Are you a big fan of Japanese pastries and baked goods? If so, you’ll enjoy Anpan, a classic Japanese pastry with sweet red bean paste inside soft bread. This homemade recipe comes with my step-by-step tutorial to guide you through the bread-making process.
Anpan (あんパン), or sweet red bean bun, is my favorite Japanese bread growing up. It’s no secret that I absolutely love anko (red bean paste), and I love this Japanese bun that has a hint of sweetness, wrapped in a soft delicious bun.
My mom is a self-proclaimed bread connoisseur, and she loves exploring new bakeries and trying their bread in Japan. Unlike the US, there are many bakeries in most Japanese neighborhood and stations and many of them are outstanding. She would buy different types of bread from each store, and among them is always, my favorite anpan.
My favorite one is from Pompadour, one of my favorite bakeries in Japan. Yokohama-born Pompadour bakes European-style bread and their baguettes are incredibly delicious. Their anpan is quite unique because unlike Japanese style soft bread, their buns are French-style and it’s more crusty (but not quite as hard as baguette).
When my mom visited me in the U.S. in the past, she used to “smuggle” them in for me! She knew how much I would love this anpan.
This is just one of my nostalgic moments with the Japanese red bean bread, and I truly enjoyed testing this recipe, daydreaming about all the delicious anpan I enjoy back in Japan…
Invention & History of Anpan
So you may wonder, who came up with the idea to put anko (red bean paste) in a roll? It piqued my curiosity as well when I decided to test my anpan recipe, so I looked up its history.
Wiki explains well here, but basically it was first made in 1875 by a samurai named Mr. Kimura. He lost his job due to the dissolution of the samurai as a social class back in Meiji period. During that time, Japan was becoming more westernized and bakeries started to appear. His new job was a baker.
Soon after Mr. Kimura founded the now well-known bakery Kimuraya, he created a bread that was more to Japanese tastes. He replaced the traditional Japanese red bean mochi with western bread instead of mochi, and this bread stuffed with red bean paste was a brilliant one.
Making Anpan あんぱん
If you plan to make anko (red bean paste) from scratch, I recommend making anko ahead of time to save time on bread making day. I love making Pressure Cooker Anko recipe with my favorite Instant Pot (recipe here). Of course, to save time, you can always buy pre-made red bean paste from an Asian grocery store.
Anpan is one of the easiest Japanese bread to make at home, if you want to try making bread for the first time. Trying to make homemade bread could be intimidating, but the more you try, the easier it becomes. And this homemade anpan recipe is relatively easy, so I hope my video and step-by-step pictures will help you go through this journey.
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Anpan
Video
Ingredients
- 225 g bread flour (2 cups minus 2 Tbsp; plus more for dusting; weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off)
- 3½ Tbsp cake flour (you can make Homemade Cake Flour)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast (to use active dry yeast, see Notes)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 50 ml whole milk (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp; keep at 86ºF/30ºC; I highly recommend using whole milk instead of reduced-fat milk)
- 50 ml water (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp; keep at 86ºF/30ºC, see Notes)
- 2½ Tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
For the Filling
- 10 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) (I use tsubuan, a coarse red bean paste, but you can use koshian, a fine paste; you can make my Pressure Cooker Anko or Stovetop Anko)
For the Toppings
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
To Mix the Dough
- In a large bowl, combine 225 g bread flour (2 cups minus 2 Tbsp), 3½ Tbsp cake flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 tsp instant yeast.
- Beat 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) in a small bowl and add to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Add 50 ml whole milk (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp) and 50 ml water (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp), both of which you‘ve kept at 86ºF (30ºC).
- Using your fingertips or a wooden spoon, gently mix the ingredients together until combined. In the beginning, the dough is very sticky and wet, but keep mixing until it forms a loose, sticky ball. Also, use the dough to pick up the flour on the sides of the mixing bowl. This step should take about 2 minutes.
To Knead the Dough
- Dust a clean work surface with bread flour and transfer the dough from the bowl. Press the heels of your hands into the dough, pushing forward slightly. Fold the top half of the dough in half back toward you. Rock forward on the lower part of your palm to press it flat. Turn the dough slightly (to clockwise), fold it in half, and rock into it again with the lower part of your palm. This process is called “punching“ the dough and the goal is to lengthen and stretch the gluten strands. Repeat for 5 minutes or so. Tip: If the dough doesn‘t seem to be losing its stickiness, sprinkle more flour over the top and work it into the dough. You can lightly dust your hands with flour to keep the dough from sticking too much.
- After “punching” for 5 minutes, the dough will become more elastic. Press and stretch the dough until it measures 10 inches (25 cm). Then, put small cubes of 2½ Tbsp unsalted butter on top of the dough. Roll up the dough, tucking in the butter, and then continue the kneading process.
- Your hands, dough, and the working surface will get oily and messy in the beginning. I recommend using a metal/silicone dough scraper to collect the dough stuck on the working surface.
- As you knead, the dough will absorb the butter and it will eventually become smoother and easier to work with.
