Jam Pan (ジャムパン, jam-filled sweet bun)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital scale
• •Rolling pin
• •Parchment-lined baking tray
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the jam

   Put the jam in a small pan. If it runs like syrup, cook it over low heat for three to five minutes, stirring, until it mounds softly on a spoon. Cool it completely. A loose filling turns to liquid in the oven and searches for any weak place in the seal.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Combine the bread flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Add the milk and about half the beaten egg, reserving the rest for glazing. Mix until no dry flour remains. The cake flour softens the bite, while bread flour gives enough strength to hold the filling.

3. 3

   Knead with butter

   Knead the dough until it begins to smooth out, then work in the softened butter a little at a time. Keep kneading until the dough is elastic, slightly tacky, and can stretch without tearing at once. Butter goes in after the flour is hydrated because fat coats flour and slows gluten if it arrives too early.

4. 4

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. Press it gently with a floured finger. If the dent fills slowly, the dough is ready. If it springs back hard, give it more time.

5. 5

   Divide and rest

   Turn the dough out and divide it into 8 equal pieces, about 65g each. Round each piece, cover, and rest for 15 minutes. This short rest relaxes the dough so it rolls open without fighting you, which makes a cleaner seal.

6. 6

   Fill the buns

   Flatten one piece into a 10cm round, leaving the center a little thicker than the edge. Spoon 25g of cold jam into the middle. Bring the edges together and pinch firmly until the seam is dry and tight. Keep jam off the rim, because sugar on the edge prevents dough from sticking to dough.

7. 7

   Proof seam-down

   Set each bun seam-side down on a parchment-lined tray, spaced well apart. Cover and proof until puffy and almost doubled, about 35 to 45 minutes. The seam goes underneath so the bun's own weight helps hold it closed as the dough expands.

8. 8

   Glaze and bake

   Heat the oven to 180 C. Mix the remaining beaten egg with 1 teaspoon milk and brush the buns lightly. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until evenly golden on top. A light glaze gives the familiar bakery shine without making the crust tough.

9. 9

   Cool before eating

   Move the buns to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes before opening one. Hot jam burns fiercely and tastes dull while it is molten. Warm, not blazing, is when the fruit returns to itself.

Chef Tips

• •Choose jam that tastes bright before it tastes sweet. Apricot gives the old tart balance; strawberry gives the familiar bakery softness. Either is honmono if the fruit speaks clearly.
• •If you use homemade jam, cook it firmer than you would for toast. Bread dough traps moisture, and a thin jam will find the seam.
• •Pinch with clean, dry dough edges. If jam smears onto the rim, wipe it away and pinch again, or that spot will open in the oven.
• •For picnic packing, let the buns cool fully before wrapping. Warm bread wrapped too soon sweats and softens its own crust.

Advance Preparation

• •The jam can be thickened and chilled up to three days ahead.
• •The shaped buns can be refrigerated after filling for 8 to 10 hours. Bring them back to room temperature and let them finish proofing before baking.
• •Baked jam pan keeps one day at room temperature, wrapped after fully cooling. For longer keeping, freeze and thaw gently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 90g)