Melon pan is the Japanese classic sweet bread shaped to look like a melon or cantaloupe. It has a crunchy and sweet outer crust with a super soft and fluffy inside. I will show you how to make this amazing Japanese bread at home!
What is Melon Pan?
Melonpan is a type of sweet Japanese bread wrapped with crunchy cookie dough and replicates a melon or cantaloupe appearance.
Popular bread to taste among tourists in Tokyo
I never imagined that this Japanese classic Melon Pan would become so popular among tourists but it is and actually people queue up to buy melon pan in Tokyo. I visited the famous Kagetsudo Melon bread shop in Asakusa in April and had a massive Melon pan!
Appearance vs Flavour
Traditional melon pan doesn’t contain any melon or melon flavour but nowadays some melon pan does have a bit of a melon flavour and some stores do colour them green to make them look more like a melon. You can even buy green melon pan in Tokyo Disneyland that is made to look like Mike Wazowski. But personally, I prefer the original melon pan that is just a simple sweet bread flavour.
Interesting fact about Melon Pan
When my melon pan recipe first appeared on the blog, curious readers notified me about a Mexican sweet bread called “Conchas”. It’s fascinating that a similar type of bread to melonpan is found in Mexico! If you are interested about the story read it here.
Common failure of making Melon Pan
Does your melonpan taste great but the appearance does not meet your expectations? A common failure is that the cookie dough cracks during the second rise or while being baked.
Tips to make Melon Pan at home
- Make the cookie dough before you start to make the bread and let the cookie dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Take the cookie dough out before you wrap and roll the bread dough. It’s easier to roll it out thinly without making any cracks when it is softened in room temperature.
- Use a small bowl to shape a half hemisphere in order to wrap the bread dough easily without making the cookie dough edge pleated.
- Do not score the cookie dough too deeply.
Here is my instruction for Melon Pan and If you liked it, please rate it and leave a comment or any questions below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!
Ingredients
Bread dough
- 300 g baker's flour
- 40 g butter chopped
- 25 g sugar
- 4 g salt
- 160 ml milk
- 1 extra large egg
- 3 g dry yeast
Cookie dough
- 240 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 80 g butter
- 80 g sugar
- 1 extra large egg
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
- Granule sugar for sprinkle
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough by placing the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix until well combined.
- Fold through the flour and baking powder.
- Divide the cookie dough into 8 small balls and set aside in the fridge. *1
- Combine egg, yeast, milk and sugar in a small bowl or jug
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the liquid mixture and stir to form a soft dough.
- Transfer to an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead for about 10 min or until smooth and elastic.
- With the mixer motor running, add the chopped butter until the butter is combined and a smooth and silky dough forms (about a further 10 minutes).
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Divide the bread dough into 8 equal sized balls and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Roll out the refrigerated cookie dough on cling wrap to 5mm thick.
- Once it is rolled place one bread dough on top of one cookie dough ball and wrap together using cling wrap.
- Take the cling wrap off and score the cookie dough surface diagonally and sprinkle the granule sugar.
- Repeat for all 8 bread rolls.
- Place them on a cooking paper lined oven tray and cover with clean damp cloth and set aside for about 40 min or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 180 degree(356 f) and bake for 15 minutes.
Hi Shihoko, how long can the bread keep before the crust becomes soft?
Hi Zhi, about a day, but I actually like a little bit softer cookie dough covering the bread next day 😀
These are currently baking in the oven after I made them 😀 I did half of the batch with matcha, like you did. I ended up with some extra cookie dough and baked some biscuits, with icing and a little extra matcha on top. So far they seem to be rising well – which is good, as the second time I tried to make melon pan (using a different authors recipe) they didn’t rise much! ありがとうございました for the recipe! x
Liv さん どういたしまして。Glad your bread is rising 😀 When you taste it, and you liked it, please rate the recipe 😀 Thank you for letting me know <3
Actually I just wonder that is the baking powder is totally optional?
Did I say baking powder is optional?
you just say “yeast” there is no amount or type! Did you mean 1 standard amercan packet of instant dry?
Hi Rillbaker, the yeast I used for this recipe is instant dry yeast and in the list of ingredients, it says 3g 😀
Thank you for the recipe! I only used the bread recipe to see if it would work for my poppy seed buns. I used spelt flour instead of regular so it wasn’t so soft and glutenous but still very good. I have question. Why don’t you let the yeast ferment a little before using it either in warm milk or warm water?
Hi Anna, because it is still rise enough without letting yeast ferment, I use slightly warm water or milk 😀
Hey !
Wow, this looks fantastic! Awesome.
Thank you 😀
I can sense through your blog that this Japanese melon bread recipe of yours is made of love and full of effort. Looking forward to more of this. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you 😀
Thank you for the recipe and the beautiful pictures!
Thank you and you are welcome 😀
Seems so interesting! Thank you for sharing, I will make thia tomorrow 💓💓
Hi Kathy. let me know how you go 😀
wow i want to try this bread soon!
I hope you enjoy it 😀
I tried Melon bun when visit Tokyo last summer. My daughter and my husband love it so much. Thanks to your recipe, I will try to bake it for them 😊
Hi Suwanna, I am very happy to hear that 😀 Melon Pan is my favourite too and it is only way to get it outside of Japan is to bake them yourself 😀 This is the recipe for it 😀
They look like the mexican bread!!!
They are called ” conchitas”
“Pan de Concha” which means shell bread.
I wonder if they taste the same!
Hi Ruth, I am not sure because I don’t know the mexican bread. This bread is sweet bread. Is the mexican bread sweet too? or savory?
Hi Shihoko, Yes, in México we have sweet bread too, the first article explains common origins for both japanese melon pan and mexican conchas, the second includes the recipe, i hope you enjoy the reading.
http://www.eater.com/2016/2/19/11054298/conchas-mexico-pastry
https://toxobread.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/pan-dulce-conchitas-mexican-sweet-bread-with-a-shell-shaped-topping/
Hi Francisco, That is very interesting. Thank for the information 😀
I was in Japan last week and fell in LOVE with Melon pan. It looks like the Mexican Conchita, but it definitely tastes different, melon pan is sweeter. On my last day there, I went to the bakery in my hotel and bought every piece they had! I’m excited to try the recipe!
Hi Elida 😀 I did not know but other readers told me about the Mexican Conchita. It looks similar but I have never tried them. I would buy every piece of baked goods too, they are that good, aren’t they ;D Enjoy your own baked Japanese melon pan at home!!
Interesting bread…bread and cookie together to make a melon bread. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Hope to try it out soon.
Hi Mayuri, Thank you for visiting Chopstick Chronicles 😀 Melon bread is quite common Japanese sweet bread:D
YUMMMMY! Definitely my favorite breakfasts growing up so this brings me some nostalgia <3
My favourite too ! but there is not any shop sell this in Brisbane, so I made it myself 😀
I always love discovering a new sweet. Thank you for introducing me to this lovely bread – I can’t wait to try it out!
You are welcome Cakespy 😀 You will love this Bread and Cookie all in one 😀
I heart melon pan! Great recipe, thanks for the share c: Xx
You are welcome Ice Pandora:D
How beautiful and gorgeous shots too! I never have tried Melon Pan before but I am so intrigued by it.. and definitely curious to know what it tastes like.
Thank you Thalia, They are supposed to be nice and round but I only had small oven tray and they stack together and look like pull apart bread….. so I have tried to take photo that they look like a round ones hehehe.