For this month’s “We Knead to Bake” we are baking “Melon Pan”. This is a Japanese bread and there is no “melon” or “pan” in this bread. This is basically a soft, rich and a slightly sweet bread covered with a layer of crunchy cookie. The dough is rich with eggs and every bite has the cookie goodness along with the soft bread.
As with any yeast bread you have to plan ahead to make this one and requires some patience. To flatten the cookie, I used a heavy cast iron pan. This is best eaten the day it is made, but it was pretty good even after a few days. I did store it in the refrigerator though.
Recipe adapted from here. Off to the recipe.
Melon Pan
Rich bread with a cookie layer on top.
Ingredients:
- For Bread Dough
- bread flour - 1 3/4 cup (all purpose flour can also be used)
- yeast - 1 tsp
- salt - 1/2 tsp
- milk - 1/3 cup
- eggs - 1 (beaten)
- sugar - 1 tbsp
- butter - 2 tbsp (room temperature)
- For Cookie Dough
- butter - 4 tbsp
- sugar - 1/4 cup + more for dusting
- eggs - 1
- vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
- all purpose flour - 1 1/3 cup
- baking powder - 3/4 tsp
- salt - a large pinch
- lemon zest - 1 tsp
Instructions:
Bread Dough
Mix all the ingredients and knead until you have a soft elastic dough that is not sticky. Allow the dough to rise for an hour until doubled in volume.
Cookie Dough
While the bread dough is rising make the cookie dough. Beat sugar and butter well; add the egg and vanilla extract and mix. Add flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Form the dough into a log and wrap in cling wrap or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for an hour.
Melon Pan
Punch the risen bread dough and divide into 8 pieces. Form each into a smooth ball and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Slice the cookie dough into 8 pieces. Place each piece between two pieces of cling wrap or plastic sheet and press with a heavy pan until you have a circle about 31/2 inches diameter roughly.
Take each bread ball (do not deflate) and place the flattened cookie piece on it. Press it on to the bread ball until it covers the sides and top, but leaves the bottom open.
Holding each bread ball by the underside, dip into granulated sugar. Using a knife or scraper mark the cookie dough side of the bread roll with a diamond pattern. Make the pattern deep or else it will disappear when the bread rises.
Place on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise for an hour.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 25 minutes until the top is just beginning to brown. These are best eaten the day they are made.
While making the pattern, do not cut into the bread dough.
1 year ago: Hokkaido Bread
2 years ago: Cucumber Pickle
Pictorial
1. Mix the ingredients for bread dough and knead until you get a soft elastic dough that is not sticky. Allow dough to rise for an hour until doubled in volume.
2. Dough has doubled.
3. While the bread dough is rising prepare the cookie dough. Beat sugar and butter well.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
5. Add all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. 
6. Mix until just combined.
7. Form the cookie dough into a log and wrap in clingwrap. Place in fridge for about an hour.
8. Once the bread dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 8 pieces.
9. Form each into a smooth ball and allow to rest for about 15 minutes.
10. Remove the cookie dough and slice into 8 pieces.
11. Place each piece between two pieces of plastic sheet or cling wrap. Flatten each piece by pressing with a heavy pan into a 31/2 inch circle roughly. 
12. Place this flattened cookie piece over a bread piece. Do not deflate the bread piece.
13. Press the cookie dough over the bread piece covering it on the sides and top leaving the bottom open.
14. Holding the bread dough by the underside, press it into granulated sugar.
15. Using a knife or scraper mark the cookie dough side of the bread roll with a diamond pattern. Make the pattern deep or else it will disappear when the bread rises.
16. Place the balls on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise for a hour.
17. The balls have risen. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 25 min until the tops just start to turn brown.
18. Out of the oven.
Melon pan ready.
Enjoy!
Sending to We Knead to Bake, Bake Fest #29 hosted by Priya.
 on http://cooksjoy.com/blog "Pin It")
