Baked Kare Pan (Japanese Curry Bread)

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 25

Proof the dough twice:: 2

Total Time: 3 25

Servings: servings

Calories: 225kcal

Author: Marvellina

Soft and fluffy baked kare pan filled with savory Japanese chicken curry and coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs. This no-fry Japanese curry bread is lighter but just as satisfying.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

For tangzhong:

30 g bread flour 12.7% protein content
150 g whole milk

For the dough:

300 g bread flour 12.7% protein content, plus more for dusting
5 g instant yeast
28 g milk powder
100 g whole milk or more as needed
50 g egg
7 g salt
40 g sugar
40 g unsalted butter softened

For the filling:

1 Tbsp oil
250 g boneless skinless chicken thigh
100 g carrots diced
1 small onion diced
75 g Japanese curry paste cut into small pieces
½ cup water plus more as needed

For egg wash:

1 egg
1 tsp water

For coating:

3 cups panko bread crumbs
oil

Instructions

Prepare tangzhong:

Place milk and the bread flour in a small saucepan. Whisk until there is no more lumps. Cook this mixture over low-medium heat until it reaches 65 C (149 F) if you have an instant-read digital thermometer. Otherwise, it's about 1 1/2-2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cover with a plastic wrap, touching the tangzhong so the skin won't form. I highly suggest using this the next day instead of using it on the same day. Store this in the fridge
If you decide to use it on the same day, let it cool down to lukewarm before mixing with the rest of the ingredients

Make the dough:

Add the rest of the ingredients for the dough, except for the butter, into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients and the tangzhong. Start the machine and knead the dough on speed 2 until the dough starts to come together into one sticky mass, about 3 minutes
Increase the speed to 4 and continue to knead until the dough is relatively smooth. You need to stop and scrape the dough off the hook and the bowl several times during this process
Gradually add the butter, one pat at a time. It is a REAL sticky mess again because of the butter, just keep kneading and stop halfway and scrape the dough off the hook and bowl again and continue to knead until the butter is absorbed by the dough. Don't add any flour. You will get a shiny smooth dough that is very elastic and sticky. It may take 10-15 minutes of kneading with a machine on speed 4.
The dough will clear the sides of the bowl but still stick to the bottom of the bowl and that's ok. If you gently stretch a small amount of the dough slowly, it shouldn't break easily. This shows that the dough has good gluten development already and you can stop kneading

First proofing:

Place this dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover it with a clean and damp tea cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise at a warm place for about 1 hour. The dough will puff up and double in volume.
When you poke your finger into the dough, the indentation stays and the dough won't deflate

Prepare the filling while waiting: (this can be done a few days before too)

Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Add oil and saute onion until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Add carrots and saute for another minute. Add the chicken and cook until they just start to turn color.
Add the Japanese curry paste and water and keep stirring to break the paste apart and turn into a smooth paste.
The mixture starts to thicken. The mixture is thick and it is meant to be that way because we use it as a filling
Have a taste and season with more salt and pepper to your taste. Set aside to let it cool down completely before using
Portion the filling into 15 portions

Pre-toasting the bread crumbs

Put the bread crumbs on a dry nonstick pan over medium low heat and stir it around to toast it until they are lightly golden brown. Doing this will ensure your breadcrumbs have nice golden brown and also really crispy. Let it cool down completely before using.

Shaping:

Line two baking pan with parchment paper. Deflate the dough and knead a few times to push out all air. Divide the dough into 15 equal portions. Roll into a dough ball. Cover them with damp towel and rest for about 5 minutes
Flatten the dough with your palm and roll into about 4 inches round. Scoop 1 portion of the filling onto the center of the dough. Don't try to fill too much.
Gather the two sides to meet and pinch to seal. Be careful not to let the edges of the dough touch the filling. You will have difficulty sealing the dough because of the moisture and grease from the filling make the dough "slippery"
Brush dough with egg wash and press it into the bread crumbs to coat evenly
Place the shaped bun seam-side down on the prepared baking pan, about 3 inches apart.

Final proofing:

Let the shaped dough proof again for another 45 minutes to 1 hour or until they are really puffy
Preheat the oven to 375 F (185 C) 15 minutes before the end of the proofing time. Position the oven rack, 3rd from the top and 3rd from the bottom

Baking:

Mist the top of the dough with oil. If you don't have a sprayer, use a brush to brush some oil on top of the bread crumbs. This helps to crisp the crumbs up during baking
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top has deep golden brown

To serve:

Transfer to wire rack to let them cool down a bit. Serve warm or at room temperature

Storage:

Let the bread cool down completely. Keep them in an air-tight container for 3 days in the fridge. They can be kept frozen for up to 1 month. Wrap each one tightly with cling wrap and put inside a freezer bag. Simply thaw at room temperature or overnight in the fridge

How to reheat:

If they are cold from the fridge, reheat in an air fryer at 320 F for 5 minutes, in an oven at 350 F for 5 minutes

Nutrition