Calling Bread “Pan” Is Like Naming A Girl “Ai”.
5April 15, 2012 by sandwichcontrol
When I was in Japan, I fell in love. They make these little pastries that I was informed were called melon bread. Not because they taste like melon (they taste just like bread), but because they resemble melons. Fair enough. So, upon arriving back stateside, I began hunting for a recipe. The first place I looked was my Japanese cookbook. It’s a pretty logical place to start. I flipped to the index and went to “m” for melon. No melon bread, but there was something called “melon pan”. So, I looked it up. No recipe, but a description of a traditional Japanese dish. And there it was. In a full color photo. Melon bread.
And then it dawned on me. “Pan” is Spanish for bread. It doesn’t make any sense to you or me, but to the Japanese, it makes perfect sense. Oh, wait, no it doesn’t. But for some unknown reason, that’s what they call it all over the innernet as well. And if you pronounce the Japanese word for bread in English it’s “pan”. Maybe a Spaniard invented it and brought it to Japan. No idea. Whatever. I found a recipe and prepared myself mentally to make this wonderful treat.
So, instead of spending my day reading yesterday, I baked. And I documented it. Well, sort of.
The first thing you need, is a cup of tea.
Next, you need to assemble your (measured) ingredients.
Next, you make your bread dough and let that rise for an hour. (During which time you should really clean up the giant mess you just made, in order to prepare the kitchen for further giant messes that are about to be made.)
After your hour is up, you gently deflate the dough and divide into 8 equals pieces and let them rise for another hour.
This time around instead of cleaning up, since you should have already done that, you will make the cookie dough. Yes, the cookie dough.
When your hour is up, you’ll divide the cookie dough into 8 equal pieces, roll them into little disks and drape the bread dough in them.
Then, you bake them for 20-25 minutes at 350°F (176°C). And voila! Melon bread.
And believe it or not, it was pretty damned close to the real thing. I need to do a bit more tweaking in my method, seeing as how I don’t ever make bread, but I think with a little practice I can get the desired results. If you want to try and make it yourself, get ahold of me for the recipe. Or just Google search “Japanese melon bread (or pan)”. That’s how I found my recipe.
Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for you today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. More soon. ~SC
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Awesome.
From what I understand, “bread” in Japanese is ?? or “pan” because of Portuguese settlers in the late 1800’s bringing their language with them.
It’s good to hear from you Liam. I thought “bread” in portuguese was “pao”. Which makes me even more confused.
It is, but I reckon those wacky Japs misheard it. Nagasaki, site of the second nuclear bomb, was actually founded by the Portuguese in the 1500s, so there has been at least 400-odd years for the word to get corrupted somewhere along the line.
That, sir, is an excellent point. Especially the part about “wacky”. They are the only culture in the world that thinks it’s normal to sell used panties in a vending machine.