Actor Shane Pow sells banana bread from condo, says it’s tiring as he wakes up at 5.30am to bake orders

After shuttering his Korean hawker chain Gogiyo in 2024, Singapore actor Shane Pow is back in the F&B scene with a new home-based bake store selling banana bread.

He launched Taiyo Bread Shop in early February after noticing a demand for his banana bread from friends when he shared snaps of them on Instagram last year. Taiyo means sun in Japanese and the business is named after the running club the 34-year-old started, Sun-baked.

The bakes are handmade from scratch by Pow in his one-bedroom condo in Upper Serangoon. “I’m just doing this for fun. Since I had a two-week break before filming started for my new drama, I thought why not sell banana bread. I was getting quite bored at home anyway,” he told 8days.sg.

BAKING NOOB

Interestingly, Pow, who's not usually a fan of sweet stuff, said baking was “never [his] thing”. He’d never done it before and only attempted banana bread so he could use up his ripe bananas. And there was no turning back.

“The satisfaction came when I managed to bake it. I realised baking is not that tough,” he said excitedly.

“I made and ate a lot of banana bread. It was very satisfying because I felt like I could provide for myself. All I needed was eggs, flour, butter and bananas and I was self-sustainable,” he laughed. “Plus, I like how the whole house smells like a bakery.”  

He spent the past six months perfecting his banana bread recipe. Like many budding bakers, YouTube was his tutor.

“I think I ate 20 to 30 loaves of banana bread until I got to this recipe that I am using now. It’s moist on the inside with a slightly caramelised, crisp crust, and not too sweet,” he said. “But I am sick of banana bread now. I don’t eat it anymore.”

LE CORDON BLEU NEXT?

Encouraged by the positive customer feedback, Pow is now searching for baking courses to enhance his skills.

“I checked the one from Le Cordon Bleu but it’s damn expensive! I think it’s around $20,000 or $30,000 for a one-year course in Thailand. It’s cheaper for me to learn from YouTube and R&D,” he laughed.

“But I am very interested in learning how to make croissants and French pastries, and you need to learn that from [a professional].”

The skills will also come in handy should he decide to open a bakery, a childhood dream. 

“I love to eat bread and love boulangeries. I’ve thought of opening a bakery but never had the opportunity. But this home-based business has got me thinking about it again. If this goes well, I might have the chance to do so one day,” said Pow.

He’s now working on baking bagels, which he said, “taste legitimate, but not presentable to sell yet”, and will add them to his offerings when he masters shaping them aesthetically.

AVAILABLE IN THREE FLAVOURS, FROM S$22 A LOAF

Taiyo currently only offers banana bread, which comes in three flavours: Original, walnut and chocolate. They are priced from S$22 to S$25 (US$16.30 to US$18.50) and only available for order online. 

Orders are released on Taiyo’s website on an ad hoc basis according to Pow’s schedule, with a maximum of 14 loaves available each time. The next slot is for Mar 6. He only offers deliveries, no pick-ups.

GOING BANANAS (ORIGINAL), S$22

While 8days.sg didn’t get to try Pow’s bakes as he’s busy filming Mediacorp drama Timeless Memories, he told us the original is the bestseller. However, his favourite is the chocolate which has a “rich chocolatey twist” from the dark chocolate chips. 

CHOCOLOCO (DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS), S$25

NUTTY NANA (WALNUT), S$25

Pow has held three bake sales so far, with the banana bread snapped up in a few hours. There have been requests to open more order slots, but the actor, who does everything himself, simply has no bandwidth.

In the midst of filming Timeless Memories, he can only bake orders when he has the occasional day off. And boy is it “full-on and tiring”. 

As the banana bread is made fresh on the day of delivery, Pow starts his day at 5.30am to ensure orders are ready for delivery at 3pm. He blames it on his “troublesome” recipe, but says it gives the best texture and mouthfeel.

“Most people use an electric mixer, but I mash the bananas and make the batter by hand using a spatula as this gives me the cake-like texture that I like. I also get chunks of bananas with each bite. This is why I cap orders. I physically cannot make that much,” explained Pow, adding that he can clock more than 5,000 steps from five hours of baking.

“Honestly, I don’t foresee I can make much money from this business. You see the amount of time I put in to make the bread, it is not cost effective,” he shared candidly. It’s more a hobby than a side hustle. 

But if the home-based business takes off, Pow will consider getting a central kitchen and staff to split the load.

“Now I derive satisfaction from people telling me that they like my banana bread. That’s my biggest joy in baking,” he said.

Order online at Taiyo Bread Shop. More info on Instagram.

This story was originally published in 8Days.