Polo Bun a.k.a Melon Bread

So this is the first time every that I'm posting up a recipe. I always watch cooking shows on YouTube. And one of my favorites is "Cooking With Dog," a Japanese based cooking show with a dog as its host. That really is where I got the idea for Chef Kitty, though he can't really sit still and be a host. Not to mention that I have a really cramped kitchen.

But anyway, I was watching Chef bake something called "Melonpan." I think it's the same as a Polo Bun we can find here in Malaysia. So I'd though I'd try it out.

 It came out better than I expected. The bun inside was soft and fluffy, while the cookie on the outside was crumbly and flavorful. The vanilla extract I added helped enhance the taste. Truly, I enjoyed it very much!

I used brown sugar instead of white as I do not use white sugar. That, together with the vanilla extract, made my batch of buns turn out a lot browner than that of Cooking With Dog's version. I also made the mistake of assuming a 3.2 inch circle was big enough. I discovered that 0.3 inch is such a big difference! I think with more practice, I'm sure I can make the buns look a lot prettier. But I think this is pretty good for a first attempt, don't you think?

Ingredients for Melonpan (5 pieces)

- Bread Dough -

140g Bread Flour (4.94 oz)
25g Sugar (0.882 oz)
1/3 tsp Salt
5g Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder (0.176 oz)
3g Instant Yeast (0.106 oz) - a little less than 1 tsp 
1 tbsp Beaten Egg
70ml Warm Water (2.37 fl oz)
15g Butter (0.529 oz)

- Cookie Dough -
25g Unsalted Butter (0.882 oz)
35g Sugar (1.23 oz)
25g Beaten Egg (0.882 oz)

1 tsp vanilla extract
80g Cake/Pastry Flour (2.82 oz)
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
Bread Flour for dusting

Cookie Dough

1.   Make sure butter and eggs are at room temperature.
2. Cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar in and mix till mixture turns white.
3.  Slowly add in the beaten eggs. Do not add in all the egg at once.
4. Add baking powder to cake flour and sieve it 2 times. Add flour into butter mixture 1/3 at a time. Mix till thoroughly mixed. Do not over mix.
5.  Place dough in plastic wrap in a cylinder form. Use bread flour rubbed in hands to form the shape roughly. Cool in fridge for 1 hour.

Bread

1. Add bread flour, sugar, salt, non-fat dry milk powder and yeast in a bowl. Whisk together well.
2. Add warm water to beaten egg then slowly pour it into the dry ingredients. Evenly mix it.
3.  Knead the dough for about 5 mins. Flatten the dough and rub butter all over the dough. Then gather the dough across the dough to cover the butter. Continue to knead until shiny and smooth (about 10 mins).
4. Shape dough into a ball and place in a well oiled bowl and place in a warm place (37^C) for 40 mins.
5. Once it has doubled in size, dip finger in flour and poke dough. If hole stays, it is ready. Flatten the dough then roll it into a long cylinder. Divide into 5 equal pieces. shape into a ball. Cover and rest for 20 mins.

Melon Pan

1. Divide cookie dough into 5 equal pieces. Rub bread flour into had and shape cookie dough into balls.
2. Using a paper to draw a 3.5 inch diameter circle. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the paper, cookie dough, followed by another plastic wrap. Use something flat to press down lightly onto the dough. use the drawn circle as a guide. Place onto a tray to rest in the fridge till ready for use.
3. Once bread has rested for 20 mins. reshape bread dough and place on flat surface. place cookie dough on top. Then flip it up side down and pull the cookie dough to the center of the bread dough. Pinch the bread dough and dip into sugar. Turn it back into the right side up in the middle on the palm and use the scraper to cut a diamond pattern into the cookie dough.
4. Let bread proof for another 40 mins at 37^C. after that, bake the melon pan at 170^C/340^F for 12-15 mins.

I also created a video for this. My YouTube channel is called Chef Kitty, so please subscribe and support us!

It's been awhile since I've been free to do any blogging. But I couldn't help but post this. I was just browsing on 9gag when I came across this post. It was titled 25 Awesome Furniture Design Ideas for Car Lovers. And some of them are really so awesome, I really want it in my cafe!

Aren't they the cutest things~! Do leave a comment and tell me which ones you like best!