Shibuya honey toast, also called honey toast or brick toast, is a hollowed out block of soft white bread baked in honey butter until crisp and glossy, then filled with its own toasted cubes and crowned with ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries.
Honey toast became a fixture of the karaoke rooms and dessert cafes around Shibuya in Tokyo, which is where the name comes from, and the idea has since travelled to cafes all over Asia. It is a dessert built for sharing: one brick, two spoons, and a race to finish the cubes before the ice cream melts into them.
At home it is simpler than it looks. You cut a box from an unsliced loaf, lift the middle out in one piece, cube it, brush everything with honey butter and bake. The whole thing takes about 40 minutes and serves two.
Why the bread decides everything
You need an unsliced loaf, because a stack of pre sliced bread cannot be turned into a box. Soft white bread with a tight, even crumb works best. Homemade milk bread (shokupan) gives the softest, most pull apart result and is the one used here. A supermarket brioche loaf or an unsliced white sandwich loaf is the best shortcut.
Bread from the day before is better than fresh. It holds its shape when you hollow it and toasts crisper at the edges. Avoid dense sourdough or anything with a very open, holey crumb, as it will not hold the honey butter or stand up as a box.
Ingredients for honey toast and their jobs
- Unsliced soft white loaf: the box and the filling. You need one block about 10 cm long, with the crust left on.
- Unsalted butter: melted into the glaze. It crisps the bread and gives the toasty, buttery flavour.
- Honey: the main flavour and the gloss. It also caramelises on the cubes as they bake.
- Caster sugar: a spoonful helps the outside turn crisp and deep gold.
- Vanilla extract and a pinch of salt: round out the honey so it tastes rich rather than only sweet.
- Vanilla ice cream: frozen hard, so it holds its shape on the warm toast for longer.
- Whipped cream: thickened (heavy) cream whipped with a little icing sugar to soft peaks, for a light, cold contrast.
- Strawberries: fresh and a little sharp, which cuts through the butter and honey.
- Extra honey and icing sugar: to drizzle and dust at the end.
How to make Shibuya honey toast
- Heat the oven. Heat it to 180 C (350 F), or 165 C (330 F) fan, and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut the block. Cut a block about 10 cm long from the loaf, keeping the crust on all sides, and set it on a crust side as the base.
- Cut the square. With a small serrated knife, cut a square into the top 1.5 cm in from each edge, going down to 1.5 cm from the base. Do not cut through the bottom.
- Lift out the centre. Push the knife in horizontally through one side, 1.5 cm up from the base, and sweep it across to free the centre. Lift it out in one piece, leaving a bread box.
- Cube the centre. Cut the lifted out block into 9 even cubes.
- Make the honey butter. Whisk the melted butter, honey, sugar, vanilla and salt together until glossy.
- Brush and coat. Brush the honey butter over every inside wall and the floor of the box, then over the outside. Toss the cubes in the rest of the honey butter until coated.
- Bake the box. Set the box on the tray and bake it for 10 minutes.
- Add the cubes. Spread the cubes on the tray around the box and bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, turning the cubes once, until they are golden and crisp at the edges and the box is deep gold and glossy.
- Rest the box. Let it cool on the tray for 3 minutes, so the ice cream does not slide straight off.
- Refill the box. Move the box to a plate, pile the toasted cubes back inside and drizzle with honey.
- Top and serve. Add the ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries, dust with icing sugar and serve straight away with two spoons.
Toppings to try
The classic is strawberry, vanilla and cream, but the box takes almost anything cold and creamy. Keep the ice cream in every version, because the contrast of cold ice cream against warm, crisp toast is the point of the dish.
| Version | What to add |
|---|---|
| Classic | Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, halved strawberries, honey, icing sugar |
| Matcha | Whisk 1 teaspoon matcha into the whipped cream |
| Strawberry milk | A drizzle of strawberry syrup over the cream |
| Banana and chocolate | Sliced banana and warm chocolate sauce |
| Mango | Fresh mango and a drizzle of condensed milk |
If you like the strawberry milk version, the same flavours carry over to a glass of Korean strawberry milk, and a strawberry bingsu or a Japanese fruit sandwich works from the same bowl of fruit and cream.
Thick slice honey butter toast and the air fryer method
For one person, skip the box. Cut a single slice about 4 cm thick, score the top in a grid, brush it with a third of the honey butter and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then top it the same way. This is the version you often see in Korean cafes, and it scratches the same itch as Hong Kong style French toast with far less effort. A slice of thousand layer bread is another good base if you have one.
In an air fryer, cook the brushed box at 160 C (320 F) for 8 minutes, then add the cubes and cook for 5 to 6 minutes more, shaking once. Air fryers vary, so watch the cubes closely in the last couple of minutes.
