Matcha melon pan, a classic Japanese sweet bread covered with a layer of Matcha craquelin with a super soft white bread inside! Unfed sourdough starter OR standard yeast, you pick your favourite version!
WHAT IS MELON PAN?
Melon pan, is a type of sweet bun from Japan. These mini soft milk breads cover in a thin layer of crisp cookies dough or you can call it craquelin in French are crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside.
This type of bread are very popular in Asia countries. In Japan, they called it melon pan because the shape of the bread looks like melon or cantaloupe. In Hong Kong, they have a very similar melon pan bread with the name of pineapple bun. Believe it or not, both breads do not contain any melon or pineapple in it. They were named by their resemble on the top that replicate the fruits appearance.
Make this classic Japanese bakery in your own kitchen is achievable! Whether you’re making the sourdough melon pan or traditional yeast melon pan. I have tested both versions myself and provide the ingredients required for each recipe.
If you asked me the different between these 2? Structure wise, they are pretty much the same, both look like melon 🍈 in Matcha flavour 😂. The only different is when it comes to the texture and taste, I find sourdough melon pan is slightly chewy and tangy while the classic version taste like a standard soft milk bread. Test it yourself and let me know what’s your thought!
The original recipe was adapted from ONECOOKBOOK under melon pan.
LET’S LOOK AT WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE MATCHA MELON PAN
Bread dough
- Bread flour
- Cake flour
- Salt
- Sugar
- Instant yeast
- Egg
- Lukewarm milk
- Water
- Unfed sourdough starter (for sourdough melon pan)
- Softened butter
Craquelin/ Cookies dough
- Softened butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Matcha powder
WATCH MY STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS BELOW
Bread dough
Incorporate bread flour, cake flour, salt and sugar. Whisk well.
In a small bowl, add 50ml lukewarm milk, 50ml water and 1 1/4 tsp yeast. Whisk well. (For sourdough melon pan, add 5 tbsp (73ml) lukewarm milk and 1 tsp yeast.)
Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and add egg. (For sourdough melon pan, add egg and 1 cup of sourdough starter). Beat on a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until dough form into ball.
Transfer dough to a lightly flour surface, knead it for a few second and turn the dough slightly rotate clockwise, fold it in half and rock it with lower part of your palm. Repeat the step and punch the dough for a minute to help strengthen the gluten. Stretch the dough and place softened butter on top. Fold it and place it back to the mixer. Turn on machine and beat for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Perform a windowpane test.
Place dough in a bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap, let’s rest at a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Craquelin/ cookies dough
In a stand mixer, add softened butter and sugar (I use raw sugar), mix until mixture is smooth. Slowly pour in half of the egg and blend well before you pour another half of the egg.
Add cake flour, baking powder and matcha powder in a small bowl, whisk to combine. Sift flour into the wet mixture and beat until it well incorporate.
Place matcha dough on a weight machine and equally divide them into 10 portions. About 40g each. Roll them into a ball and place on a tray with baking paper. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes if required. ( I did not chill my cookies dough)
Once the bread dough is doubled in size, lightly flour your finger and poke the center of the dough. If the hole remain open, it is good to go.
Place the dough on a work surface (lightly dust with flour if required), use your hand to press down the dough to release air bubbles. Fold the dough in third like an envelope, turn 90 degree and fold in third again. Shape it into a ball and rotate clockwise to close the seam line.
Place the dough on the weight machine and divide into 10 equal portion. Roll each portion into a ball using your hands and cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 15 minutes while preparing the craquelin.
Roll out each craquelin to a flat circle using a roller. Take one of the bread dough and repeat the envelop folding steps then roll back into a ball. Refer below.
Place the craquelin on top of the bread dough and gently wrap around the bread dough. Dip with sugar and gently score the craquelin. Repeat until you finish all the dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest at warm place for about 1 hour until 1.5x bigger in size. You can see from the third picture below, some of the craquelin have cracked once bread dough expand and rise. So make sure do not score the craquelin too deeply.
Bake at the preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Transfer bread to a cooling rack and cool down for 5 minutes before serve. Enjoy!
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RECIPE
Matcha melon pan, a classic Japanese sweet bread covered with a layer of Matcha craquelin with a super soft white bread inside! Unfed sourdough starter OR standard yeast, you pick your favourite version!
 MATCHA MELON PAN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prep time: 3 HOURS tOTAL TIME: 3 HOURS 15 MINUTES | cooking time: 15 minutes | serve: 10 |
INGREDIENTS: Classic bread dough – 1 3/4 cup bread flour – 1/4 cup cake flour – pinch of salt – 3 tbsp sugar – 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast – 1 large egg – 50 ml lukewarm water – 50 ml water – 2 1/2 tbsp softened butter, cubed | Sourdough bread dough – 1 cup + 2 tbsp bread flour – 1/4 cup cake flour – pinch of salt – 3 tbsp sugar – 1 tsp instant yeast – 1 large egg – 5 tbsp/73 ml lukewarm milk – 1 cup unfed sourdough starter | Craquelin – 5 tbsp/ 70g softened butter, cubed – 1/2 cup sugar – 1 large egg, whisked – 1 1/2 cup cake flour – 1/2 tsp baking powder – 1 tsp matcha powder Topping – 2 tbsp sugar |
INSTRUCTIONS:
| Bread dough – In a large bowl, incorporate bread flour, cake flour, salt and sugar. Whisk well. – In a small bowl, add 50ml lukewarm milk, 50ml water and 1 1/4 tsp yeast. Whisk well. (For sourdough melon pan, add 5 tbsp (73ml) lukewarm milk and 1 tsp yeast.) – Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and add egg. (For sourdough melon pan, pour wet mixture into the dry mixture, add egg and 1 cup of unfed sourdough starter). Beat on a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until dough form into ball. – Transfer dough to a lightly flour surface, knead it for a few second and turn the dough slightly rotate clockwise, fold it in half and rock it with lower part of your palm. Repeat the step and punch the dough for a minute to help strengthen the gluten. – Stretch the dough and place softened butter on top. Fold it and place it back to the mixer. Turn on machine and beat for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Perform a windowpane test. – Place dough in a bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap, let’s rest at a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Craquelin/ Cookies dough – In a stand mixer, add softened butter and sugar (I use raw sugar), mix until mixture is smooth. Slowly pour in half of the egg and blend well before you pour another half of the egg. – Add cake flour, baking powder and matcha powder in a small bowl, whisk to combine. Sift flour into the wet mixture and beat until it well incorporate. – Place matcha dough on a weight machine and equally divide them into 10 portions. About 40g each. Roll them into a ball and place on a tray with baking paper. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes if required. ( I did not chill my cookies dough) Bread dough part 2: – Once the bread dough is doubled in size, lightly flour your finger and poke the center of the dough. If the hole remain open, it is good to go. – Place the dough on a work surface (lightly dust with flour if required), use your hand to press down the dough to release air bubbles. Fold the dough in third like an envelope, turn 90 degree and fold in third again. Shape it into a ball and rotate clockwise to close the seam line. – Place the dough on the weight machine and divide into 10 equal portion. Roll each portion into a ball using your hands and cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 15 minutes while preparing the craquelin. Final stage of making matcha melon pan – Roll out each craquelin to a flat circle using a roller. Take one of the bread dough and repeat the envelop folding steps then roll back into a ball. – Place the craquelin on top of the bread dough and gently wrap around the bread dough. Dip with sugar and gently score the craquelin. Repeat until you finish all the dough. – Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest at warm place for about 1 hour until 1.5x bigger in size. – Bake at the preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Transfer bread to a cooling rack and cool down for 5 minutes before serve. Enjoy! |
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