Black Sesame Melon Pan

Melon pan is a traditional sweet bun from Japan made of an enriched dough with a crispy cookie layer on top. It is named after its resemblance to a cantaloupe in appearance, not flavor. I categorize it as somewhere between a Chinese pineapple bun and Mexican concha in terms of texture and mouthfeel. Pineapple buns are usually softer, with a more crumbly topping, while conchas are usually drier, with a harder cookie topping.

Melon pan can be made with most enriched bread doughs, including brioche, but I like to make mine with shokupan, or milk bread. Shokupan recipes start with a tangzhong, a cooked mixture of flour and milk or water that allows the dough to absorb more water, keeping it very tender.  The tangzhong method helps to give a wide range of breads a soft and feathery texture. Melon pan is often sweet and buttery without any additional flavoring, but this recipe is made with a black sesame cookie top for subtle nuttiness and depth, plus it makes for beautiful color! The cookie top is wrapped around a ball of dough then dunked in sugar and scored in a grid for the traditional look, but feel free to have fun and score it however you like. You can make different geometric lines, shapes, or curves. Melon pan is best eaten the same day it is baked but does store very well when kept airtight.