Chikuwa pan is a Hokkaido Japanese bakery roll made by filling chikuwa fish cake with tuna mayo, wrapping it in soft bread dough, and baking it until golden. This version uses tuna, Japanese mayonnaise, minced onion, soy sauce, and black pepper for a savory Sapporo-style filling.

What temperature do I bake chikuwa pan?

Bake chikuwa pan at 190C for 15 to 18 minutes. The bread should turn golden, and the thin line of Japanese mayonnaise on top should look glossy with lightly browned edges. Let the rolls rest for 5 minutes before eating so the filling settles.

How do I keep chikuwa pan from getting soggy inside?

Drain the canned tuna very well before mixing the tuna mayo filling. Press the tuna lightly in a sieve or against the can lid, then mix with Japanese mayonnaise, minced onion, soy sauce, and black pepper. A moist but not wet filling keeps the bread from baking heavy or gummy.

Why did the filling squeeze out of my chikuwa pan?

Chikuwa pan filling usually squeezes out when the chikuwa is overfilled or the bread dough is wrapped too tightly. Cut each chikuwa lengthwise just enough to open it, add a modest line of tuna mayo, and wrap the 30cm dough rope in a relaxed spiral.

Can I make chikuwa pan ahead of time?

Yes. Make the tuna mayo filling up to 1 day ahead and keep it refrigerated, then stir before filling the chikuwa fish cakes. Shaped chikuwa pan rolls can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours after shaping. Let them stand at room temperature until puffy before baking.

How should I store and reheat chikuwa pan?

Store baked chikuwa pan at room temperature for 1 day. Rewarm the rolls briefly in a low oven to soften the bread without drying out the chikuwa fish cake. Chikuwa pan tastes best warm or at room temperature on the day it is baked.

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Chikuwa Pan (ちくわパン, Hokkaido fish-cake bread)

Name: Chikuwa Pan (ちくわパン, Hokkaido fish-cake bread)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 8 rolls
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 240g bread flour; 20g sugar; 4g fine sea salt; 4g instant yeast; 150ml whole milk, lukewarm; 1 large egg, divided; 25g unsalted butter, softened; 8 chikuwa fish cakes; 1 can tuna in oil or water, about 70g drained; 3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise, plus more for topping; 1 tablespoon finely minced onion; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; Pinch of black pepper; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or aonori, optional

Created by

A Sapporo bakery roll with a plain secret: good chikuwa, tuna mayo that isn't wet, and soft bread wrapped loosely enough to rise around it.

Sandwiches & Wraps

Japanese

Quick Meal

Picnic

Comfort Food

35 min

Active Time

18 min cook•2 hr 20 min total

Yield8 rolls

Chikuwa pan sounds like a joke until you eat one. A grilled fish-cake tube filled with tuna mayo, wrapped in soft bread, baked until the top shines. It is not elegant in the quiet old way, but it is very much the way we eat now: bakery food, train food, picnic food, comfort with its sleeves rolled up.

The first secret is not the bread. It's the chikuwa. Choose one that smells clean and faintly sweet, with a springy bite and no stale fishiness. Sourcing first, always. The filling is simple tuna mayo, but drain the tuna well and keep the mayonnaise measured. Too wet, and the bread turns heavy at the center. Just moist, and the roll stays light while the fish cake keeps its chew.

Wrap the dough loosely. That is the detail that decides it. Bread needs room to swell, and chikuwa needs to stay visible enough that the roll tells the truth about itself. Nothing hidden under a heavy sauce, no grand performance. This is Hokkaido bakery honmono made reachable: soft, savory, a little odd, and much more sensible than it first appears.

Chikuwa pan is closely associated with Donguri, a Sapporo bakery that introduced the tuna-mayo stuffed version in 1983. It became one of the city's best-known bakery items, often described as a local answer to the savory sausage roll, but built around chikuwa, a tube-shaped fish cake long familiar in Japanese everyday cooking. Its popularity belongs to modern Hokkaido food culture, where bakery breads and Japanese fillings meet without pretending to be older than they are.

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Ingredients

bread flour

Quantity

240g

sugar

Quantity

20g

fine sea salt

Quantity

instant yeast

Quantity

whole milk

Quantity

150ml

lukewarm

large egg

Quantity

beaten and divided

unsalted butter

Quantity

25g

softened

chikuwa fish cakes

Quantity

canned tuna

Quantity

1 can (about 70g drained)

drained well

Japanese mayonnaise

Quantity

3 tablespoons, plus more for topping

onion

Quantity

1 tablespoon

finely minced

soy sauce

Quantity

1 teaspoon

black pepper

Quantity

1 pinch

parsley or aonori (optional)

Quantity

1 tablespoon

chopped

Ingredient	Quantity
bread flour	240g
sugar	20g
fine sea salt	4g
instant yeast	4g
whole milklukewarm	150ml
large eggbeaten and divided	1
unsalted buttersoftened	25g
chikuwa fish cakes	8
canned tunadrained well	1 can (about 70g drained)
Japanese mayonnaise	3 tablespoons, plus more for topping
onionfinely minced	1 tablespoon
soy sauce	1 teaspoon
black pepper	1 pinch
parsley or aonori (optional)chopped	1 tablespoon

Equipment Needed

•Mixing bowl or stand mixer
•Bench scraper
•Baking sheet lined with parchment
•Piping bag, or a small plastic bag with one corner snipped

Instructions

1
Make the dough
Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and about half the beaten egg, saving the rest for brushing. Stir until a rough dough forms, then knead until smooth. Add the butter last and knead it in fully. Butter goes in after the flour has begun to strengthen, because fat softens the crumb but can slow the dough from coming together if it meets the flour too early.
2
First rise
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. It should look swollen and feel light when pressed. Don't chase the clock too closely. Bread listens to the room more than to the recipe, a small inconvenience we forgive because the result is softer.
3
Mix the filling
Drain the tuna very well, then mix it with the mayonnaise, minced onion, soy sauce, and black pepper. The filling should be moist but not wet. If it's loose, the bread around it bakes heavy and the chikuwa slides about instead of sitting neatly in its coat.
Japanese mayonnaise gives the familiar taste here, richer and a little sharper than many Western mayonnaises. If you use another mayonnaise, choose one with a clean egg flavor and add only a few drops of rice vinegar if it tastes flat.
4
Fill the chikuwa
Cut each chikuwa lengthwise just enough to open the tube, without splitting it into two pieces. Spoon or pipe the tuna mayo into the hollow center. Chikuwa is springy, so don't overfill it. A modest line of filling gives you a tidy bite, with fish cake, bread, and tuna all arriving together.
5
Shape the rolls
Divide the risen dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 30cm long, then wrap it around one filled chikuwa in a loose spiral, leaving a little of the fish cake visible at the ends. Keep the wrapping relaxed. If the dough is pulled tight, it contracts as it proofs and squeezes the filling out.
6
Proof again
Set the rolls on a lined baking sheet, cover lightly, and let them rise until puffy, 30 to 40 minutes. They don't need to double. You want the dough soft and buoyant, but still holding the shape of the chikuwa underneath.
7
Top and bake
Heat the oven to 190C. Brush the rolls with the reserved beaten egg, pipe a thin line of mayonnaise over each, and scatter with parsley or aonori if using. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bread is golden and the mayonnaise on top has taken on a glossy, lightly browned edge. Let them rest five minutes before eating, because the filling settles and the bread finishes softening as it cools slightly.

Chef Tips

•Buy chikuwa that feels springy and smells clean, not sour or strongly fishy. This dish has nowhere to hide a tired fish cake, and the bread will only make that dullness warmer.
•Drain the tuna harder than you think. Press it lightly in a sieve or against the lid of the can. A wet filling makes the inside of the roll gummy, and then everyone blames the dough, poor innocent thing.
•If you don't have a piping bag, use a small spoon for the filling and a plastic bag with one corner snipped for the mayonnaise topping. The tool matters less than keeping the line neat and restrained.
•Eat these warm or at room temperature the day they're baked. They can be reheated gently, but their best moment is when the bread is soft and the chikuwa still has its bounce.

Advance Preparation

•The tuna mayo filling can be made up to one day ahead and kept refrigerated. Stir it once before filling the chikuwa.
•The shaped rolls can be refrigerated after shaping for up to 8 hours. Let them stand at room temperature until puffy before baking.
•Baked chikuwa pan keeps one day at room temperature. Rewarm briefly in a low oven to soften the bread without drying the fish cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)

Calories

275 calories

Total Fat

12 g

Saturated Fat

4 g

Trans Fat

0 g

Unsaturated Fat

8 g

Cholesterol

50 mg

Sodium

575 mg

Total Carbohydrates

29 g

Dietary Fiber

1 g

Sugars

4 g

Protein

11 g

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Chikuwa Pan (ちくわパン, Hokkaido fish-cake bread)

The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.