Number 21: Mount Fuji Strawberry Mellonpan

Recently a new food court has been built in Ueno near the park between the Kaisei and JR lines. Being my favorite spot in Tokyo, I often visit and was happy to find a great little bread store next to Lotteria.

I bought a few items, but the first I tried was this wonderfull Mount Fuji shaped strawberry melonpan.

The cookie crust is rich with strawberry flavour, but topped nicely with white chocolate.
Unfortunately white chocolate in Japan is not so good and a little bit sickly, but this was thin enough to add only delight to presentation and taste.

Deeper into the core, one will find that which makes any standard melonpan into a great melonpan....a sweet strawberry cream filling.

It must be said though, that most of the shape is hollow. But this is in no way a problem. This melonpan is satisfying exactly as it is.

Every bite was a delight.

Number 15: Life

Recently a new supermarket named "Life" opened near my town stocking what has turned out to be one of the top Melonpan I have tried so far.
Baked fresh in-store, they were found by my mother in law and quickly bagged up.

The two flavors here are chocolate and melon. Both share the same light, soft texture which almost melts in the mouth. The bread is mixed with flavor giving it a slightly speckled look inside, and he topping is just sweet enough to be desert without being too rich or sickening.

The topping is quite crumbly and sticky but, like the bread, is full of flavor.

Naturally I found the melon one the more pleasing of the two, and bought a further pack of 4 today. Though the chocolate version is by no means disappointing.

Number 12: Ede's Cafe Maccha & Strawberry Melonpan

I found a small bread shop in Ikebukuro station which sells some beautiful looking items. These two are Strawberry and Maccha melonpan.

Both melonpan were sweet and delicious. The bread and topping were a little dry however, but this didn't make them any less delicious.

The strawberry was the nicest, with a slightly milkshake flavour. While the Maccha was also delicious, it didn't carry as much flavour.

Because of the dryness of the bread and topping, both would have benefited from a liquid centre. Though without, they were still worth the money.

I would like to try these two freshly baked, and I will definitely buy them again.

Number 10: DIY Melonpan

メロンパン - Melon-Pan

I put this recipe together a long time ago. In England, since Melonpan is so hard to get, I made my own. After a while I put the recipe on Bukisa hoping it would be of interest to people, but so far it has been impossible to publish the post. So, here it is on my blog. I hope you like it.

メロン (Meron) = Melon
パン(Pan) = Bread

If you have ever been to Japan, you have probably come across this confectionery delight in almost every bakery, sweet shop, cafe and supermarket you visited. There are many varieties of Melon-Pan. Some plain, some with a filling. Some mixed with 抹茶 (Maccha/Green Tea Powder). In Asakusa you can even get Giant Melon-Pan.

This delicious treat can be found all over Japan, but in other parts of the world can be a little harder to obtain. But, with this recipe, and possibly a little importing of flavourings, you can make your very own Melon-Pan at home.

WARNING: One ingredient, Melon Essence, can be hard to come by in some parts of the world. In the UK, I had to have my wife's family send me some from Japan. If you can't find Melon Essence, you can exchange this for any readily available essence you like the taste of. The results will still be delicious. But, Melon is best.

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Topping

Plain Flour -160g
Unsalted Butter -60g
Sugar -60g
Baking Powder -1/2 Tea Spoon
Egg -1
Melon Essence - To taste

Pan/Bread

Strong Plain Flour - 160g
Plain Flour - 20g
Dried Yeast - 2.5g
Sugar - 15g
Salt - 2g
Skimmed Milk - 4g

RECIPE

Cookie Topping

The cookie topping should be prepared the the day before, and left in the fridge for upto 24hours before being added to the bread.

1. Sieve the flour and baking soda into a bowl and set aside for use later (step 4).

2. Add the egg to the butter and mix.

3. Add the flour. This is best done in 3 equal parts to make mixing easier.

4. Add the melon essence. You may need to make a few batches to find out how much suits your tastes.

5. Mix together thoroughly then pack into a long sausage shape in cling-film. Wrap it up, and place it in the fridge for 24hours.

It may seem like a long time, and if you are in a rush you can take it out in 5 hours. However, if too short a time, the cookie may not set correctly, or be hard to handle later.

Pan/Bread

1. Sieve the plain flour and strong flour into a bowl and add the salt.

2. In a separate bowl, mix one egg with water to a weight of 100grams.

3. Add the sugar and yeast to the egg/water mixture and stir.

4. Add the egg/water/sugar/yeast mixture to the flour and mix thoroughly into a smooth dough that's not sticky. You may need to add a little more flour while mixing to take away the sticky texture.

5. Kneed the dough on the bench then place into an oven at 60degrees for 30 minutes to rise.

6. Split the dough into 9 equal parts and kneed to remove the air.

7. Leave the dough balls under a damp cloth for 30 minutes to rise a little more.

8. Kneed and fold 2 to 5 times to remove any access air, and roll into balls again.

Putting it all together...

