Matcha Anpan

5.0 from 2 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Courses: Bread

Cuisines: Japanese

Ingredients: Beans

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 3 hours

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Red bean paste filling
• 300 gram red bean
• 300 gram sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon honey (optional) (*)
• a pinch of salt
• Dough
• 150 ml warm milk (38 Celsius or 100 Fahrenheit)
• 5 gram active dry yeast
• 5 gram sugar
• 280 gram all purpose flour
• 20 gram matcha (Japanese green tea powder)
• 10 gram sugar
• 4 gram salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• Egg wash (mix together)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon milk/water
• Garnish (optional)
• toasted black sesame seeds

Instructions

• Red bean paste filling
  1. In a pot, soak well rinsed red beans in ample of fresh cold water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Heat until boiling, add 4 cups of water. When it boils the second time, drain in a sieve.
  2. In fresh cold water, boil beans again until tender and slightly fall apart. Add water so that liquid always covers the beans by about 1 inch while cooking. Drain again in a sieve.
  3. Transfer beans back to a pot, add sugar, and mix well. Cook over low heat and stir gently.
  4. Add honey, and mix well. Add a pinch of salt, stir lightly, and remove from heat.
  5. Mash with the side of a spatula or a potato masher. Chill until needed.
• Dough
  1. Mix together warm milk, active dry yeast, and 5 gram sugar. Let rest for 20 minutes until foamy.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, matcha, 10 gram sugar, and salt. Make a well, then pour the foamy yeast solution, egg, and butter. Knead into a smooth, soft, elastic, and non-sticky dough. If the dough is too sticky, you may add 1-2 tablespoon of all purpose flour. Kneading time is 20 minutes.
  3. Place the dough in the bowl, wrap with wet kitchen towel or saran wrap. Let it proof until the volume is doubled, about 1 hour in warm kitchen.
• Bread
  1. Punch the dough to release air bubbles, knead for 2 minutes, then divide into 12 portions.
  2. Roll a piece of dough into a flat circle of about 4 inch diameter. Place one medium ice cream scoop worth of red bean paste filling on the center of the dough (about 1 1/2 tablespoon), then gather the edges and close the seam tightly to fully enclose the filling inside the dough. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat for the other 11 portions.
  3. Proof again for 45 minutes, or until the bread is 50% bigger.
  4. Preheat oven to 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit).
  5. Brush the top of each bread liberally with egg wash, and sprinkle the top with toasted black sesame seeds. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  6. Best served warm when out from the oven. The bread should be fresh for up to 3 days.