{"id":117463,"title":"Authentic Japanese Melon Pan","modified":"2026-06-12T12:09:03+02:00","plain":"Japanese melon pan with a soft, fluffy center and a crisp exterior, wrapped in a thin layer of sweet cookie dough and beautifully scored in a classic grid pattern.\n\n\n\nBite in, and the sweet crust snaps like a cookie before giving way to a risen, airy, buttery crumb that pulls apart in tender strands. On top, the deep grid pattern and sparkling zarame crystals promise plenty of crunch.\n\n\n\nMelon pan is an icon of kashipan, the family of sweet breads that developed in modern Japan during the Meiji era. In short, it\u2019s the kind of pastry you buy still warm from the neighborhood bakery and eat on the way home. It belongs to the same wave of local adaptations of Western culinary techniques that shaped yoshoku, as seen in Japanese curry or omurice.\n\n\n\nDorayaki are another icon of Japanese kashipan\n\n\n\nWhat is melon pan?\n\n\n\nThe name combines the English word \u201cmelon\u201d with pan, a Japanese term derived from the Portuguese p\u00e3o. Wheat bread arrived in Japan with the Portuguese in the 16th century, but Western baking techniques only became widespread from the Meiji era onward, when European cuisines were adapted to local tastes and helped shape yoshoku. Melon pan is part of that history of local adaptation: a foreign-inspired bread reimagined around texture.\n\n\n\nIts structure is built from two doughs. At the center is a small enriched, yeasted dough made with bread flour, milk, egg, sugar, and butter. On the outside, a thin, shortbread-like cookie layer combines low-protein flour, butter, sugar, and egg, sometimes with a little baking powder. Before baking, the top is scored in a crosshatch pattern; in the oven, the dough rises while the crust tightens and then cracks along those cuts.\n\n\n\nThe traditional flavor profile is deliberately simple: butter, vanilla, caramelized sugar, and subtle notes of fermentation. It contains no melon juice, pur\u00e9e, or melon flavoring. The bun is usually round, topped with a layer of cookie dough that covers the top and comes partway down the sides, while the base is often left exposed so the dough can expand. It can then be coated with zarame for extra crunch. The ideal melon pan has a soft, slightly elastic crumb beneath a firm, dry, crumbly shell, firmer than that of Hong Kong bolo bao. If the crust is soft, something has gone wrong.\n\n\n\nFrom Armenia to Kansai: the origins of melon pan\n\n\n\nThe story of melon pan is usually told through two main theories. In Tokyo, the more romantic version leads to Hovhannes, or Ivan, Sagoyan, an Armenian master baker trained in French and Viennese techniques. \n\n\n\nAfter time spent in Moscow and then Harbin during the Russian Revolution, he is said to have settled in Meguro. He was then reportedly recruited by the Imperial Hotel through the industrialist Okura Kihachiro. Sagoyan is believed to have worked there before opening his own bakery, Monsieur Ivan. \n\n\n\nThere, he is thought to have helped popularize a sweet bread that combined a soft yeasted dough with a crisp cookie crust, known as melon pan or Sunrise. His influence was not limited to this one product. His students contributed to the rise of Japanese milk bread, or shokupan, which became essential in dishes such as katsu sando and tamago sando.\n\n\n\nKatsu sando also owes a great deal to the shokupan of that era\n\n\n\nIn Kansai, the story is told differently. In Kobe, the Kinseido bakery is said to have sold a cookie-crusted bread called sanuraisu, or Sunrise, before the war. Its radiating pattern is thought to have been inspired by the flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy, a naval symbol closely associated with the military port and shipyards of Kure. \n\n\n\nLocal \u201cmelon pan\u201d could also refer to a tapered, rugby-ball-shaped bread whose name was linked to the meron-gata, an old rice mold used in yoshoku restaurants. In Kobe in particular, the name could describe a regional version that was often smooth, without a cookie crust, and filled with shiro-an, a sweet white bean paste.\n\n\n\nIn the naval city of Kure, the Melonpan bakery, founded in 1936, developed another local version: a bread molded in a meron-gata and filled with pastry cream. The radiating pattern, then, is mainly associated with Sunrise, while the Kure version stands out more for its molded shape and filling.