- When the dough becomes smooth, start banging the dough onto the counter and fold it over away from you. This helps develop the gluten (elasticity). Bang the dough, turn it 90 degrees, and “punch” it, using the lower part of your palm. Continue this process for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth, supple, and silky. Tip: Don’t let go of the dough when you are banging onto the counter. Don’t let it rest for too long between turns.
- Now, it’s time for the windowpane test. Either pull on a part of the dough or tear off a small piece. Hold the dough in both hands and gently pull it into a square with your fingers. It should be very elastic, smooth, and shiny. If it‘s strong enough to stretch to a super-thin membrane without tearing and light can pass through the center, your dough passes the test. If it doesn’t stretch or it tears too easily, knead it again for another 2 minutes and test again.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
- Shape the dough into a ball by pulling all sides of the ball to the bottom and pinching them together.
- Place the dough in a bowl, seam side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1–2 hours. I use the Proof setting (100ºF/38ºC) in my oven.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, use the finger test. Dust your index finger (or the top of the dough) with flour and use your index finger to poke the middle of the dough. If the hole does not close up, it’s ready for the next step. If the dough closes up immediately, proof the dough a little longer and test again.
To Divide the Dough
- Press the dough with your hands to release the gas and deflate the dough.
- Fold both sides of the dough toward the center.
- Then fold it in thirds toward the middle. Flip, keeping the seam side on the bottom.
- Shape the dough into a ball, rotating (clockwise) with both hands while the seam line is touching the work surface.
- Using a dough scraper, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. If you need to adjust the size of dough, pinch off the center of the big dough and add to the center of the small dough and knead to combine well.
- Shape each dough piece into a nice round ball, pulling from all sides and tuck into the bottom. Place the dough on your left (right) palm, and rotate it with your right (left) hand, keeping the seam side on the bottom.
- Put the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying. Rest the dough for 15 minutes at room temperature.
To Form the Anpan
- After resting, flatten the dough balls with your hand, fold in thirds twice (just like you did earlier), and shape into balls again.
- For each dough ball, press it so it stretches to a 3 inch (8 cm) diameter. From the 10 oz sweet red bean paste (anko), scoop 35 g and place in the middle of the dough. Then pull all sides of the dough around and wrap the red bean paste tightly to seal.
- Pinch the seam very well and put the seam on the bottom. Place the dough on your left (right) palm, and rotate it with your right (left) hand a few times, keeping the seam side on the bottom. Put the dough back into the baking sheet, seam side on the bottom. Continue forming the rest of the anpan.
The Final Rise (Proofing) and Oven Preheat
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying. Let the dough rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes (I used the Proof setting (100ºF/38ºC) in my oven). When the dough has risen halfway, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Note: If you are using the oven to proof, you have to transfer the dough to a warmer place so you can preheat the oven.
- In a small bowl, add 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and 2 Tbsp water and whisk very well. Using a pastry brush, brush all sides of the dough with an egg wash.
- Put 2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds in a small bowl. Dip the flat round side of a rolling pin (about ¾ inch (1.9 cm) diameter) first in the egg wash, then into the black sesame seeds, and finally into the top of the dough to stamp it with the seeds. Alternatively, you can simply sprinkle the black sesame seeds on top.
To Bake
- Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 13–15 minutes. Toward the end of baking if you see the bread rolls are not browning equally, rotate the baking sheet once so that the anpan brown evenly.
- Once the bread is baked, transfer to a wire rack and let it cool. Serve warm or at room temperature immediately. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the bread in an airtight container after it’s been cooled and store at a cool place for 2–3 days or in the freezer for a month.
I do not hv cake flour, can I substitute with self rising flour?
Hi Roselynn!
Self-rising flour: a combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt (The blend is typically comprised of 1 cup of all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt).
Cake flour: a finely milled, delicate flour with a low protein content; it’s usually bleached. When used in cakes, it results in a super-tender texture with a fine crumb, and a good rise. The primary difference between cake flour and all-purpose (AP) flour is the protein content (which becomes gluten). The protein content of cake flour is about 8%, while the protein content of AP flour is slightly higher.
As you see, they are different. I would feel more comfortable if you use AP flour instead of self-rising flour… In this recipe, we do not need baking powder and 1 tsp salt for roughly 2 cup flour (bread flour + cake flour).
I am not sure how the bread will turn out. For sure edible, but it might not be the right type of bread at the end… since it takes a long time to make, I don’t like failing after spending hours… so my recommendation is to stick with the recipe (especially making bread…). 🙂
[…] https://www.justonecookbook.com/anpan/ […]
[…] This is the origin of the idea for Anpan. […]
I would have lived to read your entire article, ingredients and cooking instructions for your anpan, unfortunately… there were large, reoccurring ads covering the entirety of your page. To bad, the history sounded interesting and the buns looked tasty.
Thank you for your feedback, Angela! I’ll let the advertising company know about this.
Hi! My dough was a bit tough. I used a stand mixer – about how long should the stand mixer run after adding in the dough? I felt like it went from being sticky to hard very quickly. Should I have run it even longer? Or maybe I did it for too long? Thanks!
Hi Jenny! Did you do a windowpane test (Step 11)? Until you get it right, you have to knead. I feel like you didn’t knead enough. But it’s hard to tell without seeing any pictures… Just my guess.
