Japanese “Melon Pan” Bread Rolls with Pumpkin and Maple Recipe
Makes about 10 bread rolls
Ingredients:
For the bread dough:
-2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
-1 tsp active dry yeast
-½ tsp salt
-⅓ cup milk
-1 tsp maple syrup
-1 egg
-100 grams pumpkin puree
-1 tbsp sugar
-½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
-25 grams butter (room temperature)
-10 grams milk powder (optional)
For the cookie crust:
-60 grams butter (room temperature)
-⅓ cup sugar
-1 egg
-50 grams pumpkin puree
-½ tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-¾ tsp baking powder
-¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
-A pinch of salt
-A little sugar, for coating
Instructions:
For the bread dough:
1) In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast, salt and milk powder (not mandatory).
2) Heat milk in a pot until it begins to bubble, then add maple syrup, wait for a minute or so and remove from the heat. Let the milk cool for a few minutes, until it reaches room temperature.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk egg and then add the milk and pumpkin puree. Mix until combined, then add to the flour mixture.
4) Knead the mixture, manually or using a mixture, until a slightly stiff dough is formed.
5) Add sugar and pumpkin pie spice and continue to knead until combined.
6) Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, add butter and knead manually for 5 minutes or so, until the dough softens.
7) Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rest for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
For the cookie crust:
1) In a bowl, mix butter and sugar until combined. Add egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
2) In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt and add to the wet mixture. Mix just until combined.
3) Shape the dough into a flattened rectangle shape (to make the cutting afterwards easier) and cover with cling wrap. Place in the refrigerator for an hour.
Assembling the bread rolls:
1) Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and gently flatten it using your fingers. Then divide it to 10 even balls (depending on the desired size).
2) Take out the cookie dough from the refrigerator and cut it to 10 even portions. Place each portion between 2 pieces of cling wrap and flatten it to a thin, round disc shape.
3) Wrap the bread balls with the flattened cookie dough, until covered. Tighten the edges of the cookie dough well in the bottom of the bread ball.
4) Hold the cookie dough covered bread balls from their bottom and dip their top in a bowl of sugar, until coated.
5) Using a knife, carve the bread balls with a crisscross pattern (to achieve a melon-peel look). It is better to carve the pattern deeply into the bread layer, so it won’t disappear during baking.
6) Place the bread rolls on a paper lined baking tray, cover and let rise for about an hour.
7) Bake in an oven preheated to 356° F/180° C for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
