Turtle-Shaped Melon Pan

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Japanese

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

proof the dough twice:: 2

Total Time: 2 35

Servings: small buns

Calories: 230kcal

Author: Marvellina

A delightful combination of soft fluffy milk bread with a buttery cookie crust shaped and scored to create a turtle shell pattern on the surface. This creative design adds a touch of whimsy to the traditional Melon Pan, elevating its visual appeal and capturing the imagination of those who come across it.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

If using commercial yeast:

135 g whole milk plus more as needed
250 g bread flour
50 g all-purpose flour
10 g milk powder
4 g fine sea salt
50 g sugar plus more for the topping
4 g instant yeast
30 g egg save the rest for cookie crust
30 g butter softened unsalted

For sourdough version: prepare sweet stiff starter

55 g active starter (100% hydration)
165 g bread flour (12.7% protein content)
65 g whole milk
30 g sugar

For the main dough:

58 g bread flour 12.7% protein content
50 g all-purpose flour
20 g milk powder
4 g fine sea salt
50 g sugar plus more for topping
30 g whole milk more as needed
30 g egg save the rest for cookie crust
30 g unsalted butter unsalted

For cookie crust:

120 g bread flour (12.7% protein content)
45 g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
60 g unsalted butter softened
25 g egg

To color the cookie crust: (use any of the following)

Food coloring of your choice
2 g matcha powder
2 g cocoa powder

Filling: (optional) - just an idea

Instructions

If using sourdough starter:

This recipe will give you sourdough bread that doesn't taste sour. Why? Because we use a Sweet Stiff Levain, which is built from regular 100% hydration sourdough starter. I don't maintain stiff starter. I build it whenever I need it. I love baking enriched bread/buns and steamed buns using sweet stiff starter.
I recommend using a starter that is at least two months old and consistently doubles or triples in 4-6 hours when you feed it at 1:1:1 ratio. Young starter will not give the best result
Mix all ingredients for sweet stiff starter. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap or a lid. It takes about 10-12 hours to double. Since we are using milk instead of water, the stiff starter may not triple and only double, that's normal

Prepare the dough:

Add all ingredients for the dough except for the butter. Tear the sweet stiff starter into pieces and add into the dough for sourdough version. Use the dough hook to stir the mixture a bit so the flour won't fly around when you start the mixer. Knead on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes and then increase to speed 2 and knead for 3 minutes and then speed 4 for another 3 minutes or until it forms a dough that clears the side of the bowl, but not smooth yet
Add the softened butter and knead on speed 2 for about 2-3 minutes and then increase speed to 4 and knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is soft, smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch. If you stretch a small portion of the dough thinly and gently, it shouldn't break. This is a windowpane stage
It is important that the dough is soft, meaning, enough hydration. This will ensure you get a soft fluffy bread texture for more than 24 hours. If the dough feels firm, don't be afraid to add a bit more milk, one teaspoon at a time and knead until you get a soft smooth dough.

First proofing:

Lightly oil the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until double in volume. if it's colder, it may take longer to proof the dough
For sourdough version, proof for 2 hours at 82 F (28 C). The dough will not double and that's okay

Prepare the cookie crust:

Combine the flour, salt, and icing sugar. Add butter and egg and combine into a soft dough
If you choose to color the cookie dough into different colors, divide the dough accordingly. I use 3 different colors: cocoa powder, ube extract, red/pink gel food coloring. I divided the dough into 3. Add the color/extract/powder to the dough. Knead the color so it distributes evenly
Divide each color into 4 portions, so you get a total of 12. Roll each one into round balls. Keep them covered tightly in an air-tight container to prevent them from drying out. If it's really warm where you are, keep them in the fridge. Otherwise, you can keep them at room temperature
We want the cookie dough to be soft and easy to roll out, but not too soft that it's sticky and hard to work with. If it's too sticky or the butter starts to melt, put them in the fridge for a bit to firm it up slightly. We also don't want the cookie dough to be too stiff or cold from the fridge because it's also hard to work with.
If the cookie dough has been in the fridge, take it out to let it soften a bit for 15 minutes before the end of proofing

Shaping:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
Knock out all the gas by giving it some kneading. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Pinch off about 10 grams from each portion to make the head and 4 feet. Round them up into balls. Cover and let them rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten
Take one piece of dough and keep the rest covered. If you choose to use a filling, flatten slightly with your palm and roll it out into a 5-inch round circle, put the filling and wrap the dough around the cheese and pinch to seal tightly.
If you don't want to use any filling, flatten the dough slightly with your palm and then stretch the edge towards the center and round it up into a taut dough ball. Repeat with the rest
Work with one cookie dough at a time. Take one dough and roll it out into larger than the main dough (the body of the turtle). Cover the dough with the cookie dough. Use a bench scraper to score the cookie dough to create that pattern. Dip the cookie dough part in a sugar. Place it on a prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart and repeat with the rest of the dough and cookie dough
Next, round up the little doughs for the head and feet. Dab with a bit of water and attach them to each main dough. Each dough has 1 head and four feet. Dab the head with a bit of water and attach black sesame seeds on the head for the eyes

Final proofing:

Cover and let them proof at a warm place until they are really puffy. This may take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If it is colder where you are, it may take longer
For sourdough version, this may take 3-4 hours, depending on the temperature and the strength of your starter

Test the dough:

When you gently push on the dough, it should bounce back very slowly and leave some indentation. The dough is done proofing and start preheating your oven to 375 F (190 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C

Baking:

Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the buns are lightly golden brown on top and a thermometer should register around 190 F (88 C) at the center of the bread
Let the bread cool down on a cooling rack

Storing:

Let the bread cool down completely. They can be kept in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. The bread stays soft for 3 days in my case when stored properly
For longer storage, transfer them to a freezer bag, push all the air out and seal the bag. Keep them in the freezer for no more than one month for the best result. Simply thaw at room temperature until soft again. You can reheat in the oven at 350 F (180 C) for 5 minutes or until they are warm.

Nutrition