In a previous recipe post for soft and fluffy anpan, we introduced the delightful red bean-filled Japanese classic. Clearly, we can’t get enough of sweet Japanese buns, so here’s another classic to fall in love with: the Melonpan (also known as melon pan, melon bun, or melon bread). At first glance, the bun looks strange — and then, after a double-take, you realise it looks kind of like what its name implies: a melon. That cross-hatched appearance supposedly resembles the rind of a rockmelon or cantaloupe! Yeah, that’s actually a scored cookie dough crust studded in glittering sugar and baked on top of the soft bread dough. Genius! Now, if you’re looking for a melonpan recipe, you’ve come to the right place. Check out the step-by-step recipe below.
Jump to Recipe
What does melonpan taste like?
“Okay, wait, hold up, so does melonpan actually taste like melon?” I hear you ask. Well, no, it’s just shaped like a melon. The traditional melonpan tastes like soft and sweet milk bread you usually get at Asian bakeries. It’s also accented with a buttery melt-in-the-mouth cookie crust that crumbles delightfully. Totally delicious! Of course, you’ll find some modern bakeries out there that work all sorts of unique flavours into the dough. Some versions include flavours like matcha, chocolate, strawberry, and yes, melon. Try experimenting with flavors in this melonpan recipe.
Melonpan look-alikes: Bo luo bao and soboro ppang
Melonpan is very similar in appearance to the popular bo luo bao (pineapple bun) that you’ll find in Hong Kong and, of course, there’s a strong resemblance to soboro ppang (Korean streusel bread) as well. However, Japanese melonpan is typically less “heavy” as it has a lighter crust and less buttery bread. This doesn’t make the Japanese version any less tasty though!
Japanese Melonpan メロンパン: Easy recipe for soft milk buns with cookie dough crust
Course: Snack, BreadCuisine: JapaneseDifficulty: MediumA soft and pillowy bun wrapped up in a crunchy, sweet cookie shell that melts in the mouth. This classic Japanese sweet bun recipe will not disappoint! | Yield: Makes 6 mini buns.
Ingredients
- Cookie dough layer (pâte sablée)
3/4 cup cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons egg, beaten
large-grain sugar, in a shallow bowl for dipping
- Milk bread dough
1 1/2 cups bread flour (high protein flour)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons full cream milk, warm
4 tablespoons water, warm
1 tablespoon egg, beaten
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Preparation
- Prepare the cookie dough — In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Mix well, set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the softened butter and caster sugar together until fluffy. Gradually add the egg to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Add the flour and baking powder mixture to the wet ingredients in 2-3 increments, mixing gently after each addition until just combined. Gather the dough and roll into a log. Wrap the log tightly in cling wrap and leave to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the milk bread dough — In a large bowl, combine bread flour, sugar and yeast. Mix well, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine warm milk, warm water and egg. Mix thoroughly. Make sure the milk and water aren’t too hot or the egg will cook!
- Pour the milk mixture into dry flour mixture in 2-3 increments, mixing well after each addition. When everything starts to clump together to form a dough, use your fingers to combine. Knead the dough until it becomes less sticky (about 5 minutes), then knead the softened butter into the dough. Continue to knead the dough for another 15 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
- Form dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until double in size.
- Punch down dough and divide into six equal pieces. Shape each piece into even-sized balls and place them on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Cover loosely and leave to rise for a further 20 minutes while you deal with the cookie dough.
- Divide chilled cookie dough into 6 equal pieces. If the dough is too hard, microwave for about 15 seconds to soften. Form into balls and, using a rolling pin, flatten each ball into circles that would fit comfortably over the tops of the risen dough balls. Tip: The dough can be fragile — rolling the dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap helps a lot!
- Gently wrap the tops of each dough ball with a layer of cookie dough, tucking the ends underneath. With a sharp knife, carefully score the surface of the cookie dough with a criss-cross diamond pattern. Dip the tops in large-grain sugar and arrange buns on lined baking tray. Leave to rise for a further 40 minutes.
- Bake buns at 170ºC for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and crisp. Remove tray from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Latest Recipes
Cafe-style coconut cake donuts with lemongrass, kaffir lime & curry leaf sugar glaze
Homemade Melonpan メロンパン: Perfect soft milk buns with cookie dough crust
Oven-baked zucchini chips + homemade herbed mayonnaise — easiest recipe!
Jungle Sunbird | Rum, jackfruit Campari, curry leaf syrup, pineapple & lime cocktail
Indian Jaljeera Mojito | Tangy spice, lime & rum cocktail with a tamarind twist
