Melon pan – Japanese Melon Bread with your home bakery メロンパン

Instructions

• 1. Add flour, salt, butter, sugar in the pan of your bread machine. In a heat-safe bowl add the milk and microwave for 15 to 20 sec at 600w to reach about 40℃, then add the melon liqueur (or melon syrup), mix. Pour in the pan. Add yeast in your machine's yeast compartment. Select dough cycle and press start as per manufacturer's instructions.
• 2. Meanwhile make the cookie dough In a bowl, add unsalted butter and mix with a silicone spatula until it becomes smooth (if the butter is hard or just out from the fridge, then microwave it for 10~15 sec at 600w).
• 3. Add sugar and mix well until they blend well together.
• 4. Add Melon liqueur or syrup and mix well.
• 5. Add almond flour and mix. Finally sift the flour (45g) into the mixture, using a cooking sieve. Mix well until all the flour is thoroughly mixed. Be careful not to overmix the dough. Divide into 6 pieces. Cover with saran wrap and let sit in the fridge.
• 6. When the dough cycle is complete, remove from the machine and place on a floured surface. At the same time, take the cookie dough out of the fridge and to room temperature.
• 7. Punch the dough down and divide it in equal 6 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball and cover it with a cloth. Let it rest for 15min.
• 8. Let's put it together... Re-shape each bread dough piece into a round ball. Place one piece of cookie dough on a saran wrap and cover with another wrap to press it with your hand. The cookie dough should end up a bit bigger than the bread balls.
• 9. Place the bread ball on the cookie dough and gently cover the bread ball with the cookie dough, using your hand.
• 10. Coat the cookie dough with sugar and place onto the baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat for the other 5 balls.
• 11. Gently draw crossed lines pattern on the cookie dough (3x3 or 4x4) using a dough scraper or a knife.
• 12. Cover and let the bread rise in a warm place until the dough has gone x1.5 in volume, about 50 to 60 minutes.
• 13. Pre-heat the oven to 190℃ and reduce the heat to 170℃ to bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
• Enjoy!