An-pan Red beans buns

An-pan is a Japanese sweet roll filled with sweet red beans paste. It is one of familiarized sweet bread in Japan.
It was first made about 140 years ago when Japan was becoming more westernized. That time, they used Sake (rice wine) yeast to proof it, and filled with red beans paste.

I cooked Anko (Japanese ward for Red beans paste) by myself. I could find Azuki (red) beans at the Asian supermarket. It keeps a month in the freezer. It is cooked with the same amount of sugar like jam.

Anko Red beans paste

300 g Azuki (red) beans

300 g Casteｒ Sugar

1/4 tea spoon of sugar

1. Rinse Azuki beans, then take bad beans, it will float on the water surface.
Put them into a sauce pan, and cover with 2 cm of water and cook it with medium heat until boiling.

2. Once it start to boil, turn down to low heat, cook it for 5 minutes.
Strain the boiling water. Put them back into the sauce pan. Cover with 2 cm of water and cook it  until boiling again.

3. Repeat #2, then put them back on heat.

4. Cook them until they become soft, able to mash easily with your finger tips.
During cooking, add water if water decrease.

5. Once bean become soft, add sugar and salt. Stir regularly and mush during simmer it.
Simmer it until it becomes thick and hard. Once it get cool down, it become thicker and harder.
Cool it down.

An-pan (Red beans buns)

Dough

280 g Bread Flour

20 g Sugar

1 tea spoon of Salt

1 tea spoon of Instant dried yeast

1/2 Egg

160 g Water

30 g Unsalted butter(melt)

Filling

Red beans paste

                  

Egg wash

1/2 Egg

1 table spoon of Milk

Black sesame (optional)

1. In a bread machine or dough mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add egg and water, combine well. Knead it for 10 minutes. Add butter and knead it until it becomes elastic and smooth. 

2. Put it in a bowl and put cover with plastic wrap. Place it at warm place, proof it until it gets double size for 1 hour. 

3. Take the dough out on the floured counter. Deflate it briefly, divide it in to 10 pieces. 

Make them rough balls, and rest them with cover for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make 11 pieces of 35 g red beans balls.
Put baking sheet on the baking tray. 

4. Wrap red beans paste. 

This is my kitchen video. How to wrap anpan. 

Use a rolling pin, make 7 cm circle. Roll it out around circle edge, make it 12 cm circle (outside thin, inside thick, kind of UFO shape).

Put red beans paste ball on the center of the dough. Wrap it gently. Seal it diagonally and tightly.
Put it upside-down on the baking tray.

5. Proof them at warm place for 40 minutes. Try not to dry them out. Keep them in the moisture.
Mix egg and milk to prepare egg wash.
Preheat the oven at 190℃.

6. Brush Egg wash. Sprinkle black sesame.
Bake them at 190 ℃ for 15 - 20 minutes until it becomes golden brown.

7. Cool them down on the wire rack.

It is placed at Yeastspotting. 

Shoku-pan (Milk Hokkaido loaf)

I bought a white sandwich loaf at the supermarket to make lunch for school when I come to NZ, 3 years ago. I bought it for $2. I was surprised it was cheaper and bigger than Japanese one. But it was tasteless. I think it was last time to buy the white sandwich loaf at the supermarket.
Once I settle down to the place, I bake bread by myself. And I sometime buy them from bakery.

Today, I felt like I want eat soft and rich loaf which I ate in Japan.
Pullman loaf is Shoku-pan in Japanese. Japanese loaf is rich and little bit sweet. Do you know Hokkaido milk loaf? That is creamy rich and bit sweet, and Japanese favorites style loaf.

This is important thing to proof enough before bake. The top of the dough has to reach 7/10 pan.

And once take it out from the oven, you need to fling it on the counter, then take it off from the pan immediately after bake. Give the shock to the bread, then it will be easy to take it out.

Shoku-pan (Hokkaido milk loaf)

20x11x10cm Loaf pan

320 g Strong bread flour (high grade flour)

20 g Sugar

4 g Salt

1 Tea spoon of instant dry yeast

220 g Milk

40 g unsalted Butter

1. In a stand mixer bowl, combine flour and sugar, salt, yeast together. Add warm milk (about 30 degreeds). Knead it for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. Add soften butter and knead it another 5 minuts until butter combine well.

2. Put the dough into the oil sprayed container with cover, leave it warm place (20 - 30 degreeds) for 1 - 1.5 hours until it becomes double size.

3. Pour the dough onto the floured counter and deflate. Devide it into half evenly, and shape it round ball roughly.

4. Let it rest with cover for 15 - 20 minutes.
Meanwhile spray or apply oil to the baking tin.

5. shape it into final shape.
Pat one piece of the dough with your palm. Roll it out with rolling pin, make it 15cm ovall. Dont put too much presser, roll it out gently.

                                                                           
Fold 1/3part of both sides.                                                                                                                              

                                                                                         

Fold 1/3 part of top-side.
Fold it another twice (totally fold it 3 times).                                                                              Seal it tightly using yiur finger tips.              

                                                                                                                                                               Put it into the loaf tin. Sealing have to be bottom.
Shape it another dough and set into the tin as well.

6. Let it rise with cover for 40 - 60 minutes until the top of the dough reach to 8/10 .
Reheat the oven for 200 degreeeds.

                                                                                                                                                              7. Put the tin lid, and bake it for 30 minutes.

8. Take the bread out from the tin after bake. Cool it down on the wire rack.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Anchobvy and Cream cheese Slices

This bread was made for my friend's birthday drink.
I got invitation on that day. All the ingredients are left over in the fridge. I checked the fridge, then I found Anchovy and cream cheese. Of cause, I have flour all the time.

At first, I made mixture of cream cheese and anchovy, seasoned with pepper. It was salty enough by anchovy. Apply it on the dough. Sprinkle onion slices.
I didn't proof it before put it in the oven and bake. Because I wanted to make it thin and crispy crust.

It was delicious!! Creamy and salty, but not too fishy. Onion texture is matching with cream cheese. Cut it into slices, and bring them party. That is suitable with wine and beer.

Anchovy and cream cheese and Slices

Dough

200 g Bread flour (high grade flour)

4 g Salt

1 tea spoon of instant dry yeast

1 table spoon of olive oil

120 g Water

Filling

100 g Cream cheese (soften spreadable)

5 fillets or more of Anchovy  (chopped finely)

Ground pepper

1 Onion (sliced)

1 table spoon of Olive oil

1. In a bread machine or dough mixer bowl, combine all dough ingredients. Knead it for 10 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic.

2. Put the dough in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Place it at the warm place. Proof it 40 minutes until it becomes double size.

3. Meanwhile, make cream cheese filling.
Combine cream cheese and chopped anchovy in a small bowl. Season it with ground pepper.

4 .Take it out on the floured counter. Deflate it briefly. Reshape in to a ball. Rest it with cover for 15 minutes.
Put baking sheet on the tray.

5. Preheat oven at 200℃
Use a rolling pin, make it the Baking tray size square.
Transfer the dough on the tray. Stab with a folk few times.
Apply cream cheese filling all over.

Sprinkle onion slices. And drip olive oil on the onions.

6. Bake it at 200℃ for 15 minutes until crust become brown color.

Slice it and serve!!

It is placed at Yeastspotting.