The melon pan is a sweet bun that we love, presentation:
- The melon pan, a sweet bun appreciated by the Japanese
- The texture and taste of melon pan
- Its variations
- The melon pan recipe in video
- Melon pan in Japan
Melon pan, a sweet bun loved by Japanese
Melon pan メロンパン is a Japanese sweet bun. Its outer appearance is quite crunchy (except for some recipes) and its inner texture is very soft like a French loaf or gâche. Its name comes from its squared shape which reminds the cantaloupe. The melon pan is very popular in Japan, and you can easily find it everywhere and especially in combini (Japanese supermarket) which propose these famous buns with different flavors.
The melon pan is in some way the cradle of Japanese pastry. It often appears in Japanese manga.
The texture and taste of melon pan
Melon pan is a kind of soft bun covered with a cookie dough. Despite its name, this bun does not taste like melon even if nowadays some Japanese bakers add a slight taste of melon in their recipe. You can find them with sugar, chocolate, matcha green tea, vanilla, pineapple, maple syrup, sweet potato… The recipes vary according to the regions, and the texture also changes radically. It is sometimes very dry, smooth, wet or sticky. Its main characteristic remains its squared pattern, although sometimes it is without pattern. What does not change however is its round shape.
Its variations
Sunrise
メロンパン 呉
The Yamazaki brand recently released a variation of the melon pan, this one is more like a very flat cookie and the taste is closer to the outer crust of the melon pan. The ingredients are the same: eggs, sugar, vegetable oils, butter..
Kawa pan melon
メロンパンの皮
The Yamazaki brand recently released a variation of the melon pan, this one is more like a very flat cookie and the taste is closer to the outer crust of the melon pan. The ingredients are the same: eggs, sugar, vegetable oils, butter..
Melon ice cream pan
メロンパン アイス
Very popular, the melon pan is declined in ice cream, inside the bun an ice cream is inside! Like ice cream shops in France, specialized pastry shops are dedicated to melon pan with ice cream in Japan. In Japan you will find the same thing with tayaki, pastry in the shape of fish.
Turtle-shaped
The kawaii version for kids, this bun turns into a shell to give the shape of a turtle!
Chocolate Afro
An original packaging for this manga inspired chocolate melon pan
We really liked this Japanese bun, plus you can easily find it in combini
(Japanese supermarket open 7 days a week) with other different buns.
The melon pan recipe
If you want to make this melon pan yourself, we recommend our melon pan recipe explained step by step. This recipe requires a lot of patience but it is really worth it!
Melon pan in Japan
Melon pan can be found in most combini (local supermarkets) and bakeries in Japan. We recommend the bakery Kagetsudo located in Asakusa in Tokyo to eat giant and really delicious melon pan! Even if you find them impressive, they are easy to eat because they are very light.
