11 Types of Asian bread (with recipes)

A collection of some of the most popular types of Asian bread, with a link to their recipes

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Japanese bread
Central Asian bread
Chinese Bao buns
Asian flatbreads

Although bread is commonly associated with a Western diet, it has actually been part of the Chinese diet for over 1500 years, dating back to the Han Dynasty. India too has its own traditional breads, mainly flatbreads and crepes.

As Asia is a huge region, it's not possible to list every single type of Asian bread, but here are some of the most popular ones that you should make sure you try. They're super easy to make at home too, so there's no reason to wait!

The breads are delicious alone or eaten with this sambal mayo sauce or this garlicky cream cheese dipping sauce.

Japanese bread

When people are asked about the difference between Asian bread and Western bread, 1 of the first things that comes to mind is that Asian bread tends to be moister, softer and fluffier. (They're almost like edible pillows or clouds.) Japan, in particular, is known to have delicious types of bread, such as this milk bread.

Japanese milk bread

Japanese milk bread is widely known to have the softest, fluffiest crumb possible. Also known as Hokkaido milk bread, Korean milk bread, Chinese milk bread, or shokupan, Japanese milk bread is usually made using tangzhong but this recipe shares a different method.

Click here for the secret technique!

Good enough to eat on its own, or with this spicy tuna dip/ sambal mayonnaise.

If you'd like to learn the alternative method to make soft Asian bread - i.e. tangzhong- click the link for a recipe from the renown Michelin Guide!

Central Asian bread

Adjaruli khachapuri

If you've never heard of this Georgian cheese bread, it's bread, filled with cheese and, to make it even more delicious, topped with an egg.

Click here for the 5 star recipe

Chinese Bao buns

Bao is a yeast leavened Chinese bun that is eaten both filled and unfilled. Unfilled bao buns are 100% soft, fluffy bread, whilst the filled versions can have anything from char siu (savoury filling) to lotus paste (sweet filling) inside.

3 Vegan Bao Buns with Extra Bread at the side

1 characteristic of bao is their pure white colour, which is thanks to the special Hong Kong flour used. Hong Kong flour is a super soft, highly bleached flour that has a slightly higher protein content compared to cake flour (8-10%.) (If you don't have Hong Kong flour, regular flour works too, but you won't get such snow-white rolls.)

Spiral pandan mantou recipe (Steamed fluffy Chinese buns)

A guide to creating pretty spiral patterns in your mantou buns as well as a list of what natural food colourings you can use.

Click here for the spiral mantou recipe

A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.

Easy 1-rise Japanese matcha buns (steamed mantou) recipe

Traditionally, mantou required 2 dough rises, but who has the time these days? Well I still like to do it the old-fashioned way every now and then, but most people I know don't, so here's an extra quick mantou recipe which only needs 1 dough rise but tastes as good as the original. Matcha flavour optional.

Click here for the easy mantou recipe

1 matcha green tea bun before being steamed.

Vegan Bao Buns

These are actually very similar to the mantou recipe I shared above, just sans the pandan or matcha flavourings, and shaped differently so that they can be stuffed with pork or mushrooms, like Chinese hamburgers! If making this, remember that it will need 2.5 hours resting time, so you'll need to start work early. (The 2 mantou bao recipes above don't need so much resting time!)

Click here for the vegan bao recipe

Asian flatbreads

Scallion pancake

3 golden crispy spring onion pancakes on a wooden platter.

Taiwanese green onion pancake recipe (Cong you bing)

Taiwanese green onion pancake (Cong you bing), also known as Chinese scallion pancake, is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze.

Click here for the scallion flatbread recipe

Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

Turkish flatbread

Overnight bread

This Turkish bread requires no kneading, is made overnight and only requires 5 ingredients (excluding the toppings). Yum!

Click here for the Turkish bread recipe

Slices of Turkish bread on a baking tray.

Naan

Naan is a chewy bread that is usually made in a tandoor, or clay oven. As most of us don't have 1 at home, these recipes, which range the gamut from sweet to savoury, have simplified the process for home cooking whilst not compromising on the result!

Peshwari naan

If you always thought you could only have Naan at your local Indian restaurant, think again! It's actually pretty easy to make your own as the following recipes show. This Asian bread is sweet, nutty, soft and chewy.

Click here for the Naan recipe

If you prefer something more savoury, try the Keema flatbread instead! One great thing about Naan bread is that you can easily switch out the filling- if you're cutting down on meat, you can always stuff it with garlic butter or cheese instead!

Keema Naan Bread

This crispy oven-baked naan is stuffed with delicious meat filling and melts in the mouth.

Click here to learn to make your own naan

Easy Stovetop Naan

The above 2 naan recipes require yeast but if you don't have any, you can make this stovetop naan instead!

Click here to learn to make naan, sans yeast.

A piece of naan that was made on the stove.

Vietnamese baguette

Homemade Vietnamese baguette

If you like banh mi, you should learn to make your own Vietnamese bread. This recipe only requires 6 ingredients! For more Asian recipes which require 5 or fewer ingredients, click here.

Click here for the baguette recipe