[…] stir fried noodle dish. And if you are familiar with sweet baked goods like Melon Pan and An-Pan etc, “pan” (パン) means bread in […]
Hi Nami!
I used this recipe to make my own anpan because I was craving for some and I didn’t know any bakeries in our town that sell these. I have to tell you that this is the best anpan I ever had! The bread was so light and fluffy while the anko filling (I also used your recipe) was rich and not too sweet and the two combined is just magnificent! After eating two buns, I shared the rest to my family who also loved them! Although mine were burnt at the bottom (maybe it’s because of the oven temp) so I might buy an oven thermometer to make sure none of my future batches of anpan get burnt! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi El! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you! I had so much fun eating (and gained some weight) from testing this recipe. LOL. Maybe the heat from the bottom of your oven is too strong/close? Either way it’s good to test the real temperature inside the oven. 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind feedback on my recipes. It meant so much to me. xoxo
“4. Add 50 ml (3 ½ Tbsp.) milk and 50 ml (3 ½ Tbsp.) water, both which have been kept at 86F (30C).”
I think it is not 50 ml (half liter).. I found out in the worst way! I should’ve payed attention to tablespoons… Maybe i can do pancakes with the mix i got?
Hi Sol! Wait, sdid you mean you got confused with 500 ml? 50 ml is roughly 3 ½ Tbsp. So you ended up adding 1000 ml (1 L)!?!? Oh no! Sorry to hear…
I should have watched the video first!! Cooking while tired is not the best idea.
Once I tried to do dorayaki and it wasn’t good, until I found your video! I don’t know was the difference between the two dorayaki recipes, but yours worked beautifully.
Hi Sol! Yeah especially when the recipe is more complicated. 😀 I’m glad to hear my dorayaki recipe came out well! 🙂
This turned out so well! I had left over anko in the freezer from when I tried the taiyaki recipe and this looked like a great way to use it up. This is the first time I have had a bread product turn out perfectly — the yeast rose, the gluten formed, and the buns came out so light and fluffy. I can’t believe it! Definitely laborious when compared to other pastries like taiyaki, but a great recipe for when you have extra time. I wish I could post pictures but they came out just as advertised!
Hi Jennifer! I’m so happy to hear your Anpan came out well for the first trial! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. 🙂 I agree, this recipe is pretty labor intensive but there is nothing like homemade Anpan… so delicious. Totally worth it (once in a while). 🙂 Thank you again!! xo
[…] next day. It’s hard to make a choice, but some of my all-time favorites include Melon Pan, Anpan, Yakisoba Pan, and Korokke Pan which I’ve shared the recipes with you. Today I’m […]
That’s one of my favourite sweet buns. If I would like to add matcha powder, how much would you recommend? Do I need to reduce the amount of flour? Thank you
Hi Christine! If it’s a little bit of matcha, I wouldn’t reduce flour… but when it’s more than 1 Tbsp, I may reduce a tiny bit. I’d add matcha into cookie dough… don’t know how much exactly, but start with small amount and increase as you test?
This was wonderful! I used my own recipe for anko, I prefer koshian, but otherwise this was great.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for trying my recipe and for your kind feedback. 🙂
Can you freeze them before baking or after?
Hi Rayna! You can freeze after baking. 🙂
Hi Nami, thank you so much for responding!!!!! 1. My yeast was brand new, and it was the active dry kind. Does this make a big difference?
2. I wrapped the dough in seran wrap just like in the video, and put it in the oven at 100 degrees, so it was slightly warm. Maybe the yeast were overbaked?
3. I know 30 minutes is probably too long, but the dough was still slightly stiff and clumpy so I figured I should just keep going. Do you think there might be a problem with my kneading technique?
Hi Kisuke! Good to know that you used active dry yeast. Yes, it has to be prepared differently. I mentioned in the Notes area: If you’re using active dry yeast, it requires being activated in a little bit of warm water (110F/43C) before being added to the rest of the ingredients. In this recipe, add the active dry yeast in 110F/43C milk, hotter than the temperature specified in the recipe because if the milk is not hot enough, the yeast won’t dissolve nicely. I think your yeast wasn’t activated in your bread.
Every time I make this recipe, the bread stays the same size as the 8 little rolled buns; never expands. I added yeast, the only things I didn’t do were use bread flour (I used all-purpose), and I gave up kneading after 30 minutes because the dough wasn’t become elastic and stretchy like the video.
Hi Kisuke! Thank you for trying this recipe! It’s kind of hard to pin point what went wrong, but I’ll try my best to see what could cause not rising. 1) Was your yeast old?
2) How was the temperature during proof time? Was it warm environment?
3) 30 minutes seems like over-kneading. Try letting it rise a little longer before shaping it. You can’t really undo the damage of over-worked gluten, but the longer rise can help the dough to relax a little. Over-kneaded dough will end up with a rock-hard crust and a dense, dry interior.
4) Were you using instant dry yeast or active dry yeast? They are prepared differently. Maybe yours was active dry yeast?
Hope that helps to investigate what went wrong…