Published: by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.
A collection of some of the most popular types of Asian bread recipes, from Mochi Bread and Japanese Milk bread to Naan and Bao Buns. There's even rarer types of bread such as Adjaruli Khachapuri and Peshwari Naan!
Jump to:
- Quick Breads
- Chinese Bao Buns
- Japanese Bread
- Central Asian Bread
- Asian Flatbreads
- 💬 Comments
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 served with chicken noodle soup. Pair with sambal mayo sauce or garlicky cream cheese dipping sauce.
Quick Breads
Mochi Bread
Cheese Mochi Bread
This delicious Cheese Mochi Bread Recipe is crisp on the outside and soft and oozy on the inside! It's also a super easy recipe: you just mix everything and bake. Plus no sugar is used so you don't have to feel guilty about snacking! (Baked) (Air Fried)
Click here for the mochi cheese bread recipe.
Mochi Waffles
Surprised to hear that waffles are considered (quick) breads? So are pancakes!
Cheese Mochi Waffles Recipe
This delicious Cheese Mochi Waffles Recipe- also known as Moffles!- is crisp on the outside and soft and oozy on the inside! Thanks to the glutinous rice flour, these waffles stay crispy and don't become soggy as easily. On the table in 15-20 minutes, they're perfect for breakfast or brunch! (This recipe works with both a traditional and vertical waffle maker. It is NOT just putting a mochi in a waffle machine!) (Gluten-Free)
Click here for the cheese moffle 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.
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%.)
Note: If you don't have Hong Kong flour, regular flour works too, but you won't get such snow-white rolls.
Pandan Mantou
To get different color spirals, you can use other natural flavoring such as sweet potato powder, ube powder, cocoa powder, or turmeric powder.
Spiral Pandan Mantou (Steamed 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
Matcha Bao
If you're feeling broke skip the matcha powder and use cheaper green tea powder instead. The color won't be as vibrant but it'll do in a pinch!
Easy Matcha Buns (1-rise Mantou)
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
Vegan Bao
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!)
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.
Good enough to eat on its own, or with this spicy tuna dip/ sambal mayonnaise.
Note: 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.
Asian Flatbreads
Scallion Pancake
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
Turkish Flatbread
Overnight bread
This Turkish bread requires no kneading, is made overnight and only requires 5 ingredients (excluding the toppings). Yum!
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
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.
Keema Naan
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, cheese or even Gochujang butter or mayo butter instead!
Keema Naan Bread
This crispy oven-baked naan is stuffed with delicious meat filling and melts in the mouth.
Stovetop
Easy Stovetop Naan
The above 2 naan recipes require yeast but if you don't have any, you can make this stovetop naan instead!
Paratha
Besides Naan, another popular Indian flatbread is paratha, which come both plain or with stuffing.
Note: Click here for the best Indian side dishes to serve with paratha (or naan.)
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.
Which of these types of Asian breads was your favourite? Before you go, here are some of my popular Asian Recipes that you may be interested in:
- Quick Eryngii Mushrooms (3-ingredients)
- Best Poached One Pot Soy Sauce Chicken
- Yuzu Konnyaku Jelly (15 Min + Ingredient Intro)
I have other recipes you may like here! :)
- Japanese Konjac Jelly with Fruits (Vegan) (GF)
- Black Sesame Mochi Muffins (NO MIXER)
- Teriyaki Chicken on a Stick
- Chinese Almond Cookies 2025 (Buttery)
Reader Interactions
Comments
Dera says
That Japanese loaf bread looks good! Will try it next week!
Reply
Zen says
Hi Dera, hope you like it! I love how soft Asian breads are myself.
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