15 years baking exceptional bread in rural Japan — loved by Michelin chefs and customers nationwide.
A 150-year-old traditional Japanese house, now a bakery and cafe in the countryside. Their bread is chosen by top-rated restaurants. Franc-san, originally from Spain, has worked tirelessly here for 15 years. Using traditional methods, their bread ferments for over 24 hours—orders now come in from across Japan. At the cafe, you can also enjoy authentic Spanish paella, pizza, and more. Enjoy watching how their day starts early in the morning. Just flour, salt, and water. When I came to Japan, I didn’t have any plans at all. My wife and I were renting a field when the owner offered us this house to use as a cafe. We said, “Sure, let’s rent it,” but had no idea what to do next. We had no experience in food service, so we thought and thought… We decided to make lunch plates and try baking bread. At first, we used yeast to bake our bread. But at the same time, we planted wheat in our field. That was already 15 years ago. In about six months, our wheat started to grow. My wife said, “I read somewhere that you can make bread with just flour and water.” I said, “No way, that can’t be true.” But little by little, she showed me, and I researched more… and I got completely hooked. We switched from yeast bread to natural yeast. We now grow our own wheat and cultivate natural yeast from it to make our bread. We’ve been baking with that original natural yeast for about 14 years now. Franc-san’s day starts in the middle of the night. This is a warm place. Where the bread ferments. Fermentation finishes between 6 and 9 a.m. Natural yeast that has been used since the shop opened 14 years ago. With yeast, bread can be made in just 1 to 2 hours. But that just puffs the bread up; the dough hasn’t really fermented yet. Our bread ferments for more than 24 hours. Wheat naturally contains minerals and gluten. But if eaten as is, most of it passes through the body. When wheat ferments, the body can absorb the minerals and gluten. That’s why fermented foods like miso and wine are important. Gluten in wheat is hard to digest, but long fermentation helps break it down into nutrients and flavor. Some people who usually feel unwell after eating bread say they can eat Franc-san’s bread without issues. This “Pa de Pages” is a traditional bread from Franc-san’s hometown in Catalonia, Spain. All of them. Each loaf is fermented for 20 to 30 times longer than usual. Because it’s simple, the ingredients matter even more. I truly felt his unwavering dedication to each and every ingredient. The bread is out of the oven. It smells absolutely wonderful. Franc-san now heads over to the cafe kitchen. It’s about a five-minute drive from here. He prepares the stone oven for pizza. Since it’s still warm, I can use yesterday’s fire later. For the popular paella, the broth is prepared early in the morning. This is today’s soup. Potatoes. This is the broth—or juice?—that comes from roasting chicken for the paella. Ah, it’s like a jelly. After roasting the chicken, the juices are separated into jelly and fat. The fat is used to sear the shrimp for the paella. Even the water served at the cafe is natural spring water. They use chicken from Akikawa Bokuen—free from genetically modified feed. This chicken is used for paella and sandwiches. The culinary advisor for Oheso cafe is Franc-san’s friend, Jorge Breton-san. He received Spain’s Culinary R&D Award in 2010 for his contributions to Spanish cuisine. The sun is starting to rise. This is the broth for the paella. The octopus is boiled in a bag. Now he’s heading to the fish market to buy more octopus. Today’s soup. Locally caught octopus. Use this jelly for chicken soup. He grills shrimp for the paella. The broth is stirred. Taste testing. Franc-san is on the phone with the fishmonger. This is my hobby. Alright, let’s head out for some shopping. The fish market is open every day. So I go there every day, too. The sales data comes in at 6:30 p.m. That tells me what kinds of bread we’ll need to bake for tomorrow. Since they send out bread all over Japan, the data is enormous. So his goal is to be in bed by 7:00 p.m. We’ve arrived at the fish shop. Good morning. “Marusou” is a beloved local spot that serves fresh seafood from the region. Do you have any clams? 1.5 kilograms. Franc-san, are you taking the octopus home alive? You’re bringing it back alive? Want me to kill it for you? I’ll kill it and cut it right away myself. I come here every day, around this time. Back at the cafe. There’s a goat at the cafe. The octopus is cooked while it’s still fresh. Octopuses are incredibly resilient. Next, he visits his in-laws to pick up rice for the paella. Watching Franc-san, I felt I could see the years he’s spent building a life here. He has two children. We’ve come to polish the rice. Franc-san polishes the rice one bag at a time, just before using it. Even in front of the rice polisher, his hands move with ease. Back at the cafe. He fires up the oven. This oven was shipped directly from Spain. The soup that simmered for about four hours is ready. Packed with seafood and