Sweet Azuki Paste Stuffed Bread Rolls are very popular in Japan, and I believe they are a kind of soul food for many Japanese. ‘An Pan’, a baked version is iconic, but this fried version is very special to me. I sometimes crave it. Using my Basic Sweet Bread Dough, it’s not too hard.
Makes
8 Pieces
Ingredients
Basic Sweet Bread Dough
1/2 cup Warm Milk
1 to 2 teaspoons Dry Yeast *1 teaspoon takes longer time to proof
1 & 3/4 cups Bread Flour *and extra for kneading
2 tablespoons Caster Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg *lightly whisked
20g Butter *melted
Other Ingredients
1 cup Tsubu-an (Sweet Azuki Paste) *use firmly cooked Tsubu-an
Oil for frying
2 to 3 tablespoons Caster Sugar for coating
Method
- Combine Bread Flour, Dry Yeast, Sugar and Salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in Warm Milk, Egg and Butter. Mix well to form a soft dough. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, gradually adding extra Flour as required, until smooth and elastic.
- Cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Roll Tsubu-an into 8 balls. About 2 tablespoonfuls (30g) for each.
- Divide the dough into 8 portions. Flatten each portion of dough to about 10cm round. Place one ball of Tsubu-an in centre, draw the edges up to form a bun, and pinch the edges very well. Make 8 buns and place each bun on a lightly floured surface with sealed side down. Set aside for 30 to 60 minutes to rise.
- *Note: This second proofing is important. If buns are not well risen, they expand while being fried and they might crack.
- Heat Oil about depth of 5cm in a large saucepan and heat to 150 to 160°C, which is relatively low temperature. Slowly deep-fry doughnuts until puffed and nicely browned all over. It takes about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the fried doughnuts to a wire rack or paper towel. When slightly cooled, coat the doughnuts with Caster Sugar.
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