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Japanese Sweet Bread - Melon Pan (メロンパン)
Monday, January 30, 2012 | 
Posted by
Admin
Melon Pan (メロンパン) is a sweet bread from Japan. The bun is covered with a thin layer of sweet cookie dough and given beautiful diamond patterns which resembles that of a rock melon. But its not as the name says. They are not traditionally melon flavored. But these days, people have started adding melon or melon extract to the bread to add its flavor. What's more addicting is the top cookie dough which gives the entire bun a special taste.
The preparations are done in two parts. One is about preparing the cookie dough and next is the bread dough. Its a bit long process, so make sure you have got enough time on hand. Also be patient and I'm sure you'll be successful. Do not give up at any point.
- If you don't have the mentioned flour, you may substitute it with all purpose flour. But you might find a slight difference in the texture.
- In case you don't have the non-fat dry milk powder, you can add the full fat one.
- It's always best to use unsalted butter as the salt in it can overpower the sweet flavor of the butter. For best results, bring the butter to room temperature (keep the butter out of the refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to the preparation or until it gets soft).
- Just like butter, bring the egg to room temperature before use.
- The fermentation time depends on its temperature. It ferments well in a humid environment, so be careful about it. Fermentation can also be done in a different way by keeping the dough bowl in another bowl of hot water.
- Melon pan tastes more delicious when freshly baked than while its completely cooled.
- Bread Dough
140g bread flour
25g sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
5g non-fat dry milk powder
3g instant yeast
70ml warm water
1 tablespoon beaten egg, room temperature
15g unsalted butter, room temperature
bread flour for dusting
- Cookie Dough
25g unsalted butter, room temperature
35g sugar
25g beaten egg, room temperature
80g cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Bread flour for dusting
Method:
- Preparing the Cookie Dough
1. Cream the butter in a bowl.
2. Gradually add the sugar in two separate additions and continue to beat until the color turns white.
3. Now add the egg in four separate additions to the butter mixture and mix until it's completely combined. Do not add the egg all at once. If you do, the batter will separate.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sift into another bowl.
5. Add the flour to the butter mixture in three separate additions and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated. Be light with this and be careful not to over mix the dough.
6. Transfer the dough onto a plastic wrap. Neatly form it into a cylindrical shape. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.
While it's resting, let's prepare the bread dough.
- Preparing the Bread Dough
1. In a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, yeast and mix well.
2. Add warm water to the beaten egg and whisk. Pour into the flour and mix evenly with a spatula.
3. Transfer the mixture to a pastry board. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky.
4. Flatten the dough and spread the butter. Pull the sides of the dough to the center and continue kneading. It will be very oily, but don't worry. The dough will absorb the butter soon. Continue to knead for about 15 minutes until a soft dough is formed.
5. Shape into a ball and place it back to the bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for about 40 minutes or until double in size.
6. After the fermentation, remove the plastic wrap. Dip your index finger in the flour and make a hole in the center of the dough. If the hole quickly disappears, the dough need more fermentation.
7. Dust flour on the pastry board. Place the dough onto the board and flatten it to remove the gas. Roll the dough into a long cylinder.
8. Divide the dough into five equal pieces.
9. Roll them into neat balls. Place them on a cooking tray dusted with flour. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, let's work with the cookie dough.
- Working with the Cookie Dough
1. Divide the cookie dough into five equal pieces.
2. Put a little flour on your hands and begin shaping each pieces into a ball.
3. Place the dough on a plastic wrap. Place another wrap on it. Press the dough with a pastry scraper until it reaches 3 1/2 inch diameter. To make this easy, draw the circle on a paper and place it below the wrap. This will help you get it right.
4. Place the cookie sheets on the cooking tray dusted with flour. Cover with a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge while the bread dough is resting. This makes the cookie dough easier to handle.
Now let's shape the melon pan.
- Shaping the Melon pan
1. Re-shape the bread dough once again into a ball.
2. Take a cookie sheet and cover the bread dough. Don't cover the whole dough. Leave the bottom side open.
3. Turn the dough upside down and adjust the cookie sheet. Pinch the bottom of the bread dough and dip the cookie dough.
4. Hold the melon pan on your palm and draw diamond patterns on the top using scraper.
5. Place the buns on a baking tray and let it sit in a warm place for second fermentation for about 40 minutes or until double in size.
- Baking the Melon Pan
1. Preheat the oven to 340°F.
2. Bake the melon pan until the top is slightly browned.
Kakkoii Deshou (かっこいい でしょう) ! You have baked delicious melon pan. Now cool it on a cooling rack and they are ready to be served.
We were excited as we got it right with our first try. It came out beautifully and also tasted so delicious. So I'm sure you can also do it.
Good luck with the preparation!
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