AHHH STRESS!!! Oh, and Melon Pan :P

What to do, what to do... I have two RELS papers due and one Nursing paper to work on, a ton of journals and a handful of clinicals to complete, not to mention a bunch of forums!!!?!? Rather than stress myself out over my workload, I decided to de-stress through the baking process. And what better way to do it, than by working with my nemesis... YEAST! If I could work with this guy, I would feel invincible and prepared for anything that lies ahead.

Japanese Melon Pan

Yields 12 buns

Dough Ingredients:
2/3 cup milk
4 tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 pkg (8g) dry yeast
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp salt

Method:

1. Combine 2/3 cup milk and butter in a saucepan. Heat just until butter melts, then allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Now add in the eggs.

2. Heat the 1/3 cup milk until at room temperature, stir in yeast and 1/2 tsp sugar. Allow mixture to sit until bubbles form on surface (10 minutes). Stir it into the milk and egg mixture.
3. Meanwhile, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.

4. Stir yeast, milk and egg mixture into dry ingredients to make a medium dough (not too damp or too dry - add flour or water as needed).

5. Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes. Lightly grease the dough, place it in a dish, cover it with a damp towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size (1 to 2 hours)

6. While the dough is rising cream together the topping ingredients (recipe follows); cover and set aside in the fridge.
7. After dough has risen, divide it into 12 balls (about 3 inches in diameter) and place them on baking sheets.

8. Drape damp towel over the rolls and allow for second rise (10 to 15 minutes)

9. Roll out the topping and cover each roll with a thin layer. Leave topping as is, or cut designs (like my oddly shaped stars).

10. Bake for 10-12mins at 350 degrees F.

Topping Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup butter

- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 cup flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- a dash of vanilla essense

I must say that I have impeccable timing, as these buns were fresh out of the oven the second my sisters got home from school. My sister, who are addicted to all things anime and Japanese were so excited to eat these buns. My mom didn't mind taking a nibble either. The dough was a bit more dense then I would have liked, usually when we buy Polo Pau from T&T the bun dough is very light and fluffy. My dad did comment on how the melon-pan skin was quite pale, perhaps next time I'll try a recipe that uses only egg yolks for the topping. All in all, the bread made a delicious tea-time treat and my whole familiy enjoyed the yeasty goodness. YEAH! I can't believe that this is the third time in my life that I've had the yeast rise properly. I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship :)