After studying bakery in Germany, Lee Ho-kyoung opened Backerin at Samseong-dong in Seoul in July 2020 (Photo credit: @backerin_seoul) |
From her small perch, she sold her German bread – several varieties of pretzels and brotchen – and sweets like her fluffy lemon mini gugelhupfs.
Even before Lee opened Backerin, she loved bread.
âWhile living in Korea, I already loved bread so much that I used to bake bread at home on occasion,â Lee, 30, revealed in an email interview.
Then, at university, Lee went to study abroad in Germany.
âIn Germany, I ate bread for meals and as snacks,â Lee recalls.
Her stay in Germany stayed with her and after returning to South Korea and graduating, Lee decided to enroll in a national vocational school in Germany to study baking.
While studying there, Lee also worked in a bakery.
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After studying bakery in Germany, Lee Ho-kyoung opened Backerin at Samseong-dong in Seoul in July 2020 (Photo credit: @backerin_seoul) |
Lee says she uses organic flour, German rye, Korean whole wheat, organic German whole wheat, natural sourdough, commercial fresh yeast and cultured butter to make her baked goods at Backerin.
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At Backerin’s, Lee Ho-kyoung sells his German bread – several varieties of pretzels and brotchen – and sweets like his mini lemon gugelhupfs. (Photo credit: @backerin_seoul) |
There is a very warm, down-to-earth vibe at Lee Bakery, which offers no seating, only a long counter with treats for the carb lovers to take out.
If we visit Backerin’s Instagram account, we can find out which breads will be sold on the day and when those breads will be ready to go.
For example, one morning in particular, Backerin’s salted butter stangen came out of the oven a little after 11:30 a.m. out of the kitchen – a tray filled with warm, chewy, chewy buns with chunks of melted butter tucked into it. each center.
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Backerin’s Salted Butter Stangen are warm, soft, and chewy croissant buns with chunks of melted butter tucked into each center. (Photo credit: @backerin_seoul) |
âAlthough butter goes into this, it’s got a lot less butter than a croissant and is light and soft on the inside with a particularly chewy texture,â Lee said of his salted butter stangen.
In addition to his salted butter stangen, Lee also makes a diverse selection of pretzels, including his Backerin pretzel, which Lee says is a German pepper pretzel.
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Backerin’s Cinnamon Pretzels (top) are coated in butter, cinnamon, and sugar, while the bakery pretzels of the same name (bottom) are coated in ground black pepper for a boost. (Photo credit: @backerin_seoul) |
Lee says his pepper pretzels are topped with ground black pepper, which gives the pretzels a slight fire.
Indeed, there is a lovely warmth in her shiny and browned Backerin pretzels, which are soft and chewy in the center.
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Backerin’s Sweet Cinnamon Pretzels are glossy with a layer of butter before being generously topped with a second layer of cinnamon and sugar. (Photo credit: @backerin_seoul) |
Then there is his brotchen, German buns, with a nice thin, cracked crust and a soft, airy center and his miniature lemon gugelhupf.
For the winter, Lee also revealed his intention to do stollen.
1F, 33-14 Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
(0507) 1309-7960; @backerin_seoul
Open Wednesday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bread and baked goods cost between 2,500 and 9,000 won.
By Jean Oh ([email protected])