Japanese Melon Pan
Pillowy, lightly sweet milk bread buns wrapped in a thin, crisp sugar-cookie shell scored in the classic melon pattern. The contrast of crackly sugary crust and soft, fluffy crumb is what makes them irresistible.
- Prep
- 1 hr 10 min
- Cook
- 17 min
- Wait
- 2 hr 15 min
- Total
- 3 hr 42 min
- Makes
- 8 buns
Steps
Before you start
- Set out the butter and both eggs 1 hour ahead so they are at room temperature (about 68°F / 20°C); the butter should dent easily under a finger but not look greasy.
- Plan on about 3 3/4 hours start to finish, most of it hands-off rising and resting. The cookie dough is made while the bread dough does its first rise.
- Warm the milk to 100–110°F (38–43°C), just comfortably warm to the touch. Hotter milk can kill the yeast.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the bread dough
- In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, whisk the bread flour, 40 g dough sugar, salt and instant yeast.
- Add the warm milk and the beaten egg.
- Stir with a wooden spoon or the dough hook on low until no dry flour remains and a shaggy, sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: No dry flour remains and the dough looks shaggy and sticky.
Tip: Keep the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl when whisking in the flour if you are adding them separately; direct, concentrated salt can slow the yeast.
Knead with butter
- Add the softened dough butter a few pieces at a time and knead until absorbed.
- Knead on low-medium speed for 8–10 minutes in a mixer, or 12–15 minutes by hand on a lightly floured counter.
- Stop when the dough is smooth, elastic and tacky but no longer sticks to your hands.
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Ready when: A small piece stretches into a thin, translucent windowpane without tearing right away.
Tip: Resist adding extra flour; a slightly tacky dough gives the softest buns.
First rise
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled or buttered bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot (about 75–80°F / 24–27°C) for 60 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough has doubled in size and a floured finger poked in leaves a dent that springs back slowly.
Tip: Make the cookie dough in the next step while you wait.
Make the cookie dough
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened cookie butter and 70 g cookie sugar with a spatula or hand mixer for 2 minutes until pale and creamy.
- Beat in the 30 g beaten egg and the vanilla until smooth.
- Sift or whisk the all-purpose flour with the baking powder, then fold it in with a spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Pat into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for the remainder of the first rise, at least 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough is soft, smooth and holds together; it firms up when chilled.
Tip: Do not overmix after adding the flour, or the cookie shell will turn tough instead of crisp and tender.
Divide and rest
- Punch down the risen dough gently and turn it out onto a clean counter.
- Weigh it and divide into 8 equal pieces of about 70 g each.
- Roll each piece into a tight ball by cupping your hand over it and rotating on the counter.
- Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
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Ready when: Balls look smooth and slightly puffy.
Tip: Keep the dough covered while resting so it doesn't form a dry skin.
Shape the buns
- Re-roll each ball to tighten it, pinching the seam closed and keeping the smooth side up.
- Keep the shaped buns covered while you prepare the cookie portions.
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Ready when: Each bun is a smooth, taut ball.
Wrap buns in cookie dough
- Divide the chilled cookie dough into 8 pieces of about 36 g each and roll into balls.
- Place one ball between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment and press or roll into a thin disc about 3.5 inches (9 cm) across.
- Peel off the top sheet, set a bread ball on the disc, and use the bottom sheet to lift the cookie up and around the bun, covering about three-quarters of it and leaving the bottom open.
- Smooth out any cracks with your fingers.
- Put the coating sugar on a plate, press the cookie-covered top into the sugar to coat well, and set the bun sugar-side up on a lined baking sheet, 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart.
- Repeat for all 8 buns.
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Ready when: The cookie dough fully covers the top and sides of each bun with no large gaps.
Tip: If the cookie dough gets too soft and sticky, chill it for 10 minutes before continuing.
Score and second riseOven 350°F / 175°C
- Use a bench scraper or the back of a knife to press a shallow crosshatch pattern (about 1/8 inch / 3 mm deep) into the cookie top without cutting through to the bread.
- Cover the trays loosely with a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) for the last 15 minutes of the rise.
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Ready when: Buns look visibly puffy, about 1.5 times their original size, and the scored lines have opened slightly.
Tip: Scoring too deeply makes the cookie shell break apart; keep the lines shallow.
Bake the bunsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven, one tray at a time on the middle rack, for 17–20 minutes.
- Rotate the tray halfway through for even browning.
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Ready when: The cookie crust is pale golden with deeper golden edges, the bottoms are golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer reads 190°F (88°C) in the center of the bread.
Tip: Don't let the cookie top turn dark brown; it should stay pale and delicate.
Cool
- Slide the parchment with the buns onto a wire rack and cool for at least 15 minutes.
- They are best eaten the same day while the crust is still crisp.
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Ready when: Buns are warm, not hot, and feel light.
Tip: Don't store them in a sealed container while warm or the crust will soften from steam.
Good to know
Tips
- Weigh the dough and cookie portions for equal buns that bake at the same rate.
- Keep the cookie layer thin and even; thick patches will not crisp and will crack off during rising.
- Work with the cookie dough chilled but pliable. If it cracks when rolled, let it sit for 5 minutes.
- For a bakery-style finish, split a warm bun and tuck in a slice of cold butter or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Make ahead
Make the bread dough through the knead step, then refrigerate it covered for up to 12 hours for a slow first rise. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before dividing. The cookie dough can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead; let it soften for 10 minutes before rolling.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: best the day they are baked; keep loosely covered up to 1 day. Fridge: not recommended, as the buns dry out. Freezer: wrap individually and freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw at room temperature, then warm at 300°F (150°C) for 5–7 minutes to re-crisp the crust.
Substitutions
- bread flour → all-purpose flour. Buns will be slightly less chewy and a bit softer; reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon if the dough feels too wet.
- whole milk → unsweetened oat milk or water. Water gives a leaner crumb; oat milk gives a similar softness to dairy.
- instant yeast → active dry yeast. Use the same amount, but dissolve it in the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar for 5–10 minutes until foamy before mixing.
- pure vanilla extract → 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest or 1 tbsp matcha powder. For the classic variation, add 1 tbsp matcha to the cookie flour for green tea melon pan.