A local bakery inheriting 80-year-old yeast
Coffee & Bakery Arles
Walking with the 80-Year-Old Yeast
Arles has a levain starter that has been fed and kept alive for 80 years.
From shokupan and sweet buns to savory rolls, baguettes and pain de Lodève — we add this levain to every dough we bake.
There are seats inside where you can enjoy your bread with a cup of coffee. We roast our own beans, so the coffee is always freshly brewed.
Levain Nature
Campagne
A few words about the levain at the heart of Arles.
Levain is a natural way of leavening that goes back to ancient times. Wild bacteria on wheat and rye are mixed with water and left to ferment. The flavor and aroma are completely different from bread made with dry yeast alone. It takes extra work, but levain bread rewards you in so many ways.
Umami Drawn Out by 3 Days of Fermentation
Levain bread is often said to be sour, but the taste changes completely depending on how you ferment it. We noticed the bread tasted clearly different in hot and cold seasons — and ever since, we've kept experimenting with the starter's temperature and resting time.
Today we rest the starter for three days, then rest the dough overnight in the refrigerator. This makes the crumb moist, and the umami deepens with every bite.
Our Campagne ingredients are actually very simple.
"Wheat, Rye, Salt, Malt Extract"
With just these natural ingredients, the power of bacteria leavens the bread and creates rich
flavor.
This 80-year-old yeast is maintained only because we keep baking with it continuously every day.
Tastier and
Safer.
Facing Our Ingredients Daily
In the end, the taste of bread comes down to its ingredients. So at Arles, we've reviewed them one by one.
All for "Peace of Mind"
Currently, we use no margarine at all, and have changed all whipped cream to pure fresh cream.
Switch margarine for butter and the dough stops rising properly. The mixing temperature changes too. Every change causes a new problem, so you can't change everything at once. We adjusted each bread little by little, and over time switched completely.
We choose safe, trustworthy ingredients, and our wheat is grown in Japan. Every dough is made from scratch in this shop. And we add our levain to every bread — and keep raising that starter so it stays truly good. These are the things we're quietly proud of.
How to Enjoy Delicious Campagne
■ Basic way to eat
Slicing thinly and toasting is the basic way. It becomes crispy and fragrant. It's exquisite on its own or with a little olive oil and salt.
■ Surprising Pairings with Japanese Ingredients
The umami of levain goes well with Japanese dashi and miso soup. Try dipping a piece in soup or hot pot and letting it soak up the broth.
Master's Recommendation: 1. Grated Radish
The bread's flavor intertwines deliciously with the gentle taste of vegetables. It's the simplest way to experience the charm of Campagne paired with broth.
Master's Recommendation: 2. Katsudon
Tear up some toasted levain and add it before simmering the cutlet in broth, then bind it all with egg. The bread soaks up the dashi and becomes surprisingly delicious.
About Storage
Because it contains natural fermentation-derived acids, Campagne can be stored significantly longer than regular bread. It's reported to last more than three times longer than bread baked with commercial yeast.
-
▶
Room Temp Storage lasts over 1 week.
*Depends on surface dryness. - ▶ Refrigerated Storage lasts around 3 weeks in summer, over 1 month in winter.
Discover More About Arles
House Roasted Coffee
"A clean finish" enhancing the bread
Carefully roasted using a Yodogawa Engineering roaster, adjusted for daily temperature and humidity. We deliver a cup that richly expands without disrupting the bread's flavor.
The Story of Arles
Passing the 80-year-old yeast to the future
How the owner — originally a coffee shop keeper — came to take over the bakery from the previous master, and how the 80-year-old starter lives on today.
Media Coverage
Featured on YouTube and Amakara Techo Web
A summary of our media coverage, including YouTube's "Bread Story" and Amakara Techo Web.
Arles from Now On
The 80-year-old levain starter passed down from the previous master.
Today, as always, we feed the same starter
and bake our bread.
This starter would die if we ever stopped baking.
So tomorrow, we will open the shop again,
and keep the starter alive.
We look forward to
seeing your smiles.
Shop Info
Reservation
06-6393-3970
For reservations and orders, please call
Address
4-17-8 Higashi-Mikuni, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532-0002
（3 min walk from Higashi-Mikuni Sta. Exit 5）
Opening Hours
Weekdays 7:30 - 19:00
Sat/Hols 7:30 - 18:00
Closed
Sundays