vegetables. He sautés the clams for the paella. Paella is served only on weekends, limited to 20 dishes a day. Let’s use maitake mushrooms today. Japanese maitake. It’s still an hour and a half before opening, but guests have already arrived. Only during this season though, lol. Once it snows and winter sets in, no one comes out here. The rice is set too. Around 10:15, I start warming the paella soup. And around 10:45, I begin cooking the paella to match opening time. Guests are always lined up, so I start 15 minutes early to serve it right away. From then until the 1:30 last order, I make paella nonstop. Tapas, paella, Spanish-style pizza, sandwiches, sweets… The staff are starting to arrive too. The cafe garden is filled with rare wild herbs and plants. Inside the cafe. From the counter seats, you can see the hillside behind. Dessert. This is Franc-san’s breakfast. Still too hot. Even 20 minutes before opening, quite a few guests have already arrived. Today’s pizza dough and fresh bread have arrived. Today’s pizza dough. Today’s freshly baked bread has arrived. The paella preparation begins. Rice goes in… Paella broth. By opening time, the parking lot is already full. Around 20 guests were waiting in front of the cafe. Even the pizza dough is fermented for over 24 hours. This is a sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain. This sweet little guest kindly let me take video. Today’s soup. Does it taste good? 😊 They asked for seconds. Time to try the paella. Delicious! It tastes like the sea. Ahh, so good. In the kitchen, more and more paellas are being prepared. Grilled chicken. Looks so good. Looks amazing. Mmm, delicious. So good. It’s got a nice chewy texture. This is the cafe’s most popular pizza. The prosciutto is imported from Spain. The second wave of guests is arriving. Oh, madam suddenly took off running somewhere. The goats get overwhelmed by too many people. When too many guests touch them, they feel sick the next day. So, I moved them a little bit. Meeeh! Here’s the view around Oheso Cafe. By 12:30, only four servings of paella left. Yesterday, it sold out much faster. SB) Even now? It sold out quicker yesterday? Yeah, by this time, it was already gone yesterday. We had a special little visitor. This is Teo, their second son. He says he wants to be a YouTuber when he grows up. ☺️ Madam moves back and forth between the cafe floor and the bakery. We decided to enjoy a meal ourselves, too. Iberico ham and Manchego cheese. Look at the size—compared to the fork! You cut it with scissors before eating. Itadakimasu. The more you chew, the more the wheat flavor comes through. This is their Spanish-style club sandwich. The chewy fresh-baked bread and the filling are in perfect harmony. 😋 It was absolutely delicious. Here’s the mountain and sea paella. Packed with all kinds of ingredients. Each bite is layered with deep umami flavors. We couldn’t stop eating—it was that good. Sera Pear Honey Soda Orange Macchiato An assortment of desserts Each one had such a gentle, comforting flavor. They were all delicious. Franc-san used to work as a graphic designer, and Kyoko-san worked for an auditing firm in Tokyo. They met during an agricultural experience program in Italy. For Franc-san, who had always been busy as a designer, the simple life there felt truly special. Kyoko-san said, “My hometown is about as rural as this place. How about going to Japan?” So I came to Japan. I brought him back here as a souvenir. laughs We met in the Italian countryside, and life there was just so much fun. It made me think, “Wouldn’t it be lovely to live like that?”—so we opened a little shop. We’re in the countryside, so I honestly didn’t expect so many people to come. We just wanted to start a cafe that could last a long time, even if quietly and modestly. We began with the cafe, and at the same time, started baking bread as well. Then the pandemic happened, and now the bread side has really become the main focus. Now we’re able to deliver our bread to customers from far away, too. When people tell us it’s delicious, those words really encourage us to keep going. We bake rather niche types of bread, but some people are looking for those—
and we really want to be able to reach them. Since we started, it’s grown more than I ever imagined. Year by year, it’s already been 15 years. During that time, I’ve done completely different work and lived a very different life. We also had children. Well, from now on, we want to keep going steadily, little by little. We’ve never aimed to grow bigger, so we want to keep going just like this. Yeah, it’s all good. (goat) There’s a bakery near the cafe. You can buy bread here. Today, they’ve received plenty of orders from all over Japan. In 2024, they were featured right at the beginning of the Mitsukoshi Isetan summer gift catalog 😳 And even in JAL’s first-class in-flight magazine. You can also find them at Hiroshima Station’s AVANCE and select supermarkets across Japan—give them a try. Their baguettes and pain de campagne are served at top-tier restaurants, including those with three Gault & Millau toques and two Michelin stars.
