Known in Japan as Anpan (short for anko pan), red bean paste buns are one of the great creations of Japanese baked goods.
Anpan is said to be first invented in Japan during the Meiji era (1868 to 1912) when Western culture was massively introduced to Japan after a long period of self-isolation. You can truly see the mix of cultures from this sweet treat through the combination of bread and red bean paste.
Here, we will explain how to make red bean paste buns from scratch.
Red Bean Paste Buns (Anpan)
Ingredients
Instructions
- First, make the dough in a bowl. Combine flour. egg, milk, yeast, sugar, and salt. Knead the dough with your hand for 10 minutes. Add butter and knead again for 10 more minutes.
- Cover the bowl with damp cloth and let it rest for an hour.
- On a clean flat surface, sprinkle some flour and divide the dough into 6 equal amounts. Round each dough and let rest again for 15 minutes.
- Divide the red bean paste into 6 equal amounts and round each of them with your hand.
- Take 1 dough part and flatten it in your hand. Put the red bean paste ball inside and close the dough and make sure the dough on the outside is covering the red bean paste equally. If some part of the dough covering the paste is too thin, the red bean can leak outside during baking. Do this step to make all the buns.
- Brush some oil lightly on the dough and let rest again for 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 160~180 degree celcius. Brush some egg wash on the surface of the buns. Sprinkle a bit of sesame seeds on top, and bake the buns for 14 minutes.
A Little Bit About Red Bean Paste
Anko (Red Bean Paste) is a paste prepared by boiling adzuki bean (red bean), mashing, and sometimes sweetening them with sugar. There are two most common types of anko: tsubuan and koshian.
Koshian is a smooth-textured red bean paste because the bean skins have already been removed. Because of its smooth texture, koshian is usually used for making wagashi (Traditional Japanese Sweets). Meanwhile, tsubuan (chunky red bean paste) has a thicker texture while having the same taste as koshian.
Check out the article below to see how to make red bean paste yourself.
Recommended Red Bean Paste Products
The red bean and sugar quality can make or break the overall taste of your red bean paste. So why not make them with the best ingredients out there?
Introducing organic red beans from a farm in Hokkaido that has cultivated red beans for more than 30 years without pesticides. Try the red beans together with Wasanbon sugar, a fine sugar specially made by a sugar refinery in Japan that has 200 years of history.
