Melonpan is a type of kashi pan, or Japanese sweet bread, that has a soft center and crispy cookie crust. Sometimes called melon bread, melonpan gets its name not from any melon flavor but from its cross-hatched surface that resembles cantaloupe skin. You can find all types of melonpan in Japan—some studded with chocolate chips, dyed green with matcha, or even stuffed with ice cream. Melonpan is made with the same type of bread dough as anpan, the sweet bun filled with red bean paste.

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup superfine sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1¼ cups cake flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

For the bread dough:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2½ tablespoons sugar
• 1⅔ cups bread flour
• ⅓ cup cake flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter cut into ¼-tablespoon cubes, room temperature
• All-purpose flour for dusting

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. 1Make the cookie dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Whisking constantly, gradually add the beaten egg to the butter mixture.
2. 2Sift the cake flour and baking powder together over the butter and egg mixture and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Transfer the cookie dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it to form a log. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. 3While the cookie dough rests, make the bread dough. Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together the milk, yeast, and sugar until frothy.
4. 4Swap out the whisk attachment for the dough hook attachment, and add both of the flours and salt. Mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. 5Increase the speed to medium, and continue kneading until the dough is smooth—about 5 minutes. Let the dough rest in the bowl, 5 minutes.
6. 6Add the butter one cube at a time, kneading on medium speed after each addition until all the butter has been incorporated and the dough is smooth—about 5 more minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size—about 2 hours.
7. 7When the dough is done rising, lightly dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Gently tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured work surface. Use a bench scraper to divide it into eight equal pieces.
8. 8Shape the dough into balls. With both hands cupping a piece of dough, gently roll the dough piece back and forth across your work surface until it forms a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Cover the dough balls with a sheet of plastic wrap or a slightly damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
9. 9Divide the cookie dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten it into a disc about 3½ inches in diameter.
10. 10Cover each dough ball with a cookie dough disc, stretching and pressing the cookie dough to cover the entire top of the bun. Sprinkle each cookie-dough-covered dough ball with granulated sugar and use a bench scraper or knife to slash a crosshatch pattern into each one.
11. 11Arrange the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them rise once again in a warm place until they’ve nearly doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
12. 12Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the buns until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
13. 13Let the melonpan cool on a wire rack, at least 20 minutes.

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