#bakery #cafe #spanish
* Subtitles can be controlled from the CC button in the video settings.
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In the satoyama of Sera, Hiroshima, we met Franc-san — a hardworking baker from Spain — and his truly exceptional bread. Made only with flour, water, and salt, his bread is fermented 20 to 30 times longer than usual, using wild yeast nurtured on-site. It’s served in top restaurants, including Michelin 2-star and Gault & Millau 3 Toques establishments in Japan.
He begins baking before dawn, and by 5 a.m., he’s already preparing paella at the cafe. Watching him quietly and steadily work… it was deeply moving. We hope you enjoy this story.
🔷Shop Information
Name: Oheso Cafe & Bakery | おへそカフェ＆ベーカリー
Address: 1155 Utsudo, Sera-cho, Sera-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN
Online store: https://ohesocafe.shop-pro.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohesocafe/
[Cafe & Bakery]
Website: https://www.ohesocafe.com/
MAP: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tjp4qUSsqfWY2J2S7
[Bakery]
Website: https://www.ohesopan.com/
MAP: https://maps.app.goo.gl/geEiJkazdcrWVZM89
*The video is filmed with the permission of the restaurant.
🔷Chapter
00:00 Digest
00:52 About bread
00:53 Cafe opening story
06:16 Preparing for the cafe
21:35 Cafe opening
31:54 Eating
33:12 Future goals or dreams
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* Please note that all information regarding the video is based on personal vague memories and may not necessarily be accurate.
* Title, summary, and subtitle translations are automatic and may contain errors.
#baker #bread #pizza #paella #spain #japanesefood #japanfood #hiroshima #cuisine #soulfood #streetfood #foodtour #japan #japantrip #japantravel #hiroshimatrip #hiroshimatravel #hiroshimafood #setouchi #inlandsea #foreign #foreigner #sera #satoyama #kominka #ikigai
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#外国人シェフ #パン職人 #おへそパン #パン屋 #パン #ぱん #おへそカフェ #おへそぱん #おへそ #スペイン人 #ストリートフード #広島グルメ #広島 #広島名店 #広島旅行 #瀬戸内 #瀬戸内海 #外国人 #外国人観光客 #外国人旅行者 #生きがい #世羅 #里山 #古民家カフェ #カフェ #古民家 #ピザ #パエリア #シェフ
発酵時間は通常の30倍！スペイン人パン職人が焼く、本物のパンとパエリア。夜2時から始まる1日に密着！！おへそカフェ＆ベーカリー | 広島県世羅町
広島・世羅の里山で出会った、スペイン出身の働き者・フランクさんと“本物のパン”。小麦・水・塩だけで仕込み、通常の20〜30倍の時間をかけて丁寧に発酵されたパンは、全国のハード系のパン好きはもちろん、ゴ・エ・ミヨ3トックやミシュラン2つ星の名店でも採用されているそう。朝2時からパンを仕込み、5時にはカフェでパエリアを仕込む日々。黙々と手を動かす姿と、あたたかなお人柄に心をつかまれました。ぜひ最後までご覧ください。
