Brown Sugar Miso Melon Pan
Melon pan reminds me of my Dad, as does whip cream. So I guess you could say this recipe was made completely with him in mind. I was really channeling my Japanese heritage and I wanted it to feel connected to me. So, using a couple of my dads favorite things, strawberries that hold a special place in my heart and some miso was the perfect collaboration.
I did create this recipe for a baking competition show last summer, and when that didn’t pan out (after rounds and rounds of questionaries and videos of myself) I couldn’t face this recipe again. I am so glad that I finally did though, because there was something therapeutic about making it once more and knowing that despite how things worked out, the recipe was still special and delicious.
Brown Sugar Miso Melon Pan
Dough ingredients:
⅔ cup warm milk
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp miso paste
2 large eggs
¼ cup soft butter
½ tsp salt
3 c all-purpose flour
Cookie topping:
5 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp miso paste
⅓ cup icing sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 large egg white
½ tsp vanilla extract
Optional: Whipped Cream, fresh sliced strawberries.
Directions:
Proof the yeast in the warm milk with the sugar.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a bread hook attachment, mix the remaining dough ingredients except for the butter.
Once the dough has come together, add the butter in pieces and knead the dough until all the butter is incorporated and the dough is very smooth (about 10-12 minutes).
Let the dough proof in a large bowl covered for 1-1 ½ hours until it has doubled in size.
While the dough is proofing, make the cookie topping.
Cream the butter, miso paste, and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. And then add the flour and sesame seeds. Once the dough is combined, put it into the fridge to chill until you are ready to use it.
Once the dough has been proofed, punch it down and divide it into 12 even pieces. Shape each into a round bun and place them on two parchment-lined baking sheets ensuring they have enough room.
Take about 1 ½ tsp of the cooking topping, roll it into a ball and then roll it out into a flat circle about 4 inches big. Put it on top of the bun and tuck the dough around the edges. Use a knife to carefully cut a pattern. Repeat for each bun.
Preheat the oven to 350ºf and allow the buns to proof for 30-40 minutes. While proofing you can make the strawberry filling (recipe follows).
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Transfer the buns to a cooling rack. Use a knife to cut it in half and fill it with whipped cream and strawberries.
To add the strawberry to the top: I took a small amount of the dough (about a tbsp) and added red food coloring, and then another tbsp and made some green. I did even less and made some white and yellow. Rolled out the colors and cut out the shapes and then laid them on my cookie topping and rolled it out together.
BROWN SUGAR MISO MELON PAN
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup warm milk
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup soft butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp miso paste
- ⅓ cup icing sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1 large egg white
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: Whipped Cream, fresh sliced strawberries.
Instructions
- Proof the yeast in the warm milk with the sugar.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a bread hook attachment, mix the remaining dough ingredients except for the butter.
- Once the dough has come together, add the butter in pieces and knead the dough until all the butter is incorporated and the dough is very smooth (about 10-12 minutes).
- Let the dough proof in a large bowl covered for 1-1 ½ hours until it has doubled in size.
- While the dough is proofing, make the cookie topping.
- Cream the butter, miso paste, and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. And then add the flour and sesame seeds. Once the dough is combined, put it into the fridge to chill until you are ready to use it.
- Once the dough has been proofed, punch it down and divide it into 12 even pieces. Shape each into a round bun and place them on two parchment-lined baking sheets ensuring they have enough room.
- Take about 1 ½ tsp of the cooking topping, roll it into a ball and then roll it out into a flat circle about 4 inches big. Put it on top of the bun and tuck the dough around the edges. Use a knife to carefully cut a pattern. Repeat for each bun.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºf and allow the buns to proof for 30-40 minutes. While proofing you can make the strawberry filling (recipe follows).
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Transfer the buns to a cooling rack. Use a knife to cut it in half and fill it with whipped cream and strawberries.
- To add the strawberry to the top: I took a small amount of the dough (about a tbsp) and added red food coloring, and then another tbsp and made some green. I did even less and made some white and yellow. Rolled out the colors and cut out the shapes and then laid them on my cookie topping and rolled it out together.