Melon Pan
Discover the delightful charm of Japanese Melon Pan, a pillowy soft bread encased in a sweet, buttery cookie crust. This beloved baked treat gets its name from its melon-like scored appearance, but it’s the unique texture pairing—light, fluffy bread and crisp, sugary coating—that truly stands out. Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert, this recipe guides you through creating this irresistible treat from scratch, including the bread dough and the irresistible cookie layer. With simple pantry staples like bread flour, cake flour, and a touch of vanilla, you’ll achieve bakery-worthy results. Serve these freshly baked Melon Pans warm for a comforting, sweet indulgence!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 250 grams Bread flour
- 30 grams Sugar
- 4 grams Salt
- 5 grams Instant yeast
- 150 milliliters Milk
- 25 grams Unsalted butter
- 1 large Egg
- 100 grams Cake flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 50 grams Unsalted butter (for cookie dough)
- 80 grams Sugar (for cookie dough)
- 1 large Egg (for cookie dough)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 50 grams Granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine bread flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast.
Warm the milk slightly and add it to the dry ingredients, mix to combine.
Add the egg and knead the mixture into a dough.
Add the soft butter and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, approximately 60 minutes.
For the cookie dough, in another bowl, whisk together cake flour and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla extract; mix well.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, forming a dough.
Divide the cookie dough into 8 equal pieces and flatten them into discs; refrigerate them until firm.
Once the bread dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it into 8 equal portions.
Shape each portion into smooth balls and cover them with cookie dough discs.
Gently roll each covered dough ball in granulated sugar, making sure the sugar adheres evenly.
Using a knife, score the tops of the melon pans in a crisscross pattern to resemble a melon skin.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
Place the melon pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cookie tops are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
338 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 9.9 g | 13% | |
| Saturated Fat | 5.7 g | 28% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 69 mg | 23% | |
| Sodium | 288 mg | 13% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 54.7 g | 20% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.2 g | 4% | |
| Total Sugars | 21.2 g | ||
| Protein | 6.9 g | 14% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.6 mcg | 3% | |
| Calcium | 38 mg | 3% | |
| Iron | 1.7 mg | 10% | |
| Potassium | 94 mg | 2% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
