Anpan is a traditional Japanese sweet bread roll commonly filled with red bean paste (azuki bean paste) and topped with poppy seeds or black sesame seeds. Common variations of anpan include filling the buns with shiro-an (white bean paste), dyeing the dough green with matcha green tea, or garnishing the buns with a preserved sakura (cherry blossom). You can enjoy this vegan soft and sweet bread as a light meal or a
snack.
Brilliant Invention
This sweet Japanese bread has been made famous in Tokyo since as early as 1860 by a bakery in Ginza, Tokyo. In 1874, the creator, Mr Kimura Yasubei used red bean paste (anko in Japanese) to fill the bread.
Red Bean Paste (Anko)
Japanese or other Asian grocery stores sell ready-made red bean paste in jars or plastic containers. It is relatively easy to make at home. I have an easy homemade red bean paste recipe. Please watch the demonstrated steps in this video.
Vegan Red Bean Anpan (あずきあんぱん/ Panecillo Japonés De Alubias Rojas)
Anpan is a traditional Japanese sweet bread roll commonly filled with red bean paste (azuki bean paste) and topped with poppy seeds or black sesame seeds. You can enjoy this vegan soft and sweet bread as a light meal or a snack.
Servings: 10 Servings
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 300 bread flour, unbleached all-purpose flour
- 150 almond milk, unsweetened
- 30 oil
- 30 organic cane sugar
- 4 g/1 teaspoon salt
- 3 g instant dry yeast
- 350 red bean paste, Anko/Azuki bean paste
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
For the Garnish
- 1 tbsp Black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Method
Step 1: Mixing the Dough
- Place bread flour in a large mixing bowl, then add organic cane sugar, salt, instant dry yeast, vegetable oil, and almond milk.
- Using a spatula or your fingertips, mix the ingredients until they are combined.
- Further mix the flour to create a clay-like mass with your hand while picking up left-over flour on the side of the bowl.
- Lightly dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead the dough for at least 8 to 10 minutes until it is smooth.
- Shaped into a ball then place the kneaded dough back into the large bowl; to learn how to knead the dough, please watch the video.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (depending on the room temperature, it might take about 2 hours).
Step 2: Shaping the Dough
- Do a poke test by pressing your index finger in the centre of the dough. If the hole doesn’t close, that means the dough has fermented and is ready for the next step.
- Lightly dust a work surface with all-purpose flour then gently tip the dough onto the floured work surface and press or punch the dough down to expel the gas.
- Next, use a bench scraper to divide the dough into ten equal pieces (watch the video for a clear demonstration). To get an accurate size, the dough should weigh 50g each.
- Shape each 50g dough piece into a nice round ball and place them into a flat container with the seam side on the bottom. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Step 3: Making the Bean Paste Bun
- While the shaped dough is resting, weigh red bean paste to 35g each then roughly shape it into a ball. Keep the weighed red bean paste in a container then cover it with plastic wrap.
- Flatten each dough ball into a circle about 4-inches/10cm in diameter.
- Place red bean paste in the centre of each dough circle then pinch the edges of the dough together to seal.
- Gently flip the red bean paste-filled dough ball over so that the pinched end makes contact with the work surface.
- Lightly cup the sides of the dough ball with both hands and rotate the ball clockwise on the work surface until the seam on the bottom becomes smooth. Repeat the same with the remaining dough balls.
- Transfer the buns to a silicon-lined or parchment paper-lined baking tray, cover with plastic wrap or a slightly damp kitchen towel, and let rest in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Step 4: Baking the Red Bean Bun
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oven is heating up, whisk together 2 tablespoons of almond milk with 2 teaspoons of maple syrup.
- Brush the mixture on the dough surface to cover the whole bun then sprinkle some black sesame seeds on the centre of the bun.
- Bake until the buns turn golden brown, it will take about 20 minutes.
- Let cool at room temperature on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.
- Serve your red bean buns either as breakfast or afternoon tea or take them as a snack with a cup of coffee or tea.
Video
Notes
Egg Wash: For non-vegan, brush the buns with an egg wash then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Kneading Require Time: Pull the end of the dough with your thumbs and fingers. Spread and stretch it into a thin translucent membrane to check whether the dough is ready to rise. It should be ready if it does not tear easily. Otherwise, knead it for another 2 minutes and repeat this step.
Red Bean Paste: This bean paste is sold in most Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find the paste, it is easy to make it yourself. To learn how to make red bean paste at home, click to watch this video. For the full recipe please click here.
Nutrition
Calories: 1kcal
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @healthyasiancuisine on Instagram and hashtag it #healthyasiancuisine