Melonpan (Melon buns)

Ingredients ( Serves 4 )

Make 8 buns
Bun dough
・150 g strong flour
・1 teaspoon (3 g) dry yeast
・2 tablespoons (20 g) sugar
・80 ml water
・1 tablespoon beaten egg
・¼ teaspoon salt
・10 g butter

Biscuit dough
・100 g weak flour
・¼ teaspoon baking powder
・Rind of ½ lemon
・40 g butter
・1 egg yolk
・1 tablespoon milk or water
・3 tablespoons (30 g) sugar

You will also need some granulated (castor) sugar.

How to cook

1. First make the bun dough. Mix the yeast with the water in a bowl. Add the beaten egg, sugar, strong flour, and salt. Form into a mass of dough. Turn out on to a slab or work surface, and knead until soft. Knead for about 10 minutes, constantly picking up the dough and slapping it against the slab.
2. Dot the dough with the 10 g of butter. Again slap and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a bowl that has been greased with butter.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. Place the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it doubles in bulk (about 30 – 40 minutes). If your kitchen is cold, sit the bowl in a larger bowl containing some water at body temperature (37°C).
4. While the bun dough is rising, make the biscuit dough. Sift the flour and baking powder, and grate the lemon rind. Add the sugar to the creamed butter in a bowl and stir until the mixture turns whitish. Then add the milk, egg yolk, and grated lemon rind. Fold in the flour and mix until you have formed a dough. Shape into a roll, cover it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
5. Once the bun dough has doubled in bulk, divide into 8 portions. Roll each into a round bun, expelling the excess air. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the buns rest for 10 minutes.
6. Slice the biscuit dough into 8 portions. Lightly flour them and roll each out on a slab or work surface, forming circles about 8 cm in diameter. Wrap a circle of biscuit dough around each bun.
7. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the buns. Score the buns with the spine of a table knife to give them the appearance of melons. Place on a baking tray, and let the buns rise again for about 30 minutes.
8. Bake for 15 minutes on the middle shelf of an oven preheated to 170°C.

The sweet and savoury buns available at Japanese bakeries

Every bakery in Japan sells a selection of buns containing various sweet fillings, e.g. jam, cream, and custard.  Anpan is also a staple item.  It is a bun filled with an, or a sweet bean paste.  These buns first appeared in 1874, not long after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 when the new government was keen to adopt western systems and practices.  Anpan was a blend of the western and the Japanese: a western-style bun with a Japanese filling.  It has remained popular to this day, and is available across Japan.

Bakeries will also sell a range of buns with various savoury fillings, e.g. fried noodles, corn and mayonnaise, tuna, leaf mustard, etc.  They will also typically sell currypan (fried buns with a curry filling).  A visit to a Japanese bakery can be a mouthwatering experience!