SWEET BAKERY

メロン パン/Melon Pan

Melon pan is a popular sweet bakery in Japan. Why it's called melon pan even it doesn't taste like melon at all? This is because its shape looks like halves melon after they've been baked. While the word 'pan' is borrowed from the Portuguese for "bread' or "buns" which the japanese use reffering to sweet and savory alike.

They are made from an enriched dough covered in a thin layer of crisp cookie dough. They are not traditionally melon flavored, but in recent times it has become popular for manufactures to add melon to melon pan. There are also others flavored with caramel, maple syrup and chocolate. Sometimes with syrup, whipped or flavored cream or custard as a filling. 

Don't be surprise if I said there is also MEGA MELON PAN. (aaaa.... oishii~)

Melon pan is soft, dough and kinda chewy. Well, I never eat, but I know it from people and few webs I read. But, it really looks oishii, I wish I can get one too. never mind, we can bake melon pan ourselves. How? Okay, here is the recipe. 

Ingredients

Bread dough

hard flour 200

dry yeast 2 teaspoon

butter 20g

sugar 2 tablespoon

salt 1/2 teaspoon

lukewarm water 1/2 cup

egg 1/2 piece

Topping cookie dough

• soft flour 120g

baking powder 1/2 teaspoon

butter 40g

sugar 50g

egg 1/2 piece

table sugar 1 tablespoon

How to make

1. Kneading: 15 minutes with bread kneader

2. Primary fermentation: 40 minutes at 30 degrees centigrade

3. Preparation of Topping: Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat in egg. Combine the flour and baking powder. Roll dough into 9 balls. Put them in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Shaping: Punch the dough down and divide it into 9 pieces. Round each dough into a ball and let dough rest for 15 minutes.

Put the topping cookie dough out of refrigerator and roll out each of them into 3 inches in diameter. Cover the bread dough with this cookie dough. Put the table sugar on the top of dough, and make a lattice pattern with the back of knife.

5. Secondary fermentation: 30 minutes at 35 degree centigrade

6. Baking: 15 minutes at 180 degree centigrade  


*Here is a video how to make a mero pan. You can also use the recipe from this video.

Ganbattene! Good luck!


TIAH SAN