When the box goes soggy, pale or collapses
A soggy base means too much honey butter pooled in the floor of the box. Brush it on in thin coats rather than pouring it in. Pale cubes were crowded on the tray, so spread them out with space between each one and turn them halfway.
A collapsed box comes from walls cut thinner than 1.5 cm or from bread that was too fresh. Keep the walls thick, and use day old bread if you can.
You can bake the box and cubes up to 2 hours ahead and keep them at room temperature, then rewarm them in the oven for 3 minutes before topping. Only assemble it right before serving, because the ice cream and cream start melting into the bread as soon as they go on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shibuya honey toast?
Shibuya honey toast, also called honey toast or brick toast, is a thick block of soft white bread that is hollowed out, brushed with honey butter and baked until crisp. The removed centre is cubed, toasted and piled back inside, then topped with ice cream, whipped cream, fruit and more honey. It takes its name from the Shibuya district of Tokyo, where it became a karaoke and cafe favourite.
What bread is best for honey toast?
An unsliced loaf of soft white bread with a tight crumb. Milk bread or shokupan gives the softest, most pull apart result, and a supermarket brioche loaf is a good shortcut. Pre sliced bread cannot be made into a box, and dense sourdough does not work.
Can I make brick toast in an air fryer?
Yes. Cook the honey butter brushed box at 160 C (320 F) for 8 minutes, then add the cubes and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, shaking once. Air fryers vary, so check the cubes in the last few minutes and pull them when they are golden and crisp at the edges.
Why is the bottom of my honey toast soggy?
Too much honey butter pooled in the floor of the box. Brush it onto the walls and base in thin coats instead of pouring it in. Letting the box rest for 3 minutes before adding the ice cream also stops the base from turning wet too quickly.
Can I make Shibuya honey toast ahead of time?
You can bake the box and cubes up to 2 hours ahead and keep them at room temperature. Rewarm them in the oven for about 3 minutes, then add the toppings just before serving. Do not assemble it ahead, as the ice cream and cream soften the bread quickly.
How many people does one honey toast serve?
One brick serves two people as a dessert, which is how it is usually shared in cafes. For one person, make the thick slice version instead: a single 4 cm slice, scored, brushed with a third of the honey butter and baked for 10 to 12 minutes.
Let’s Get Cooking
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Shibuya Honey Toast
Shibuya honey toast, also known as brick toast: a hollowed block of soft bread baked in honey butter, filled with crisp toasted cubes and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 brick (serves 2) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Bread:
- 1 unsliced loaf of soft white bread (milk bread, shokupan, brioche loaf or unsliced white sandwich loaf), for one block about 10 cm long, crust on
Honey butter:
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted
- 60 g honey (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
Toppings:
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, frozen hard
- 8 strawberries, hulled and halved
- 120 ml thickened (heavy) cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon icing sugar to soft peaks
- Extra honey, to drizzle
- Icing sugar, to dust
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F), or 165 C (330 F) fan. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut a block about 10 cm long from the loaf, keeping the crust on all sides, and stand it on a crust side as the base.
- With a small serrated knife, cut a square into the top, 1.5 cm in from each edge, going down to 1.5 cm from the base. Do not cut through the bottom.
- Push the knife horizontally into one side, 1.5 cm up from the bottom, and sweep it across to free the centre. Lift the centre out in one piece, leaving a bread box.
- Cut the centre block into 9 even cubes.
- Whisk the melted butter, honey, sugar, vanilla and salt together until glossy.
- Brush the honey butter over every inside wall and the floor of the box, then over the outside. Toss the cubes in the remaining honey butter until coated.
- Put the box on the tray and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add the cubes to the tray around the box and bake a further 8 to 12 minutes, turning the cubes once, until they are golden and crisp at the edges and the box is deep gold and glossy.
- Let the box cool on the tray for 3 minutes so the ice cream does not slide off.
- Move the box to a plate, pile the cubes back inside and drizzle with honey.
- Add the ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with two spoons.
Notes
- Bread: it must be an unsliced loaf. Milk bread gives the softest result, a brioche loaf is the best shortcut, and dense sourdough will not work. Day old bread holds its shape better and toasts crisper.
- Walls: keep them 1.5 cm thick, or the box sags once it is brushed with honey butter.
- Single serve: cut one 4 cm thick slice, score the top in a grid, brush with a third of the honey butter, bake 10 to 12 minutes and top the same way.
- Air fryer: box at 160 C (320 F) for 8 minutes, then add the cubes for 5 to 6 minutes, shaking once.
- Make ahead: bake the box and cubes up to 2 hours ahead, keep at room temperature and rewarm for 3 minutes before topping. Do not assemble ahead.
- Soggy base: brush the honey butter on rather than pouring it into the box.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 brick
