Japanese Strawberry Sandwich

Why you will love this recipe:

• It’s simple to make with just a few ingredients.
• You can make a whole stack of strawberry sandwiches and store them in the fridge until ready to eat.
• It makes the most of strawberries whilst they are at their best.
• It’s a fun twist on British strawberries and cream that’s a bit more picnic-friendly/less messy!

Ingredients:

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Japanese Milk Bread – this is a type of Japanese bread that is soft and fluffy with a little hint of sweetness. Known as shokupan in Japan, you can find it at Asian grocery stores in the UK or US, or order it online/ahead of time in certain bakeries.

Strawberries – try to find the ripest, juiciest ones as their flavour is key here for a delicious sandwich from Japan.

Substitutions and Variations:

Japanese milk bread – if you can’t find this, use some very good quality soft white bread or some thick sliced brioche.

Here’s how to make a strawberry sandwich from Japan:

Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.

ONE: Slice the crusts off 4 slices of milk bread and set aside.

TWO: Add the cream to a bowl and add the icing sugar. Use an electric whisk to beat it to medium peaks.

THREE: Lay one slice of milk bread on a board and then top with a good scoop of whipped cream. Smooth it into a thick layer.

FOUR: Place whole strawberries in a straight line on the cream in the centre and then place a few more strawberries in the gaps on either side. You will likely need 9 strawberries total, per sandwich.

FIVE: Top with more whipped cream and smooth over. Add the top slice of bread and gently press down. Place the sandwich on a sheet of cling film. Then use a butter knife to smooth the cream into any large gaps between the slices of bread so you have cream right to the edges of the sandwich.

SIX: Wrap tightly in the cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up. Slice the sandwich vertically, so it slices right through the strawberries for a pretty cross-section. 

Cooking Tips:

How to arrange a Japanese strawberry sandwich – the video below will give you the best instruction but the key is to think about where you are slicing the sandwich. So since we are slicing vertically in order to create two sandwich triangles, you want the main line of strawberries facing the same way, going down through the centre of the whipped cream. Then fill the gaps in with the remaining strawberries on the edge. They won’t be seen.

How to wrap a Japanese strawberry sandwich – I like to lay the sandwich on cling film (plastic wrap) before filling in any remaining gaps with cream. Wrapping tightly will meld the sandwich together and then as it chills, it firms up.

How to slice a Japanese strawberry sandwich – slice vertically in the same direction in which you laid the strawberries. So basically, slice your knife right through the strawberries to cut them in half and create the cross-section. You can use a pen to mark the plastic wrap with an arrow once the sandwich is wrapped, to help you remember which direction the strawberries are laid.