Anpan

Hi Everyone!  Recently, a friend and I went to Arlington Heights to do some grocery shopping at Mitsuwa and Tentsuke, Japanese markets.  There is an amazing Japanese pastry shop, Hippo, inside Mitsuwa.  I can never resist buying at least three different types of pastry when I am there.  This time was no different and I came home with a Tsubu an (sweet bun filled with chunky azuki bean paste), Doremon (custard filled sweet bun, with sugar dough and chocolate on top to make it look like the character) and a takoyaki pan (bun stuffed with a takoyaki ball).  My friend got a cream pan (custard filled sweet bun) and a curry pan (curry filled, fried panko breaded bun).  I ate the takoyaki pan and my friend ate her curry pan right away since they were still warm.  I always tell myself that I am going to eat the anpan slowly and savor it but before I know it the whole thing is gone and a part of me is sad.  However, after we left, I remembered that there was another Japanese bakery near by and we picked up a few maron danishes (chestnut puree filled puff pastry) and a matcha pan (green tea flavored bun filled with cream and azuki beans).

I love these little pastries sooo much and have been eating them for as long as I can remember.  They are very common in Japan as most grocery stores have a tiny bakery in them.  When I was growing up, whenever we visited Mitsuwa our whole family would go crazy, indulging in the many different types of buns.  The unfortunate part is that when we moved to Minnesota, there wasn’t a Japanese bakery in the state.  About a year ago I attempted to make anpan for my mom because she was coming to visit me in Madison.  While that attempt was mostly successful, there are still a few tweaks I need to make to the recipe before I am completely content with it.  The dough was a little bit too dense, rather than airy like a standard yeast roll.  Also mine had a little crust on the outside when the standard anpan is soft and fluffy throughout the bun.  Though even with these differences the anpan came out delicious and I am pretty sure my mom took home and ate the rest of them.  Which means this recipe is still definitely worth a try.  This is the azuki bean filling I used.

Just for fun here is a picture of the real thing and the matcha pan!  Didn’t have the will power to take a picture before I scarfed the Doremon (so good!) and the takoyaki pan.

Anpan

Ingredients

1 pkg dry active yeast
¼ c warm water
1 c boiling water
3 Tbsp shortening
1 c sugar
¾ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 ½ c flour
2 c anko (azuki bean paste, can find at asian markets either in a pouch or a can)
1 egg yolk
Toasted sesame seeds

Makes about 3 dozen

1. Add the yeast to the warm water and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the boiling water, shortening, sugar and salt.  Gently stir the ingredients until the shortening has melted.  Set aside the shortening mixture and let cool until it is lukewarm.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the shortening mixture.  Gently stir these two together.
4. Add the eggs.
5. Add the flour about ½ at a time until the mixture forms a soft and smooth dough.  Depending on the conditions the amount of flour can be a little more or less than 4.5 cups.  Once the dough is elastic and smooth then no more flour is needed.
6. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Be careful not to over work the dough.
7. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover the bowl in a warm place for 90 minutes to allow the dough to rise.  After this time the dough will almost double in size.
8. Punch down the dough!  Form the dough into a ball again and allow it to rest for another 10 minutes.
9. To form the anpan, pull out a walnut-sized piece of the dough and flatten them into circles that are about 1/8-1/4 inches thick.  Put ~1 Tbsp of anko in the center of the dough.  Gently stretch opposite sides of the circle out and up over the filling until the two sides meet.  Pinch the sides together.
10. Repeat with the other two sides of the dough.  Pull all the corners and edges together and pinch shut to seal the anko into the dough.
11. Gently flatten the formed anpan and place it on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out.  While on the cookie sheet the dough will slightly rise again, ideally this last rise time would be 45 minutes.
12. Before baking check that all the seams are still intact.  With a brush, egg wash (beat the 1 egg yolk for this) the top of the anpan and sprinkle on some white sesame seeds.
13. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees C and then bake the anpan for 12-17 minutes.  The anpan will be golden in color and have formed a slight crust.

I have to admit that making 3 dozen did take a little bit of time, but as I got better at forming the anpan the process quickly sped up.  As I had mentioned before, there are a few tweaks that I would love to make to this recipe and will let you guys know what those are once I have figured them out.  For now, anpan are soooo worth the time!  The slightly sweet and fluffy bread with the azuki bean paste is perfect snack or dessert.  Happy Eating and Happy Mothers Day (a few days early)!