Melon Pan Recipe – Japanese Melon Bread in 3 Flavors

This homemade melon pan recipe gives you soft, fluffy bread covered with a sweet, crunchy cookie crust. I divided the cookie dough into three flavors, so you can make classic, matcha, and chocolate melon pan from the same batch!

Melon pan is a popular Japanese sweet bread with a soft and fluffy center covered in a crisp cookie crust. Despite the name, traditional melon pan usually does not contain melon—the name comes from its round shape and the crisscross pattern on top that looks a little like a melon.

For this melon pan recipe, I make one soft bread dough and divide the cookie coating into three flavors: classic, matcha, and chocolate. Each bun gets that slightly crunchy, sugary outside with a light and fluffy bread inside. I especially like making the three colors together because they look so pretty on the tray, and everyone can pick their favorite.

If you enjoy Japanese bread recipes, you might also like my Japanese Milk Buns, Shio Pan, or Red Bean Bread. They all have that wonderfully soft Japanese-style bread texture, but each one is quite different from this sweet cookie-covered melon pan.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Bread flour – Bread flour gives the melon pan dough more structure while still keeping the buns soft and fluffy. I also use it for the cookie topping in this recipe.

Unsalted butter – Use softened unsalted butter for both the bread dough and cookie crust. Soft butter is much easier to mix evenly into the dough and topping.

Matcha powder – This gives one-third of the cookie dough its green color and mild matcha flavor. Use a good-quality matcha powder for a nicer color and flavor.

Cocoa powder – Cocoa powder turns another portion of the cookie topping into chocolate melon pan. Unsweetened cocoa powder works best here.

Milk powder – Milk powder adds a little extra richness and milky flavor to the bread without adding more liquid to the dough.

How to Make Melon Pan

Cookie Topping

In a bowl, mix the bread flour, powdered sugar, and 12 g beaten egg together (Image A). Stir until combined, then add the room-temperature butter (Image B). Mix and knead gently until a smooth dough forms (Image C).

Divide the cookie dough into 3 equal portions. Add matcha powder to one portion and cocoa powder to another, leaving the third portion plain (Images D, E). Divide each flavor into 2 equal pieces, making 6 pieces in total (Image F). Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to prevent the dough from drying out.

Bread Dough

STEP 1. Sift the bread flour and milk powder into a mixing bowl (Image 1). Add the sugar, instant yeast, and 36 g beaten egg. Mix until no dry flour remains (Image 2).

Add the butter and salt (Image 3). Continue kneading for about 17–18 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and can be stretched thinly without tearing easily (Image 4).

STEP 2. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size (Image 5).

Remove the plastic wrap and gently press the dough to release the air (Image 6). Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, shape them loosely into balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 10 minutes (Image 7).

After resting, take one piece of dough and flatten it with a rolling pin (Image 8).

STEP 3. Flip the dough over so the smooth side is facing down. Bring the edges toward the center and pinch them together to form a round bun (Images 9, 10).

Take one piece of cookie topping and roll it into a thin circle between sheets of plastic wrap (Image 11). Place the bread dough in the center with the smooth side facing down, then gently wrap the cookie dough around the top and sides of the bun (Image 12).

STEP 4. Turn the bun over so the pinched side is facing up (Image 13). Gently press the cookie-covered side into a bowl of caster sugar (Image 14), making sure the surface is evenly coated.

Use a plastic scraper or knife to gently score lines across the cookie topping to make the classic melon pan pattern (Images 15, 16). Be careful not to cut too deeply into the bread dough.

STEP 5. Repeat with the remaining bread dough and cookie toppings, including the matcha and chocolate flavors (Images 17, 18). Arrange the buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (Image 19).

Let the buns rise again until they are about doubled in size. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 18–20 minutes, or until the plain melon pan is lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack (Image 20). Enjoy them as they are, or serve with a little butter or a scoop of ice cream.

Serving Suggestions

I usually serve melon pan sliced in half with a thick piece of butter and some coconut kaya jam inside. You can also use mango jam, strawberry compote, lemon curd, or custard filling. Any of these makes the bread even more delicious.

For something more dessert-like, slice the melon pan and add a scoop of ice cream in the middle. Mango ice cream or ube ice cream would be especially good. You can also drizzle a little honey, condensed milk, or golden syrup over the top.

If you enjoy baking soft Japanese breads, try my Japanese Milk Hearth Bread and Chocolate Milk Hearth Bread.

Melon Pan Recipe FAQs

Storage

I usually wrap each melon pan individually to keep them from drying out, then store them in the refrigerator. When I want to serve them again, I reheat them in the oven for a few minutes. This helps warm the bread and makes the cookie topping crisp again.

For the best texture, let the melon pan cool completely before wrapping and storing. I would avoid microwaving if possible because it can make the cookie topping soft instead of crunchy.

More Asian Bread Recipes

• Korean Sausage Bread
• Beef Floss Bread Roll
• Pull-Apart Bread (Roti Sisir)
• Pandan Milk Bread
• Coffee Bun

If you’d like to try more soft and fluffy Asian breads, take a look at my Asian Bread Recipes collection.