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Photo of Melon Pan by Namita Tiwari at BetterButter
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Melon Pan

Nov-18-2016
Namita Tiwari
120 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 People
Serves
Read Instructions Save For Later

ABOUT Melon Pan RECIPE

Melon Pan is a classic Japanese sweet bread covered with a thin layer of crisp cookie crust with grid line pattern on top. Melon pans are made from an enriched dough. You’ll love to bite into the crisp sweet cover with soft bun inside. You may shape some like turtles for your little ones and see them squeal with joy!

Recipe Tags

  • Non-veg
  • Hard
  • Festive
  • Japanese
  • Baking
  • Breakfast and Brunch

Ingredients Serving: 10

  1. Main Dough Ingredients:
  2. 1 and 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  3. 1/4 cup cake flour*
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. 3 tablespoon fine sugar
  6. 1 and 1/4 teaspoon dry instant yeast
  7. 1 large Egg, beaten
  8. 3 and 1/2 tablespoon warm milk
  9. 1/4 cup warm water
  10. 2 and 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
  11. Cookie Dough Ingredients:
  12. 4 tablespoons butter
  13. 1/2 cup fine sugar or powdered sugar
  14. 1 large egg, beaten
  15. 1 and 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons cake flour*
  16. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  17. 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  18. 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for topping
  19. Some chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. To prepare the main dough, whisk together the first five ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Now add in the beaten egg, warm milk and 3 and 1/2 tablespoon warm water. Use a spatula to gently mix the ingredients together until well combined.
  3. The dough will be wet and sticky and a bit messy. You may use your hands to bring it together. In case if the dough is dry, you may add more water.
  4. Once it comes together as a loose ball, transfer it to the counter dusted with flour. Knead the dough by pushing it forward with the heels of your hand and then pulling it back with fingers. Stretch the dough, fold the top half of the dough in half back toward you. Stretch and repeat.
  5. Repeat this process for about 5 minutes. This will develop gluten strands. The dough will become more and more manageable and supple. If dough is sticky, dust your hands with flour and knead.
  6. After 5 to 8 minutes, once dough becomes smooth and elastic, stretch into a rectangle. Put cubes of butter and roll up the dough. Begin to knead by stretching and pulling. (Your hands and work surface will become greasy and messy initially but with time, the dough will keep absorbing butter and become manageable.)
  7. Bang the dough on work surface and roll it away from you. Repeat. Push out with the heels of your palm and pull it back. After 5 to 6 minutes, you'll get smooth silky dough. Shape the dough into a ball by pulling from the sides to the bottom and pinching them together.
  8. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a cling film. Keep in a warm place for 1 and 1/2 hour. While the dough is rising, work on the cookie dough.
  9. For the cookie dough, beat together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add in the egg and beat till it's mixed well.
  10. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add it to the wet mixture. Mix till the dough comes together.
  11. Collect the dough and make into a ball. Keep it in the refrigerator. After 50 minutes, when the dough becomes hard, cut it into 10 equal pieces.
  12. Take 3 pieces and keep the rest in the refrigerator. Crumble the three pieces and add in cocoa powder. Knead till you get a uniform colour. Put it back in the refrigerator.
  13. To shape the main dough, transfer the risen dough onto the counter, press the dough and deflate. Fold it in thirds and repeat.
  14. Shape it into a ball. With a sharp knife divide into half and make five equal pieces of both the halves. You get 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball by stretching and folding the sides. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  15. To shape the Melon Pans, while the dough balls are resting, take out the cookie dough pieces on the floured counter. Shape into balls and roll out into small circles of about 10 cm one by one.
  16. Take the dough pieces. Deflate and fold in thirds. Then shape into balls by stretching and folding.
  17. Take the cookie circle in your hand, place the dough ball with seam side up and wrap it around the cookie circle. Repeat for all the pieces. Dip the melon pans into a bowl with sugar. Dust off the extra sugar and make three cuts each side with a knife.
  18. If you want to shape some like turtles, pinch out 4 small pieces of dough for face, two flippers,and a tail. Shape the pieces. Prepare a paste with 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour and water to get a glue like consistency. Dip them into this paste and attach them.
  19. Place on the baking tray with the seam side down. Cover with a cling film and keep it in a warm place to rise for about 50 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
  20. Bake for 15 minutes. The tops should begin to brown. Rotate bread pieces for even browning. Use choco chips for eyes for the turtle shaped bread.
  21. Cool in the rack. Store in an airtight container.

Reviews (3)  

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Andrea Srivastava
Nov-21-2016
Andrea Srivastava   Nov-21-2016

Beautiful creation Namita!

Bindiya Sharma
Nov-18-2016
Bindiya Sharma   Nov-18-2016

awesome Namita!

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