Japanese bread pastry with sweet ham and cheese filling

Melon pan is a Japanese bread pastry popular around the world. Its name is from its resemblance to melon rind. The sugary cookie topping gives a nice crusty texture to the otherwise soft bread.

Ideally, melon pan is served warm with butter, jams or cream cheese on the side. This version, however, provides sweet ham and cheese as filling.

“It seems tedious to make because of the long process involved in making,” says Benedicto Hao. “But it’s all going to be worth your time and effort. The bread dough is quite easy to make.”

After mixing the bread dough ingredients together, let it rise until it’s double in size. While the dough is resting, you can make the cookie crust and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Hao’s melon pan version has no preservatives or dough conditioner. One can make variations with the filling, such as bacon, savory pork, chicken or what-have-you.

The recipe, he says, can be doubled or tripled depending on the capacity of your oven.

Best served the day it is baked.

Melon Pan Bread dough:

170 g bread flour (Pilmico)

25 g white sugar

2 g salt

20 g milk powder

3 g yeast 110 g ice-cold water

20 g butter (room temperature)

Cookie dough:

80 g all-purpose flour

30 g white sugar

2 g baking powder 1 beaten egg

30 g butter (room temperature)

Filling:

Nanay’s Premium Sliced Ham (Foodcrafters)

cheddar cheese, sliced

—PHOTOS BY LEO M. SABANGAN II Melon Pan with ham and cheese filling

To make bread dough, mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Gradually add water. Mix well until dough becomes less sticky. Flatten dough and add butter. Knead again for 10-15 minutes until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Let it rest for 30 minutes until it is double in size. Pinch dough to release air.

To make the cookie dough, place butter in a bowl and add sugar. Mix well. Gradually add beaten egg into the mixture. Set aside. In another bowl with all-purpose flour, add baking powder. Mix and fold into the egg mixture until well incorporated.

Dip balls in sugar. Create a diamond pattern on each ball.

Transfer flattened dough in a tray dusted with flour. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Set aside.

Fill dough with sliced ham and cheese. Reshape dough into smooth balls.

Cut dough into small pieces, weighing 40 grams each.

Bake for 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.

Cover bread dough with the flattened cookie dough.

On a flat surface dusted with flour, flatten each ball to about 4 inches in diameter.

Cover dough with cling wrap and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes in the refrigerator.

Then, shape dough into small balls, each weighing 30 grams.