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Japan, Asia · Shio Pan (Japanese Salt Bread)

Pressed Caramel Salt Bread with Vanilla Ice Cream

Baked salt bread rolls pressed flat and fried in butter and brown sugar until caramel-crisp, topped with cold vanilla ice cream: a café dessert in minutes.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time15 min
DifficultyEasy
About servingsUse salt bread baked with the Basic recipe or bought from a bakery. Day-old rolls are drier, so they press flatter and turn crispier.

Method

  1. Put each roll between two sheets of baking paper and press down hard with a heavy flat-bottomed pot or a rolling pin until about 1 cm thick. It's fine if the layers tear a little.

    Add in this stepSalt bread rolls (baked) 4

  2. Heat a 26 cm frying pan over medium heat for . It's ready when you can feel the warmth with your hand 5 cm above it.

    medium heat

  3. Turn down to medium-low heat, melt one batch's butter and scatter half of that batch's sugar over it. Lay the flattened rolls on top, smooth side down, cover with baking paper and press with a heavy pot for . When the underside has turned deep amber, sprinkle the rest of the sugar on top, flip, press again and cook for . This amount is cooked in 1 batch(es); divide the butter and sugar between them.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter 20 gLight brown sugar 4 tsp

    medium-low heat

  4. Move to a wire rack and cool for . They are soft while hot, but the sugar sets glass-crisp as it cools. Wipe any leftover caramel out of the pan with kitchen paper between batches so it doesn't burn.

  5. Plate the pressed rolls and top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a few flakes of salt and, if you like, a thin drizzle of honey. Eat right away, as the ice cream starts to melt.

    Add in this stepVanilla ice cream (scoops) 2Flaky salt 1 pinchHoney (optional) to taste

Cook's tip

Sugar burns in seconds, so don't turn the heat up, and flip before the smell turns bitter. Yogurt or whipped cream also work instead of ice cream, and a pinch of cinnamon in the sugar gives a churro-like flavour. They stay crisp for an hour or two, so you can make them ahead.

Cooking it at camp

As long as you bring the salt bread, this is a great campsite dessert: fry in a pan on the burner and press with a heavy pot or a pan filled with water. Ice cream melts fast in a cool box, so cold yogurt or a can of whipped cream is the realistic swap.