Japanese Melon Pan

Melon pan is a type of sweet bun which is quite famous in Japan, also in Taiwan and China. They are made from a yeasted dough covered with a thin layer of cookie dough. Melon pan ressembles like rock melon,eventhongh they are not traditionally prepared with melon, but its seems nowadays to give a variation to this melon pan, few manufacturers of this delicious softy pan add melon bites to this melon bread. There are couple of suggestions says that melon in melon pan comes from the sugar cookie topping which ressembles to the Japanese presentation of melon wedges which is cut into cross hatch pattern while serving. There is also an another suggestion says that the cracked surface of the cookie dough layer resembles a rock melon/cantaloupe hence the name.

Actually this bread may sound very hard to make but trust me its really very easy to make. The bread dough for the bun is mostly left plain, though some people add chocolate chops, while others fill the bun with pastry cream,cream cheese or simply with chopped chocolate, but i prepared mine simply with a simply buttery cookie dough, if you want you can still flavour your cookie dough with chocolate,green tea,pineapple if you like.Melon pan are best to eaten the day they are made, i went for eggs for making both the bread dough and cookie dough. You can skip then either with yogurt or milk.This bread is our this month's challenge of We Knead To Bake, a monthly baking event by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen.Sending to Sangee's Love2Bake and Bake Fest#29 event by Vardhini,hosted by me.

I'll advise you to check this Youtube video to get a better idea of making this melon pan.

Recipe Source: A Bread A Day

Bread dough:
1+3/4cups  All purpose flour
2tbsp Milk Powder
1tsp Instant yeast
1/2tsp Salt
1/3cup Cold water
1no Egg (beaten)
1tbsp Sugar
25grms Butter (room temperature)
1/3cup Chocolate chipes (optional)

Cookie Dough:
1+1/3cup All purpose flour
3/4tsp Baking powder
A pinch Salt
60grms Butter (room temperature)
1/4cup Sugar
1no Egg
1/2tsp Vanilla extract
1tsp Lemon zest
Sugar for dusting (can use granulated sugar)

Method:
Whisk together the flour,powdered milk, yeast,salt in a bowl.

In an another bowl,beat the egg and cold water together with a fork till well mixed. Add this to the flour mixture in a bowl.

Knead till all come together as a dough, add the sugar and knead well.

Now add the butter, knead until the butter is completely incorporated into the dough, the dough will be smooth and elastic.

Knead well the dough to develop the gluten.

Shape the dough into round, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise till double in volume.

Meanwhile make the cookie dough, in a bowl beat together the butter and sugar till fluffy, add in the egg, vanilla extract, beat till combined.

Sieve together the flour,baking powder, salt and add this to the bowl, add the lemon zest, beat together until combined.

Shape the dough into cylinder, wrap in cling film, arrange in fridge. Dont disturb atleast for an hour.

Punch dough and divide the dough as 8 equal portions.

Shape each portion into a smooth ball like bread rolls, work with one portion and keep the others covered so they dont dry.

Unwrap the cookie dough, slice the cylinder of cookie dough into 8 equal portions, use two pieces of baking sheet and flatten the cookie dough.

Carefully take a ball of bread dough, place the circle of cookie dough on the top, gently press the cookies dough edge the bread dough ball so that it covers the top and side of the bread dough ball, but leave the bottom open.

Gently, holding the dough by the underside, press it over the sugar. Using a scraper mark the top of the cookie dough of the bread roll with  cross hatch/diamond pattern.

The pattern should be deep enough otherwise it will disappear when the bread rises and bakes without cutting through the cookie dough layer into the bread.

Place them over a baking sheet, repeat this with remaining cookie dough and bread dough, let it rise for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F, bake them for about 25minutes, until the tops of the melon pan just start running brown.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

Melon pan are best eaten the day they are made.