Chapter 3: Japanese Bakery- An Pan and Melon Pan

So....I didn't stick to the original 12 breads list at all, haha. After failing the focaccia recipe from Sarah Black's book, I got a little jaded about following her instructions and decided to follow trustable online recipes instead, with great reviews and perhaps a video for reference. Also, I started to get bored of making bread that kind of tastes similar to each other, i.e. focaccia and ciabatta. 

Instead, I decided to go back to my heritage and try something I've always loved, Japanese bakery buns! Melon pan and an pan have always held a fond part of my heart. I remember eating them from a young age, always a treat when my mom would come back from the Japanese store with sweet, soft buns filled with "anko" red bean paste or with a cream custard. Melon pan was also a favorite of mine growing up, so I decided to make both!

Raisins for eyes! Optional: use melted chocolate in a pastry bag to make a smile and eye brows!

I got the recipe for these wonderfully delicious red bean buns from my friend Seong-oea who took a class in Indiana from a Japanese lady named Tatsuko san :). I'm very grateful that she has also decided to share this recipe with you guys, too! Thanks Seong-oea!! The recipe will be posted below, with instructions. Overall, I really enjoyed making these buns! The dough mixed quickly and easily in my kitchenaid but could easily be also kneaded by hand. I rested the dough for 50 minutes in the warm sunshine, formed them into balls and filled them with red bean paste, and let them rest again for 30 minutes, and then baked them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. They were SO tasty. By the way, Melon pan is basically a sugar cookie baked on top of a bread bun. Interesting huh? :)

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Criss crossing our matcha melon pans! Almost time to bake!

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Matcha melon pan □□□

Japanese Sweet Red Bean Bun Recipe  (makes 7-8  buns)
(I adapted the recipe to use just all purpose flour, but I will post the original one here)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cups all purpose
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 egg + water to the 200 ml mark on the liquid measuring cup
• 3.5 tbsp butter, sliced super thinly

​(I just used 2.5 cups all purpose flour because I was too lazy to go shopping for bread flour...haha)

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If you have a kitchen aid, use a dough hook for this part. Knead until the dough looks smooth. If the dough looks too moist or tacky, add 1/4 more flour to it and continue mixing.
2. Oil a separate bowl and put the smooth dough inside. Cover with a wet kitchen towel or plastic wrap on top and let it rise outside in the warm weather, or set your oven to 170 degrees, turn it off, and then put the bowl in (to create a warm proofing environment). Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
3. Take out the dough after rising and split it into 7-8 pieces. If dough is a bit sticky, where in again another 1/4 cup or less of flour to make it less sticky. Shape into balls and then flatten each ball a bit (not a lot). Put 1 tablespoon of anko bean paste (either koshi or tsubu an) in the middle of each flattened ball. Pull up the edges of the dough around the paste and pinch several times to seal the bun.  Put the buns on an oiled baking sheet, at least 2-3 inches apart (the more space, the better, as they tend to expand). Let the dough rise again in the oven for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, remove buns from oven. Scramble the yolk of an egg and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the buns with an egg wash. Optional: you can sprinkle a couple of sesame seeds on top for a classy look, or make an pan mans!
5. Bake buns for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let them cool for 15-30 minutes, and then enjoy! You can leave them at room temperature for the next day's breakfast as well, but just make sure to cover them with plastic wrap. Bon Apetit!

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