41 Comments
とても丁寧なお仕事されていて、お店で食べてみたいです😊
素晴らしい動画ですね。永久保存版です。
自分達の本当にやりたい事を突き詰めて、一つずつ、丁寧に真摯に目標に向かっているお二人の姿。そして絆。
尊い姿を見たようて、胸が熱くなりました。
お二人共、前職で素晴らしい経歴を築いていらっしゃるのに、改めて人生の目標を探し直されたんですね。
でも、極めたお二人だからこそ、辿り着かれたのでしょうね。
お二人の純粋な気持ち、画面から自然に伝わって来ました。
こんなにも真面目に、一生懸命日々をこなされる姿。
どうか、お二人に、ご家族に、一層の幸せがあります様に、願っています。
おへそぱん、以前に食べた事があります。ずっしり重く、素朴な味わいで、噛めば噛むほど、味わいのあるパンでした。
改めて、このパンが誕生するいきさつを知り、お二人の人柄を知って、全種類のパンを食べてみたくなりました。
小麦粉は日本人の身体には良くないと聞いてますが？このパンは？🤔
あまりにもうまそうだったから冷凍ピザの通販注文してしまった…🤤
📍通販や各県で購入できるお店が確認できます
https://www.ohesopan.com/dealer-restaurant
📍おへそパンさんのネットショップ
https://ohesocafe.shop-pro.jp/
E estado en Japon y no sabia de ti tengo que volver de verdad un abrazo grande desde Albarrosa Barcelona
驚きですね〜彼は天才ですね〜内装の料理器具も全て凄いですね〜まるでレオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチの様な人ですね〜！❤🎉
バン、最初に、食べたのは、学校が、初めて、だよ、いなかだから、コツぺパン、揚げばん、なつかしいな、
偽物パンてあるの？
ちゃんと歯ごたえもありそうで、美味しそう。
日本の柔らかくて甘いパンとは、一線を画す感じ。
時々通ってます。
ブレッド(英語)ではなく、これぞ本物のパン(スペイン語)。
無駄に自然派()PRでドン引きしたけど、きっと｢本物志向｣が上手く表現できなかったんでしょうwww
市販品より2割ほど高いけど、お餅並の密度です(確信)。
コスパは抜群で旨味が濃い！
どこのパン屋のパンも本物やで。
🇯🇵日本食も取り扱って下さい。
すてきなお店、すてきなご夫婦🎈💕
食べ物もうまそうだしお店も素敵だなー
英語圏で言うサワドウ・ブレッドかな。グルテンが微生物の力でしっかり発酵分解されてるのでアレルギーも起こりにくいと聞きました。すごいなー、日本に来てゼロの状態からここまで！めちゃくちゃ美味しそうです。こんなパンや料理が買える人は幸せ。
素敵❤
すごくよく働くご主人ですね😊本当に飲食経験なかったの？って言うくらい手際がいい😊努力されて来たんですね☺️是非行ってみたいです❤
美しい厨房、丁寧下ごしらえ、そして愛情！いつか訪れたいです。
素晴らしく働き者のご主人です
🎉
感動しました！！近くに寄ったら必ず行きます！！
素敵。下品な表現で失礼します。
見てるだけで口に中に唾液が。
相当欲してる感じです。
スペイン、イタリアは食の宝庫ですね❤
スペインから来て、本当に頑張ってらっしゃいますね😊
我家の娘はスペイン人と結婚してマドリードにいます。
年に一度、帰国するのでその時に行きたいです！
私、パン大好きなので注文します👍😊
頑張って下さいね、応援してます🙆😊
人生ノープラン！最高やないですか！！😊
凄いレストランですね😊 こんなのどかな所でこんな美味しい物が食べられるなんて 幸せですね。パエリア、ピザ 食べてみたいです😊絶対行きたい。 近くなら毎週通います。😊
道具類が全てとても綺麗に保たれていて素晴らしいです。鍋やベーキングの焼き付いた汚れを毎日きちんと落とされているのでしょう。見習います
とても素敵なカフェですねぇ❤
黒バケットと白バケット買いました！美味しかった😋
中央アジアのスキタイ狩猟遊牧民グループのYDNA-Rアーリア人。
異民族の国地域をのっとりしてきた危険な血族やな。
世羅町なら行ける距離じゃけえ、ぜひ伺います！
さっき晩御飯食べたのに、お腹空いてきた😋w立派なピザ釜になんか大正チックな店内、料理は言わずもがな美味そうです🍕😋👍
めちゃくちゃ旨そう〜！！
それにしても朝の仕事量が1人でやる分量じゃないというか、凄い努力家ですね
息子さんは将来はYouTuberより一流料理人か、サッカーの日本代表目指してほしいw
こういった移民の方は大歓迎過ぎる
日本人がどんどん減ってきてるから、外国人が日本で仕事してくれるのはありがたい！😊
スペイン料理と日本人は相性いいからな
どれも美味しそうだけど、ピザを焼くシェフが髪の毛を束ねてないのが気になる…
ときどきパンショップにはお邪魔しています。カフェの方にも行ってみたいですね。
行ってみたい！ 仕込みぜんぶ一人でやっててすごい。飲食経験ゼロからこんな成功できるんですね。素晴らしすぎる
小麦、塩、水 だけのパンいいなぁ、食べてみたい！！
このお店に行く為に広島まで行きたい！
手伝いたい
発酵は？👹
息子君も、スペイン語覚えたらええねぇ。