What Is Habutae Mochi? The Appeal of Fukui's Signature Confection
Habutae mochi is known nationwide as a confection that represents Fukui Prefecture.
その名は、福井の名産品である羽二重織という絹織物に由来します。羽二重織は、羽のように柔らかく、しなやかでコシのある風合いが特徴の高級絹織物です。羽二重餅は明治期に福井で生まれたとされ、元祖を名乗る店は複数あります。
口に含めば、ふわりととろける独特の食感。ほんのりともち米の優しい甘さが広がります。羽二重餅は、もち粉・砂糖・水飴を主な材料とする菓子で、材料が少ないぶん原料の性質が仕上がりに出ます。
Its smooth texture and delicate sweetness embody the very grace of habutae-ori. Now a signature confection of Fukui, the secret to the deliciousness of habutae mochi lies in its ingredients and their proportions.
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The Basic Ingredients of Habutae Mochi | Simple, Yet Profound
Mochi-ko (glutinous rice flour) | The Star That Forms the Base
The main ingredient of habutae mochi is mochi-ko (glutinous rice flour).
Mochi-ko is glutinous rice that has been milled into a powder. Ordinary mochi is made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice itself, but habutae mochi uses mochi-ko. This difference is what creates the smoothness distinctive to habutae mochi.
もち粉の品質が、羽二重餅の食感を大きく左右します。粒子が細かく上質な「羽二重粉」を使用すると、より滑らかで上品な仕上がりになります。代表的なもち米の品種には、滋賀羽二重糯（滋賀県）、こがねもち（新潟県など）、ヒヨクモチ（九州）などがあり、それぞれ食感が異なります。
Sugar | Balancing Sweetness and Softness
Sugar brings a refined sweetness and softness to habutae mochi.
砂糖の量は、生地の白さとなめらかさの両方に影響します。
砂糖の種類によって甘さの印象が変わるため、切り替え時は試作で確かめてください。
水飴｜生地の硬化を抑える
Mizuame (starch syrup) is a key ingredient that enhances the smoothness and moisture retention of habutae mochi.
水飴は生地の硬化を抑える目的で使われますが、実際の食感保持期間は配合・包装・保存条件を含めて確認してください。
The ingredients are simply mochi-ko, sugar, and mizuame. Yet it is the balance among these three ingredients that determines the deliciousness of habutae mochi.
もち粉・砂糖・水飴の配合と調整
配合比率は製造元・商品ごとに違う
The basic blend of habutae mochi hinges on the balance of mochi-ko, sugar, and mizuame.
配合は製造元ごと、商品ごとに異なります。
Adjusting for Season and Humidity
Even with the same ingredients, the moisture content varies subtly depending on the season and humidity.
Mochi tends to stick more on humid days, but adding more dusting flour to prevent this affects the flavor. Delicate mochi confections require fine adjustments throughout the process. What is indispensable there is "the artisan's hand."
The artisan checks the softness of the mochi by hand and finely adjusts the moisture content. This deft touch is what creates the "light, supple texture" of habutae mochi.
もち粉の選び方で食感が変わる
How you choose your mochi-ko is the single most important point that determines the quality of habutae mochi.
羽二重餅は求肥と同じく砂糖と水飴を多く含む生地で、柔らかく伸びる食感になります。もち米の性質も仕上がりに出るため、もち粉の選び方で食感が変わります。
蒸しと練りの工程で食感が変わる
The Way It's Steamed Determines the Taste
Making habutae mochi begins by mixing mochi-ko with water and steaming it through at high heat all at once.
生地がダマにならないよう丁寧にこねて蒸す工程は、羽二重餅づくりでいちばん大切な作業ともいわれます。
蒸気で蒸すことで、餅粉に水分が均一に行き渡り、なめらかな餅に仕上がります。
練りの工程
Once steamed, sugar and mizuame are mixed in, and the mixture is kneaded slowly over low heat.
この練りの工程が、羽二重餅の食感を大きく左右します。
Using high-quality ingredients and taking the time to knead thoroughly produces a distinctive suppleness and a smooth, resilient body.
Shaping and Finishing
Roll out the kneaded dough thinly, cut it into rectangles, and the habutae mochi is complete.
片栗粉を敷いたバットに取り出し、手の平かめん棒で優しく押して伸ばします。切りやすい硬さになってから、余分な取り粉を払って切り分けます。置く時間は一律に決めず、生地の温度と硬さを見て調整します。
The process itself is simple, but the proportions of the ingredients greatly affect the finished product, leading to each maker's own distinctive flavor and texture.
The Difference Between Habutae Mochi and Gyuhi | Same Ingredients, Different Things
Same Ingredients, Different Uses
The ingredients of both habutae mochi and gyuhi are mochi-ko, sugar, and mizuame.
できあがった生地の見た目もほとんど変わりません。しかし、求肥は薄くのばしても柔らかく伸びがよいので、さまざまな和菓子に使われています。いちご大福のように餡や果物を包んだり、練り切りのつなぎとして混ぜ込んだりと、主にほかの菓子の「素材」として使われます。
Habutae mochi, on the other hand, is a wagashi most often enjoyed on its own. You might say that habutae mochi is gyuhi polished finely and refined into a beautiful, complete wagashi.
The Particular Care Unique to Habutae Mochi
Many wagashi manufacturers that produce habutae mochi are meticulous even about the raw materials, using "habutae-ko"—an especially fine-grained, high-quality type of mochi-ko—for their habutae mochi.
Make Authentic Habutae Mochi with Minoyo's Wagashi Ingredients
Making habutae mochi calls for choosing high-quality ingredients.
美濃与は和菓子原料を専門に取り扱う商社です。羽二重餅の生地に使う分銅印の餅粉や白玉粉を、業務用規格で取り扱っています。
羽二重餅は材料が少ないぶん、糯米や餅粉の性質が仕上がりに出ます。
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Summary | Habutae Mochi Is the Crystallization of Ingredients, Proportions, and Artisan Skill
The deliciousness of habutae mochi is created through simple ingredients, an exquisite blend, and the artisan's skill.
もち粉、砂糖、水飴というたった三つの材料。しかし、その配合バランスと製法が、羽二重織のようなしなやかで上品な食感を実現しています。蒸気で蒸し、時間をかけて練り上げる工程は、手間がかかりますが、この工程が食感に表れます。
Fine adjustments for season and humidity, how the mochi-ko is chosen, tips for kneading—all of these determine the quality of habutae mochi. Made from the same ingredients as gyuhi, habutae mochi is nonetheless a wagashi complete in its own right, continuing to be loved by many.
羽二重餅の原料を切り替える際は、糯米・餅粉のサンプルで食感を確かめてください。
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美濃与は京都に拠点を置く京菓子原材料の専門商社です。本記事で取り上げた原料の業務用調達や、お試しサンプル、ロット・規格のご相談など、和菓子製造の現場に寄り添った提案を行っています。
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