An Pan

An Pan

Japanese style baked buns with sweetened azuki bean filling

16 buns – 2) 9 x 13 pans:

Yeast, active – 1 Tbs, room temperature
Flour, whole wheat pastry – 225 grams (1 ½ cups)
Flour, unbleached bread – 375 grams (3 cups) – total of 600 grams or 4 ½ cups)
Coconut milk – 1 can or 2 cups (add water if necessary to make 2 cups)
Salt – 1 Tbs
Sugar – ¼ cup
Sweetened Adzuki bean paste – 4 cups

  • Mix yeast and flour. Add warm coconut milk and stir to mix thoroughly. Wrap bowl in a plastic grocery bag. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  • Cover the bottom of two 9 x 13 pans or one very large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add Salt and Sugar to dough and knead for 10 minutes until elastic. Put back in bowl and let rise until double (about 1 ½ hours)
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove dough from bowl. Knead until all the air is out. Using a knife or dough scraper, cut into four equal pieces and cut each of those pieces into four equal pieces until you have 16 pieces of dough. Knead each piece briefly until it is round and set aside.
  • Dust a clean, flat surface with flour. Take one piece of dough at a time and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick. Place 3 tablespoons of bean paste in the center of dough. Fold the sides of the dough up over the beans and pinch closed. Repeat 3 more times.
  • Place buns seam side up on parchment paper.
  • Let rise 20 – 30 minutes and bake for 20 minutes.

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Bean Paste

For 16 buns

1 1/2 cups azuki beans, washed well
4 cups water
1/2 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar

  • Place the beans and water in a saucepan, cover, bring to boil over medium high heat.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or til beans are very soft.
  • Drain the water from the beans, and blend them into a puree in a blender or food processor.
  • Press the puree through a sieve, discarding the skins, which will be left in the sieve.
  • Place the thickened puree back into the saucepan, together with the sugar and vegetable shortening, and heat over low heat, stirring until it becomes a thick paste.

Stir and scrape vigorously so that it does not stick to the bottom.

The paste is ready when you can easily see the bottom of the skillet when you swipe the spoon through the paste.

Remove from heat and let cool before filling buns.