Melon Panメロンパン
Pan Size : NIL
Yield : 10 buns
Recipe for : Philips Air Fryer XXL OR Air Fryer Oven
What is Melon Pan メロンパン? Also known in some parts of the world to be “Bo Luo Bao” or Pineapple Bun, the Melon Pan is a classic Japanese Sweet Bread with a nice thin layer of cookie crust wrapping it. Melon Pan uses the basic Soft Milk Buns recipe to give a nice crunchy first bite in from the cookie crust and a soft & fluffy texture as your bite sinks in further into the bun.
INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIE DOUGH LAYER:
180g Cake Flour (or Top Flour)
50g Fine Sugar
60g Unsalted Butter (softened)
1 Egg (whisked)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Rawnice Yellow Curcumin Powder
1/2 tsp Rawnice Green Matcha Tea Powder
INGREDIENTS FOR SOFT MILK BUNS:
190g Bread Flour + 60g AP Flour (or 250g Bread Flour for a more chewiness)
3g Instant Yeast
25g Fine Sugar
20g Unsalted Butter (softened)
185ml Whole Milk (store bought milk)
3g Fine Salt
MELON PAN PREPARATION METHOD:
1) Prepare Soft Milk Buns dough and put it to proof for 1-hour —please click here for full instructions of Soft Milk Buns preparation. Only follow the Steps 1–8 up till 1st proofing
Once Soft Milk Buns dough is put to its 1st proof, start preparing ingredients for the cookie dough
2) Divide flour to 2 parts with 90g each. Premix with 1/2 tsp of Rawnice powder & 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder into each of the flour portion. Put aside
3) In a separate bowl, use spatula to soften the butter. Add in half the sugar into the softened butter & combine. Add in remaining sugar and continue to combine till well incorporated
4) Add in whisked egg and mix with spatula and combine till smooth
5) Pour batter into bowl & weigh batter to split equally into 2 portions. You can pour the first portion back into the initial mixing bowl and keep the 2nd portion in a clean bowl
6) Sieve in the premixed 90g flour with Rawnice powder into the mixing bowl. Use the spatula to combine the batter and flour until all liquid is absorbed into the flour. Use your hands to combine it further into a dough ball. Repeat for the remaining batter with the 2nd premixed flour with Rawnice Powder
7) Weigh the cookie dough and divide it into 5 equal portions. Roll into a ball and let it sit in the fridge under cling wrap for 10mins — 20mins. Repeat for the other coloured dough
**Steps 2 to 7 should take about 30–45mins at most and will be in-sync with the Soft Milk Buns readiness after its first proofing**
8) Remove cookie dough from fridge after the Soft Milk Buns dough have completed proofing to let it adjust to room temperature
9) Proceed to degas the Soft Milk Buns dough and weigh it. Divide it into 10 portions for pre-shaping before letting it rest under cling wrap for 15mins
10) After 15mins, take cookie dough ball and warm it up in your palm before putting it on the surface to gently roll it out to a circle shape with approx 3" diameter
11) Roll out the bun dough & shape it into a taut ball. Place flat cookie dough on the bun dough. Lift both the cookie dough + bun dough onto your palm & lightly wrap the bun dough and tuck the ends to the bottom (it does not need to wrap the whole bun dough-just tuck below by the sides)
12) Once tucked in, use the scrapper to create a cut line on the cookie dough. Try not to press too deep as it will cause deep cracks & separation when the bun dough goes through 2nd proofing. Repeat for all bun dough. It is ok if the cookie dough surface is not completely smooth
13) Proof under cling wrap for 1-hour or until dough doubles in size
You can also refer to this YouTube video for a full Melon Pan video guide by one of my favourite go-to recipe site
AIR FRYER BAKING METHOD BELOW:
1) Pre-heat AF @ 140degrees for 5mins
2) Bake @ 140degrees for 15mins. Different Air Fryer size may affect ideal temperature. High temperature may cause the cookie layer to be too hard and crack more than it should
3) Remove buns and let it cool on a rack for at least 1-hour. Try to cool it with tray or any baking paper material removed to avoid a soggy bottom (cooling on rack — with holes below allows for hot air to travel out of the bun)
Hope this recipe helps all AF bakers out there. Do try to batch test for the right temperature and bake timing
Click here for original milk bun recipe! MORE RECIPES HERE :)
