"Koji is having a moment. And we're not just talking about miso soup. The centuries-old Japanese fermentation culture responsible for staples like soy sauce and sake is stepping into the spotlight in Brooklyn, where a quietly luxe new bakery called Hacco is set to open its first brick-and-mortar this spring."
"If you're new to koji, it refers to cultures of the fungus Aspergillus oryzae, traditionally used in Japan to break down starches into sugars and unlock deep umami flavor. It's the invisible engine behind miso, soy sauce and sake. Under warm, humid conditions, the culture converts starch into glucose, creating a natural sweetness and a complex, layered flavor profile without added sugar."
"Hacco's menu will lean into that alchemy. Expect pastries made with organic koji flour—a fermented rice flour that improves hydration and softens texture—and an organic koji syrup crafted from fermented rice. The syrup delivers a delicate sweetness with a clean finish, free from refined sugar, artificial sweeteners or additives."
Hacco is a new luxury bakery concept opening in Brooklyn this spring that centers on koji, a centuries-old Japanese fermentation culture. Led by Raphael Boeri, former executive pastry chef at Dean & DeLuca, the bakery specializes in pastries and beverages made with organic koji flour and koji syrup derived from fermented rice. Koji, a fungus culture called Aspergillus oryzae, naturally converts starches into glucose under warm, humid conditions, creating sweetness and complex umami flavors without refined sugar. The resulting baked goods are gently sweet, nuanced, and light-textured. While fermentation has been popular in fine-dining kitchens for applications like dry-aging meats, koji-based products are now entering mainstream food culture.
#koji-fermentation #natural-sweeteners #artisanal-bakery #japanese-fermentation-culture #plant-based-innovation
Read at Time Out New York
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