Red Bean Bread

Author: Anita Jacobson

Courses: Bread

Cuisines: Chinese

Ingredients: Beans

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• Red Bean Paste
• 125 gram azuki bean
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoon butter
• Bread
• 2/3 cup fresh cream, room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Egg wash
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• Simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Instructions

• Red Bean Paste
  1. Wash and drain azuki bean. Place the beans in a pot. Add enough water to top the beans by another 2 inches.
  2. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all the liquid has evaporate, at which time the beans should have become soft and crumbling. If not, add a little more water and continue cooking until the beans are soft and crumbling. Remember that there shouldn't be any water left since we want to make this into bread filling.
  3. Transfer the cooked beans into a food processor/blender. Puree into a smooth paste.
  4. Return the paste back into the pot. Add sugar and butter.
  5. Turn the heat on, stir and cook until all the sugar and butter has dissolved and incorporated into the beans. Transfer into a mixing bowl and chill until needed.
• Bread
  1. In a mixing bowl, with a dough hook attached, gradually add in fresh cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, all purpose flour, active dry yeast, and salt. Knead until the dough comes together into a soft smooth ball and not sticking to the sides of the bowl. About 10-15 minutes.
  2. Wrap the bowl with a saran wrap, and let the dough proof in the bowl until the volume is double. This takes about 1 hour in warm kitchen, and can take longer in a cooler kitchen. Alternatively, you can let it proof overnight in the fridge.
  3. Divide the dough into two portions.
  4. First portion (loaf): Roll the dough into 10"x12" rectangle. Spread a thin layer of red bean paste on the dough. With the 10" side closest to you, roll from bottom to top into a log. Cut the log into 2 halves with a knife. Place the cut sides up next to one another, and braid the two halves back into a log. Place the braided log into a greased 9" loaf pan. Let it proof for another 1-2 hours until the the dough fills the pan.
  5. Second portion (buns): Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a round flat dough, place an ice cream scoop worth of red bean paste at the center of the dough, gather the dough to wrap the filling, and gently reshape into a round bun shape. Repeat for the other 7 portions. Place these in a greased 9" round cake pan. Let the buns proof for another 1-2 hours until they expand and fills the pan.
  6. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit). Brush the top of the dough with egg wash, then bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes for the buns, and about 40-45 minutes for the loaf, or until golden brown.
  7. Once they are out from the oven, brush the top of the bread with simple syrup so they look shiny and pretty. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the fridge, reheat with a microwave, and consume everything within 3 days.