Rice Flour Melon Pan Muffins
米粉メロンパンマフィン · Komeko Melon Pan Muffin
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Melon pan is a beloved Japanese bakery sweet: a soft bun wrapped in a thin, crisp cookie crust scored in a crisscross pattern that looks like the netted rind of a melon. These muffins capture that same treat in a much simpler form - a quick muffin batter goes into the cups, and a thin round of cookie dough is draped over the top before baking. Both parts start from rice flour pancake mix and soy milk, so there is no butter, milk or egg to add, and the crackly, lightly sweet topping is exactly the part children reach for first.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 37.5 grice flour pancake mix (for the muffin batter)A Japanese pancake mix made mainly from rice flour with sugar and leavening already added. Not every brand is wheat-free, so check the package label if you are avoiding wheat. Substitute: Another pancake mix. Many mixes contain wheat, milk or egg, so check the allergen statement for anything you are avoiding.
- 18.8 grice flour pancake mix (for the cookie dough)A Japanese pancake mix made mainly from rice flour with sugar and leavening already added. Not every brand is wheat-free, so check the package label if you are avoiding wheat. Substitute: Another pancake mix. Many mixes contain wheat, milk or egg, so check the allergen statement for anything you are avoiding.
Seasonings
- 22.5 gsweetened soy milk (for the muffin batter)Japanese 'adjusted' soy milk, lightly sweetened and seasoned to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Original or lightly sweetened soy milk.
- 10.5 goil (for the muffin batter)
- 1.5 gsugar
- 3.8 gsweetened soy milk (for the cookie dough)Chōsei tōnyū is Japanese soy milk lightly sweetened and flavored for drinking, milder than plain unsweetened soy milk. Substitute: Regular 'original' or lightly sweetened soy milk.
- 3.8 goil (for the cookie dough)
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice flour pancake mix (for the muffin batter) (米粉のホットケーキミックス（マフィン生地）)
- A Japanese pancake mix made mainly from rice flour with sugar and leavening already added. Not every brand is wheat-free, so check the package label if you are avoiding wheat. Substitute: Another pancake mix. Many mixes contain wheat, milk or egg, so check the allergen statement for anything you are avoiding.
- sweetened soy milk (for the muffin batter) (調製豆乳（マフィン生地）)
- Japanese 'adjusted' soy milk, lightly sweetened and seasoned to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Original or lightly sweetened soy milk.
- rice flour pancake mix (for the cookie dough) (米粉のホットケーキミックス（クッキー生地）)
- A Japanese pancake mix made mainly from rice flour with sugar and leavening already added. Not every brand is wheat-free, so check the package label if you are avoiding wheat. Substitute: Another pancake mix. Many mixes contain wheat, milk or egg, so check the allergen statement for anything you are avoiding.
- sweetened soy milk (for the cookie dough) (調製豆乳（クッキー生地）)
- Chōsei tōnyū is Japanese soy milk lightly sweetened and flavored for drinking, milder than plain unsweetened soy milk. Substitute: Regular 'original' or lightly sweetened soy milk.
Directions
- 1
First, make the muffin batter that goes into the cups. In a bowl, combine the pancake mix, soy milk, and oil and mix well. Divide the batter evenly and pour it into the cups.
- 2
Next, make the cookie dough for the topping. In a separate bowl, mix together the pancake mix and sugar. Add the soy milk and oil, mix, and bring it together into a single ball of dough.
- 3
Divide the dough from step 2 evenly, roll each piece into a ball, and flatten it thinly to the diameter of the cups from step 1 (think of a gyoza wrapper).
- 4
Score a crisscross pattern on the surface of each dough round with a rubber spatula or the back of a knife, just like melon pan (press firmly so the lines show, but take care not to cut all the way through).
- 5
Lay the cookie dough from step 4 over the top of each cup from step 1 (no need to press or seal it - simply draping it on top is fine).
- 6
Place on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for about 15 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil to keep the tops from browning too much and bake for about 5 more minutes.
These are made in two stages: (1) make the muffin batter and pour it into the cups, then (2) make the cookie dough and lay it over the batter from step 1.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 351 kcal | 702 kcal | 351 kcal |
| Protein | 3.2 g | 6.3 g | 3.2 g |
| Fat | 15.6 g | 31.2 g | 15.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49.9 g | 99.9 g | 49.9 g |
| Fiber | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Calcium | 13.5 mg | 27 mg | 13.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 70.5 mg | 141 mg | 70.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 351 kcal | 3.2 g | 15.6 g | 49.9 g | 0.8 g | 0.9 g | 13.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 70.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 702 kcal | 6.3 g | 31.2 g | 99.9 g | 1.5 g | 1.8 g | 27 mg | 0.6 mg | 141 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
