Shio pan: the Japanese salted butter roll explained

Shio pan is a Japanese bread roll made with a piece of butter rolled inside the dough and flaky sea salt on top. During baking the butter melts and fries the base of the roll, leaving a crisp, golden bottom and a soft, tender crumb. Shio pan means “salt bread” in Japanese, and it has become popular in Japan and in Asian bakeries abroad.

What does shio pan mean?

Shio pan means “salt bread” in Japanese. Shio is salt and pan is bread, a word borrowed from the Portuguese pao.

The name describes the finishing touch of coarse sea salt. The roll is sometimes called salt butter roll in English. Its origin is often linked to a bakery in Ehime Prefecture, though accounts of who invented it vary, so treat any one origin as a popular story rather than an established record.

How is shio pan made?

Shio pan is made from an enriched yeast dough shaped into small cones, with a piece of salted butter placed at the wide end and rolled up inside. Sea salt is sprinkled on top before baking.

1. Mix a dough of flour, milk, sugar, salt, yeast and a little butter.
2. Let it rise, divide it and shape each piece into a teardrop.
3. Roll the dough flat into a thin triangle.
4. Place a short stick of cold butter at the wide end.
5. Roll it up tightly toward the point, sealing the butter inside.
6. Proof, brush with water or milk and sprinkle flaky salt.
7. Bake at a hot temperature until golden.

Why is the bottom of shio pan crisp?

The bottom of shio pan is crisp because the butter inside melts in the oven, runs down and fries the base of the dough. This is the signature feature of a good shio pan.

Bakers often place the roll on a tray with the seam down, so the butter pools on the underside. A thin, golden, slightly greasy bottom is expected and wanted. A pale, soft base usually means the butter did not leak out enough, or the oven was not hot enough.

What does shio pan taste like?

Shio pan tastes buttery, lightly sweet and gently salty, with a chewy-soft inside and a crunchy base. The crust is thin, and the crumb is soft and slightly springy.

The salt is a seasoning, not a main flavour. A plain shio pan is often eaten warm on its own, which shows off the butter. Savoury and sweet fillings add other notes.

What are common types of shio pan?

Common types include plain, cheese, chicken, seafood, mentaiko (cod roe), chocolate and matcha. A plain version is the standard, and modern bakeries add many flavours.

Shio pan vs butter roll vs croissant: what is the difference?

Shio pan is a rolled yeast bread with butter inside, a butter roll is a plain soft roll brushed with butter, and a croissant is a laminated pastry. The difference lies in how the butter is worked into the dough.

How should you eat and store shio pan?

Shio pan is best eaten warm on the day it is baked. Leftover rolls are kept in an airtight container and reheated briefly.

• Eat it plain, or tear it open and add a little extra butter.
• Reheat at a moderate-high oven temperature for a few minutes, or in a dry skillet.
• Freeze baked rolls in a bag and reheat from frozen.
• Avoid the microwave, which makes the base soft.

What is the sesame prawn shio pan at Lilla Bakehouse?

The sesame prawn shio pan at Lilla Bakehouse is a salted butter roll with a line of prawn paste, coated in sesame. It is one of the signature items named in Broadsheet Melbourne in August 2025.

The recorded menu on the menu page lists the sesame prawn shio pan under bakes and pastries, without a price, since no current price list is published. The bakery’s bakes rotate, so check the hours and location page and its Instagram, and ask staff what is baked that day. The roll contains prawn, so it does not suit anyone avoiding shellfish. This site is an independent guide and does not take orders.

What goes wrong when shio pan is baked at home?

The most common problems are butter that leaks too early, a base that stays pale and a roll that dries out. Each has a simple cause.

• Butter leaks out before the roll rises: The butter was too soft, or the roll was not sealed tightly. Chill the shaped rolls for a few minutes before proofing.
• The base is pale and soft: The oven was too cool or the tray was too thick. A hot oven and a light metal tray help the butter fry the base.
• The roll is dry: The dough had too little milk or butter, or it baked too long. Pull the rolls when they are golden, not dark brown.
• The salt melts away: Fine table salt dissolves. Flaky or coarse sea salt stays visible after baking.
• The roll is tight and heavy: The dough was under-proofed. Let the shaped rolls double in size, which takes longer in a cold kitchen.

How is shio pan different from other Japanese breads?

Shio pan is a small savoury-leaning roll, while other Japanese breads such as shokupan, melon pan and anpan are tall loaves or sweet buns. Japanese bakeries sell all of them side by side.

Shokupan is the soft sandwich loaf, melon pan is a sweet bun with a cookie crust, and anpan is a bun filled with red bean paste. Shio pan sits at the simple end, with salt and butter as the whole idea. Among the tiny list of rolls that people buy plain and warm, shio pan is among the most popular in Asian bakeries abroad.

Can you make shio pan at home?

Yes, shio pan can be made at home with bread flour, milk, yeast, sugar, salt and cold butter. The shaping is the tricky part, and a hot oven helps the base crisp.

Use a cold, firm stick of butter so it does not melt into the dough during shaping. Keep the seam down on the tray. If butter leaks onto the tray, that is normal and is what fries the base. Try small batches first and adjust the bake time to your oven.

Common questions

This page is part of the independent guide to Lilla Bakehouse, which has the address, hours and menu.

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Lilla Bakehouse itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.