Anpan (あんパン) Japanese Red Bean Buns
An easy recipe for homemade anpan (Japanese red bean buns) which uses a cooked flour paste (tangzhong method) to make moist, airy and fluffy rolls!
Ingredients
For the flour paste (Tangzhong)
- 25 g bread flour
- 125 g water
For the main dough
- 375 g bread flour
- 100 g plain flour
- 76 g sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp full-fat milk powder
- 4 tsps instant yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 75 g cold water
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds
- egg wash
- 650 to 800 g anko or sweet red bean paste (I use tsubuan)
Instructions
Make the flour paste (tangzhong)
- In a small saucepan, combine 25 grams of bread flour and 125 grams of water and stir with a whisk until smooth. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency (about 3 to 5 minutes). Transfer the flour paste from the saucepan to a small bowl and let cool.Tip: Do not overcook! The paste is ready once the whisk leaves drag lines on the base of the pan, or when an instant-read thermometer reaches 65°C (149°F).
Make the main dough
- Combine dry ingredients: In a stand mixer, combine the remaining bread flour, plain flour, milk powder, instant yeast, sugar and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine well.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the cooled flour paste, eggs, and cold water to the flour and yeast mixture. With a dough hook fitted to the mixer, start on low speed for 1 minute to allow the mixtures to combine.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-high and continue to knead until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, about 3 to 5 minutes.Tip: The dough will be a bit sticky, but continue kneading until most of the dough pulls away from the sides, though it will still stick to the bottom.
- Add the butter: Knead in the butter until fully incorporated. Continue kneading for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough starts to come off the sides of the bowl again. Once the dough becomes smooth and elastic, test for the ‘windowpane’.Tip: The ‘Windowpane Test’ checks for gluten development in the dough. To do this, lightly grease your hands with some oil, take a small ball of dough and gently stretch it. Once the dough can be stretched to a thin, translucent layer (‘windowpane’) without breaking, it is ready. Otherwise, knead for a few more minutes and test again.
- First rise: Gather the dough into a ball. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a large mixing bowl with some oil. Put the dough in, rolling over once to grease its surface. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and proof for 40 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.Tip: Once the dough has doubled in size, test it with your finger. Dust your index finger with flour and press it into the centre of the dough. If the hole remains, the dough is ready for the next step.
- Divide: Divide into 18 equal portions. Shape tightly into balls, cover with a tea towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.Tip: To get dough portions of equal size, weigh the total dough and divide by 18 to get the weight of dough for each bun (it should roughly fall between 50 to 52 gm each).
- Fill and shape: Working with one dough ball at a time (keeping the rest covered so they don’t form a skin), turn over so the rough side faces you. Using the heels of your hands or a rolling pin, flatten or roll into a round disc about 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter. Place 35-45 grams of anko filling in the center, pull up the sides of the dough to wrap, and seal by pinching the ends together. As you finish working with each dough ball, place it directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.Tip: If you prefer a high ratio of anko filling to bread, use 45 grams (roughly 1.5 cookie scoops). Otherwise, use 35 grams (roughly 1 cookie scoop).
- Second rise: Cover the filled dough balls with a tea towel. Let them rise for 45 - 50 minutes in a warm place or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, start pre-heating the oven to 200°C (390°F) using convention mode with top and bottom heating.Tip: To check when the dough is ready for baking, gently press the dough near the bottom with your finger - if the depression slowly fills in, it is ready. If the depression fills right in, the dough isn’t ready, and if the depression doesn’t fill in, the dough is likely overproofed.
- Bake: Gently brush the top of the filled dough balls with egg wash and drop black sesame seeds in the center (optional). Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the tops turn a deep golden brown.
- Cool: Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best eaten when still warm. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- How to make the sweet bun dough without water roux.
Simply add the bread flour and water quantities for the water roux to the main dough. So, you have a total of 400 grams of bread flour (25 grams + 375 grams) and 200 grams of water (125 grams + 75 grams) for the main dough. Proceed with the recipe steps for the main dough as written.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 142mg, Potassium: 59mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 114IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg
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