Melonpan (メロンパン)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Bench scraper, or the back of a small knife for scoring
• •Rolling pin
• •Baking sheet lined with parchment
• •Cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make cookie dough

   Beat the 50g butter with the 60g sugar until smooth, then mix in the egg yolk and vanilla if using. Add the all-purpose flour and baking powder and stir only until the dough comes together. Overmixing makes the crust tough, and this crust should break gently under the teeth, not fight back.

   If the dough seems dry, add the tablespoon of milk a few drops at a time. You want a soft dough that can roll, not a paste.
2. 2

   Chill the crust

   Divide the cookie dough into 8 pieces, flatten each into a small disc, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Cold cookie dough keeps its own shape when it meets the bread dough, which is how you get a proper shell instead of a sweet smear.

3. 3

   Mix bread dough

   In a bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt, keeping the salt from sitting directly on the yeast at first. Add the beaten egg and lukewarm milk and mix until no dry flour remains. The milk should feel warm to the hand, not hot, because heat that feels sharp to you is already too harsh for yeast.

4. 4

   Knead until supple

   Knead until the dough begins to smooth out, then work in the 30g softened butter a little at a time. At first it will look ruined. Keep going. The dough will become glossy, elastic, and soft enough to stretch without tearing at once. Butter added after the flour hydrates gives tenderness without stopping the gluten from forming.

5. 5

   First rise

   Set the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise until nearly doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. It should look puffy and relaxed, and a floured fingertip pressed into the dough should leave a slow-filling dent. Time is only a guide; the dough tells you when it is ready.

6. 6

   Shape the buns

   Divide the bread dough into 8 equal pieces and round each one tightly, tucking the surface underneath so the top is smooth. A tight surface helps the bun rise upward instead of spreading flat, which gives melonpan its good bakery shape.

7. 7

   Wrap with crust

   Roll each chilled cookie disc into a circle wide enough to cover the top and sides of a bun. Drape it over a dough ball and gently cup it around the sides, leaving the bottom bare. Do not seal it underneath. The bread needs room to expand, and the uncovered base lets it rise without tearing the crust.

8. 8

   Score and sugar

   Dip the cookie-coated tops in sugar, then score a shallow diamond grid with a bench scraper or the back of a knife. Cut the crust, not the bread. Shallow scoring gives the classic melon-rind pattern and controls where the cookie shell opens as the bun rises.

9. 9

   Proof gently

   Place the buns on a lined baking sheet with space between them, cover lightly, and proof for 35 to 45 minutes, until puffy but not wobbling. If they overproof, the bread weakens and the crust slides. You want lift, not collapse dressed in sugar.

10. 10

    Bake and cool

    Bake at 180°C or 350°F for 13 to 16 minutes, until the crust is pale golden at the edges and the bottoms sound light when tapped. Cool on a rack. The crust firms as it cools, so give it ten quiet minutes before judging it.

Chef Tips

• •Use bread flour for the bun and all-purpose flour for the crust. The bun needs strength to rise tall, while the crust wants tenderness. One flour for both gives you a compromise, and compromise is often just confusion wearing an apron.
• •Keep the cookie dough cool. If your kitchen is warm, chill the wrapped buns for 10 minutes before the final proof. The crust should sit on the bread like a cap, not melt into it.
• •Plain melonpan has no melon flavor. Some modern bakeries add melon essence or cream, but the older pleasure is the contrast of milk bread and cookie crust. No melon inside, ever, unless you are making a different bun and admitting it.

Advance Preparation

• •The cookie dough can be made one day ahead and kept refrigerated. Let it soften just enough to roll without cracking.
• •The shaped, unbaked bread dough can rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator after the first rise. Bring it back toward room temperature before wrapping with the cookie crust.
• •Baked melonpan is best the day it is made. To refresh the next day, warm it briefly in a low oven so the crust dries back to crispness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)