Popular Fukuoka Bakery: Opens at 7am! Moropan offers around 100 varieties of bread from the morning

Hello. I'm Shou Fujita, a gourmet writer who prefers bread in the morning.

This time, we will introduce a bakery in Ichizaki, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, that bakes around 100 types of bread from early in the morning, a must-see for bread lovers.

Enjoy the most amazing experience first thing in the morning! Popular bakery "MOROPAIN" (Ichizaki, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City)

Located in a quiet residential area, about a five-minute walk from Nishitetsu Hirao Station on the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta Line, is the popular bakery "MOROPAIN," located on the first floor of an apartment building. As soon as it opens at 7am, it is packed with customers.

Image: Sho Fujita

This highly anticipated bakery brand opened in Hong Kong in January 2025 and opened a tiramisu melon bread and egg tart specialty store, MOROBAAU, in Daimyo, Chuo Ward, in August.

Image: Sho Fujita

When it first opened in 2014, MOROPAIN gained a reputation as a bakery housed in an old Japanese-style house, but due to the aging of the building, it moved to its current location in 2021.

Even now that it has been reborn as a modern glass-walled space, its popularity has not waned and it continues to be loved by many fans, especially local people.

Image: Sho Fujita

The biggest feature of "MOROPAIN" is the impressive lineup of about 100 types of bread and baked goods that are lined up as soon as the store opens at 7am.

Freshly baked bread and pastries are neatly lined up on shelves stretching from the entrance to the back, and the mellow aroma of wheat and butter fills the store.

Image: Sho Fujita

The store stocks a wide variety of products that are popular with people of all ages, from hearty savory breads to sweet breads that are perfect for snacks and authentic hard breads. The refrigerated case is also lined with carefully selected items such as sandwiches, homemade butter, and rillettes.

Image: Sho Fujita

On this day, local residents and people on their way to work were visiting the store one after another as soon as it opened, looking for bread for breakfast or lunch.

Popular breads sell out around 8am, and the shelves are often almost empty by noon.

Image: Sho Fujita

You can also reserve bread by phone, so if there's a specific bread you want, it's a good idea to make a reservation in advance.

Behind the scenes of this ever-evolving popular shop! The passion and dedication of baker Moronaga

The owner, Moronaga Yuji, is an experienced baker who trained for over 10 years at DONQ, a long-established bakery with locations across the country.

Image: Sho Fujita

In addition to opening the store early in the morning, Moronaga has a busy schedule that includes opening new stores and teaching abroad, so he wakes up at midnight and leads a busy life every day.

"When I think that the bread I bake will be the first joy my customers feel when they wake up, that is my greatest motivation," he says calmly.

Image: Sho Fujita

Even now, 12 years after the opening of "MOROPAIN," the shop continues to deepen its commitment to bread, reviewing each ingredient and manufacturing method one by one, in order to deliver bread that is healthy and truly delicious.

Image: Sho Fujita

One of the reasons why MOROPAIN is so popular is that it continues to evolve every day, never resting on its laurels, and instead turning the experience it has gained from opening new stores and working overseas into new challenges.

Beware of sold out!? Introducing popular products from "MOROPAIN"

The most popular item at MOROPAIN is by far the Melon Bread (260 yen).

This product is an expression of Moronaga's ideal of a "classic melon bread," with a crispy, fragrant outside and a soft, fluffy inside.

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The texture of the cookie dough, which is made with butter and almonds, contrasts with the light texture of the dough, creating a pleasant, refined sweetness that fills your mouth.

This is a classic and exquisite melon bread that anyone who eats it will honestly find delicious.

Another perennial favorite is "Kito Mentaiko France" (400 yen), which uses Spicy Fish Eggs from the nearby Kito Shoten.

Image: Sho Fujita

The baguettes are made with a unique blend of Kyushu wheat and are fermented for a long time, resulting in a unique texture that is crispy and fragrant on the outside and chewy on the inside.

With one bite, the delicious mentaiko cream melts into your mouth and blends in with the fragrant baguette.

Image: Sho Fujita

This bread has been improved over and over, and recently koji has been added to bring out the natural sweetness of the bread itself and the mellow flavor of the koji.

The "Melon Bread" and "Kido Mentaiko France" are baked four to five times a day after opening so that they can serve freshly baked bread until around 11:00.

MOROPAIN has many regular customers, and its ever-popular item is the MORO bread (400 yen).

Image: Sho Fujita

This has also been recently improved, and by adding rice flour, the amount of gluten has been reduced, resulting in a soft and moist texture.

The crisp dough remains delicious even after some time has passed, making it a reliable "main ingredient for breakfast."

Moronaga's specialty is the "Kouign Amann" (320 yen), which is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

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This is a bread that Moronaga often made during his apprenticeship, and it has been developed to have a gentle sweetness from butter and sugar that spreads slowly, rather than the heavy sweetness of the French bread.

It is only available from mid-September until around June of the following year, when the sugar coating will not melt, so be sure to try it during this season.

"Fig Butter" (320 yen), a crispy butter French bread sandwiched with homemade cream, is a popular item among women.

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The homemade cream is also sold separately, and has an appealing, grown-up flavor that combines the rich sweetness of figs and white chocolate with a hint of rum.

The "Creamy Ham Potato" (400 yen) is a light and crispy croissant filled with potato salad, ham, and cheese, topped with homemade white sauce, and is another impressive dish.

Image: Sho Fujita

The fluffy potatoes and mellow sauce blend perfectly with the salty cheese, making this a very satisfying and filling savory bread.

There is also terrace seating next to the shop, where you can enjoy freshly baked bread along with your "Coffee" (260 yen) or "Cafe Latte" (260 yen).

Image: Sho Fujita

Thanks to Moronaga's tireless efforts, the popular bakery MOROPAIN delivers a wonderful first thing in the morning to its visitors.

Why not wake up a little earlier and enjoy a luxurious morning surrounded by freshly baked bread? (Text by Sho Fujita)