese milk bread. These sweet, perfectly square loaves take 24 hours to make. They have a golden crust and milk-white interior, but, interestingly, don’t contain milk. Oyatsupan’s owner and executive baker, Hiroyuki Horie, has spent years perfecting his recipe.