\n\n\n\nThe archives make the origin more complex: a utility model was registered in 1931, but similar breads may already have been circulating by the middle of the Taish\u014d era. Science journalist Kazuko Tojima, in The Truth About Melon Pan, also discusses theories connecting some similar breads to Latin American influences, especially Mexican ones, because of their resemblance to concha. \n\n\n\nShe explicitly dismisses the theory involving German prisoners, citing a lack of solid archival evidence. Over time, the Tokyo version\u2014round, crosshatched, and topped with cookie dough\u2014became the national reference. Kansai, meanwhile, has preserved its own names, shapes, and fillings. This coexistence can still create confusion from one region to another.\n\n\n\nThe main ingredients in melon pan\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBread flour: rich in protein, it forms the gluten network that traps gas and gives the crumb its elasticity. Some bakers add a little low-protein flour for a softer texture. It is the same type of flour that gives structure to katsu sando and tamago sando.\n\n\n\nUnsalted butter: added after kneading has begun, it softens the crumb without weakening the gluten too much. In the crust, it creates that shortbread-like crunch and buttery aroma as it bakes. Margarine works too, but you can taste the difference.\n\n\n\nWhole milk and egg: milk hydrates the dough, adds lactose, and brings a rounded dairy flavor; egg binds, colors, and adds softness. Together, they keep the crumb tender without making it heavy.\n\n\n\nDry yeast: it provides volume and those subtle aromas of warm bread. Sugar feeds the yeast during fermentation. This is completely different from baking powder, which is used only in the cookie crust to lighten it.\n\n\n\nLow-protein flour (cookie crust): low in protein means low in gluten, so the texture stays short, crumbly, and never rubbery. This is what gives melon pan its signature crunch.\n\n\n\nVanilla: it defines the classic flavor profile. Lemon zest appears in some versions, but less often. Melon, however, is absent from the historical version: green or fruit-flavored buns are modern variations.\n\n\n\nZarame: these large sugar crystals scattered over the dome add sparkle and extra crunch. You\u2019ll find that same caramelized sugar note in other Japanese sweets, such as mitarashi dango.\n\n\n\n\nSigns of authenticity and pitfalls to avoid\n\n\n\nCrispness is essential. A soft or sticky crust often means the bread has been wrapped in plastic for too long. Moisture from the crumb migrates into the cookie layer, gets trapped in the packaging, and softens what should snap. Melon pan keeps its texture best when it cools uncovered on a rack and is eaten soon afterward.\n\n\n\nIn the round version that has become the national standard, \u201cmelon\u201d mainly refers to its appearance: a deep grid pattern, a domed shape, and a cracked surface. In some regional traditions, the name can also refer to the meron-gata mold used to shape the bread, or, according to the Co-op Kobe archives, to a tapered shape meant to evoke makuwauri, an oriental melon. \n\n\n\nGreen versions, fruit-flavored buns, and melon pan filled with cream, chocolate, or ice cream all show how lively this bread remains today. That evolution echoes other Japanese sweets such as dorayaki and mochi. \n\n\n\nSome modern fillings, such as black sesame paste or taro paste, do move away from the historical model. The most reliable signs remain the same: a light crumb, a dry and crumbly cookie crust, and a clean crunch from the very first bite.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Japanese Melon Pan\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tP\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuit (pour 2 pr\u00e9parations)90 g de beurre non sal\u00e9 (ramolli)100 g de sucre cristallis\u00e9 fin1 \u0153uf entier (\u00e0 temp\u00e9rature ambiante (55 \u00e0 60 g))220 g de farine faible (T45)40 g de poudre d\u2019amandes (sans peau)2 pinc\u00e9es de sel fin de Gu\u00e9randeP\u00e2te \u00e0 pain (p\u00e2te ferment\u00e9e)140 g de farine forte (10\u201311% de prot\u00e9ines)15 g de sucre de canne95 g de lait entier1.5 g de levure s\u00e8che instantan\u00e9e (pas de levure chimique)P\u00e2te \u00e0 pain (p\u00e9trissage final)20 g de farine forte40 g de farine faible (T55, moins de 10% de prot\u00e9ines)10 g de sucre de canne10 g de babeurre en poudre3.5 g de sel1 jaune d\u2019\u0153uf20 g de lait20 g de beurre non sal\u00e9 (ramolli)Garniture30 g de sucre en poudreVariante5 g de p\u00e9pites de chocolat (optionnel)\t\n\t\n\t\tP\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuitWeigh the butter and let it soften; bring the egg to room temperature. Sift together the cake flour, almond flour, and salt.Add the sugar to the butter and mix with a spatula until smooth and pliable. Beat the egg, then add it to the butter in 4 to 5 additions, emulsifying well after each addition.Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix with a spatula. Once partly incorporated, mix by hand until no streaks of flour remain, then knead briefly about 10 times.Divide the cookie dough into 2 portions, wrap, and flatten. Refrigerate the portion you will use right away and freeze the other; let rest for at least 1 hour (ideally 6 to 8 hours). If needed, thaw in the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before using.P\u00e2te ferment\u00e9eChauffer le lait \u00e0 environ 30 \u00b0C, y saupoudrer la levure et laisser reposer un moment. M\u00e9langer la farine forte et le sucre, puis dissoudre la levure gonfl\u00e9e dans le lait et m\u00e9langer liquides et poudres jusqu\u2019\u00e0 homog\u00e9n\u00e9it\u00e9.P\u00e9trir l\u00e9g\u00e8rement environ 1 minute pour faire dispara\u00eetre les zones farineuses, former une boule, puis faire fermenter \u00e0 30 \u00b0C environ 1 heure, jusqu\u2019\u00e0 ~1,8 fois le volume initial.P\u00e9trissage finalPeser les ingr\u00e9dients du p\u00e9trissage final et laisser le beurre ramollir. D\u00e9chirer la p\u00e2te ferment\u00e9e en ~10 morceaux.M\u00e9langer les farines, le sucre, le sel et le babeurre en poudre. M\u00e9langer le jaune d\u2019\u0153uf et le lait, puis ajouter aux poudres et m\u00e9langer partiellement. Ajouter les morceaux de p\u00e2te ferment\u00e9e et p\u00e9trir; quand la p\u00e2te est incorpor\u00e9e \u00e0 ~80 %, ajouter le beurre et p\u00e9trir jusqu\u2019\u00e0 obtenir une p\u00e2te lisse.Premi\u00e8re fermentation: former une boule, mettre en bol et couvrir. Fermenter \u00e0 30 \u00b0C environ 1 heure, jusqu\u2019\u00e0 doublement (test du doigt).Diviser la p\u00e2te en 6 portions, former des boules, couvrir et laisser reposer 15 minutes.Pr\u00e9paration de la p\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuit (portionnage)Pendant la premi\u00e8re fermentation, diviser la p\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuit en 6 portions; p\u00e9trir chaque portion 4 \u00e0 5 fois et former des boules. Garder bien froid au r\u00e9frig\u00e9rateur si pr\u00e9par\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019avance. Pour la version chocolat, incorporer les p\u00e9pites de chocolat \u00e0 la p\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuit.Fa\u00e7onnage et finitionAplatir chaque portion de p\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuit en disque l\u00e9g\u00e8rement plus grand que la boule de p\u00e2te \u00e0 pain. Rebouler la p\u00e2te \u00e0 pain puis l\u2019envelopper avec la p\u00e2te \u00e0 biscuit; retourner c\u00f4t\u00e9 biscuit vers le haut et arrondir.Parsemer uniform\u00e9ment le sucre de garniture sur la surface biscuit\u00e9e et tracer un quadrillage l\u00e9ger sans entailler trop profond\u00e9ment.Deuxi\u00e8me fermentation et cuissonFaire fermenter \u00e0 30 \u00b0C pendant 45 minutes (sans vapeur). Pr\u00e9chauffer le four \u00e0 200 \u00b0C pour qu\u2019il soit pr\u00eat \u00e0 la fin de la fermentation.Baisser le four \u00e0 190 \u00b0C et cuire 13 \u00e0 15 minutes, jusqu\u2019\u00e0 l\u00e9g\u00e8re coloration. Laisser refroidir sur grille.\t\n\t\n\t\t\nFor the best contrast with the exceptionally soft, airy crumb, make the melon pan fairly large.\nThe cookie dough quantity is enough for 2 batches, so you do not have to use a partial egg; for a single batch, halve all the cookie dough ingredients.\nFor the topping, regular granulated sugar works better than very fine sugar.\nIf the cookie dough rests only briefly, the surface will be crispier and more likely to crack during baking.\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDessertJapanese","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117463"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129820,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117463\/revisions\/129820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}