1. Cut the melon cookie topping into 9 equal parts, and roll each one into a ball.

2. Place one ball onto a piece of cling film, and wrap the film loosely over the top. Now, roll the ball into a flat disc.

3. Unwrap the melon-disk and place a dough ball in the centre. Gently wrap the dough ball in the melon-disk leaving the bottom free.

4. Repeat this process until all 9 balls are wrapped in melon cookie.

5. Place the Melon-Pan onto a baking tray and score the tops in a cross-hatch design (#) using a plastic knife or cutter.

6. Place the Melon-Pan into the oven at 60degrees for another 15 minutes.

7. Turn the oven upto 180 degrees, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cookie top becomes hard and a little brown.

Your Melon-Pan should now be done. Leave it to cool a little on a wire rack, and eat. If you keep it in a sealed container, it should last 2 to 3 days. But....you probably wont leave it that long.

Enjoy.

Number 6: Melon & Melon

I found this while returning from a Job interview in Ueno. At the station is a nice little AM/PM store with the usual variety of breads, sweets and drinks. But this MelonPan stood out like a sore thumb.

Not surprisingly it delivered everything it promised on the label. Melon & Melon.

While this MelonPan does not have the usual Melon segmented cross hatching on top, it fully made up for it with it's taste. The Melon topping is a little wet and lacks sugar. It's not as crisp as some. But it's perfectly acceptable due to it's full flavour.

Inside the bread lies a pocket of MelonJam. I love MelonPan with filling ^-^

The Jam is not too sweet, and lends the bread enough moisture to keep it from being a chore to eat, saving your jaw valuable chewing action.

At only 125円 I see no reason not to get on the train and go get another one now....hey....maybe I'll see you there. ^-^

Number 5: Lemon Tea MelonPan

From a small bread shop in Tateishi (立石) I found this very delicious MelonPan.

The white outer layer was crisp and sweet with a lemon tea flavour which crumbled around me as I bit into it.

Beneath this was a deliciously soft bread. Moist as MelonPan should be.

Sandwiched between the bread and the biscuit topping however, was a hidden layer of cream. Hiding away like a sweet ninja ready to pounce and attack your taste-buds without warning.

The lemon tea is definitely a successful flavour. Go get one!

Number 4: Jumbo Melonpan

Today my wife brought me a surprise. In Asakusa (浅草) there is a famous MelonPan shop selling Jumbo MelonPan. It's not the only good thing about Asakusa. There's a temple there too. It's pretty close to the shop...

The freshly baked MelonPan is soft and light and best eaten warm. It still contains a hint of flour and brings your mind back to cleaning the bowl after your Mom made cake (Tuesday).

Visually this MelonPan looks exactly as it should. The iconic melon segments which some ignore are large and bright. It's almost art.

There is only one failure with this MelonPan: It's not jumbo enough. In truth its not much bigger than regular MelonPan, but since my wife bought 3 I will forgive them.

I would like to see a MelonPan that is at least 3 times the size of regular MelonPan. That will be jumbo.....but perhaps, still not Jumbo enough.

Number 3: Espresso Melonpan

I am a big coffee drinker and I quite like the occasional Espresso. So when I saw Espresso Melonpan at my local supermarket I grabbed one and took it home so fast I forgot what I originally went shopping for.

Unfortunately though Espresso and Melonpan do not mix. Not one bit. It's bitter (as should be expected) but so much so that the sheer taste of the melonpan is lost completely.

The bitterness overpowers what should be a rich Espresso flavour, and completely drowns the taste of the cream in the centre.

I'd give this one a miss if I were you.

Espresso Melonpan tastes like a cattle prod to the face.

Sorry there is no photo. I took one but the memory card has become locked and useless and won't save any new photo's. Useless Sandisk cr*p. I bought it in England so of course it will probably catch fire soon.

Number 1: 7-Eleven Variety Bread Series MelonPan

Did I mention yet that I love MelonPan? I did? Well, it must be true! And where better to start than the plain basic version?

This one I bought from 7-Eleven, which is thankfully a few doors down from my house, and represents the very first Melonpan I bought when I arrived in Tokyo this trip.

In England it is quite hard to find MelonPan. There is the Japan Centre in London. But that is not much use if you live in the North of England. So every time I travel to Japan I make sure to eat as much Melonpan as I can. This time however, I have come to stay and can eat as much as I can afford!

Part of the "Variety Bread Series" the Melonpan itself is deliciously soft with a slightly crunchy biscuit topping. It's just the right amount of sweetness without being sickening and just moist enough to not stick in the throat. It's flavour is subtle, with just a hint of Melon. But, it's a classic and very easy to enjoy.

Simple and understated. Delicious and cheap at only 105yen.