Japanese Melon Pan Turtles

for the sweetbread:

• 250 grams bread flour (2 cups + extra for dusting)

• 3 g (1 tsp) kosher salt

• 40 g (3 Tbsp) granulated sugar

• 4 g (1¼ tsp instant yeast) (to use active dry yeast, see Notes)

• 1 large egg (beaten)

• 50 ml warm whole milk (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp) -- should be comfortably warm to touch aka not too hot

• 50 ml water (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp)

• 35 g unsalted butter (2½ Tbsp) cubed and at room temperature

  
  

for the biscuit cookie topping:

• 60 g unsalted butter (4 Tbsp; cubed; at room temperature)

• 100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)

• 1 large egg (beaten)

• 200 g bread flour (1 and 2/3 cups)

• 2 g baking powder

Step One - Sweetbread Dough

To a large mixing bowl, add the bread flour, salt, and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine. Then, add the yeast and pre-beaten egg. Continue to mix.

(250g / 2 cups bread flour, 3g / 1 tbsp salt, 40g / 3 tbsp sugar)

Step Two

Pour in the warm milk and warm water. Gently fold the ingredients with a silicone spatula, mixing for 2-5 minutes. The dough will still be sticky.

Step Three

Flip the dough from the bowl onto a work surface lightly dusted with extra flour. Lightly dust your hands with flour and knead for about 5 minutes. If the dough continued to be too sticky to handle, add only the minimum necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands, as adding too much flour will make the dough dry and hard. Aim for a moist, soft dough that is smooth and elastic.

Step Four

After kneading, flatten the dough into a disc and place the small cubes of butter all over the top of the dough. Roll/fold up the dough, tucking in the butter. Then, continue to knead as before, for 5 minutes. Once the dough becomes very smooth and easy to work with, “slam and fold“ the dough to further develop its gluten (elasticity). Continue until the dough is smooth, supple, and silky, about 10 minutes.

The Windowpane Test: After kneading and slamming, hold the dough in both hands and gently pull it into a square with your fingers. It should be strong enough to stretch to a super-thin membrane without tearing, and light can pass through the center. If it doesn’t stretch or it tears too easily, knead it again for another 2 minutes and test again.

Step Five

Form the dough into a ball and place the dough in a bowl with the seam side down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size (50 minutes - 1 hour). You can use the lowest heat setting of your oven to store your bowl as it rises!

Step Six - Biscuit Dough

Now, for the biscuit dough: in a large bowl, add the small cubes of 60 g / 1/4 cup unsalted butter, and the 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar. Mash together with a spatula until smooth and combined.

Step Seven

Slowly add the beaten egg to the bowl, periodically stirring as you add. Continue until all the egg is well incorporated.

Step Eight

Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture. Mix well until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Collect the dough with your hands and roll it into a ball. Roughly cut the dough into 9 pieces. Roll the divided biscuit dough into balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Step Nine - Sweetbread Dough

Once the sweetbread dough has doubled in size, dust your index finger with flour and use it to poke the center of the dough. If the hole does not close up when you remove your finger, then the dough is ready for the next step. If the dough closes up immediately, then proof the dough a little longer.

Step Ten

Remove the dough from the bowl with a silicone scraper and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Fold the sides of the dough in thirds toward the center, and then fold the bottom and top in thirds. Flip over to keep the seam side down. Roll the dough into a ball. To close the seam line, rotate the dough clockwise with both hands while the seam line is touching the work surface.

Divide into roughly 9 event pieces. Then, if you're creating turtle melon pan, pinch off five small portions from each main piece to create a head and four limbs for the turtle.

Pre-shape each dough piece into a round ball. You should have one larger ball and five smaller balls. Attach the head and legs to the main body of the turtle, pinching lightly to keep them together. Place the turtles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step Eleven

While the bread dough is resting, shape the biscuit dough. Place the biscuit dough on a lightly floured work surface and flatten it with your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a 4-inch (10–12 cm) flat circle. Set aside. Continue to roll out the rest of the biscuit dough pieces.

Place each biscuit dough on top of the 'turtles', like a shell. Optional: dip each top of the shell in granulated sugar.

Step Twelve

Using a chopstick, dough scraper or knife, gently score each biscuit shell in a crisscross pattern, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) deep.

Step Thirteen

Place the melon pan dough on the baking sheet, biscuit side up. Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 50 minutes. As the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Reminder: if you are using the oven for final proofing, you have to transfer the dough to a different warm place so you can preheat the oven.

Step Fourteen

Remove the plastic wrap and place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 13–15 minutes, or until the biscuit crust is a light golden brown. If they are not browning evenly toward the end of baking, rotate the baking sheet once so that the crust gets an even color. Do not overbake, or the melon pan will be dry.

Once done, remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

To Store:

Once the bread is cooled completely, individually wrap it in plastic to prevent drying. Then, put it in an airtight container or bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or microwave to warm it up inside. Then, bake it in the oven at 350ºF (180ºC) until crispy on the outside.