I get super excited when I make this Sakura Anpan recipe. These soft, fluffy pink cakes are filled with the most delicious sweet cherry bean paste, and the first bite tastes like spring. Plus, they look amazing. Honestly, they’re really fun to make, and the result is awesome.
Ingredients
Makes 6 buns
For the Sakura Dough:
- 200g Bread flour
- 20g Sugar
- 3g Salt
- 10g Skim milk powder
- 3g Instant dry yeast
- 120g Water
- 15-20g Sakura paste or powder
- 20g Unsalted butter softened
For the Pink Sakura Filling:
- 250g Sakura an (cherry blossom bean paste)
- 25g Shiro an (white bean paste)
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Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Let’s start making the filling. First, mix Sakura An and Shiro An in a microwave-safe bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave for one minute at 600 watts, then stir it well and repeat this about 4 times. This is just to thicken the filling so it’s not runny. Then, let it cool and divide it into 6 equal balls.
Step 2: While the filling cools, let’s make a paper guide from the picture. Just draw a circle with a 10 cm (4 inch) diameter on a piece of paper, then draw 5 lines to divide it evenly like a star. Finally, draw 5 more lines (the red ones in the picture) in the middle of each “petal.” You’ll then place this under your parchment paper to guide your cuts.
Step 3: Now for the dough. Just whisk all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, yeast) together in a big bowl. Then add the water and sakura paste and mix everything until you get a clumpy dough.
Step 4: Dump that dough onto your counter and start kneading. When it starts to look smooth smoosh in the softened butter and keep kneading until the dough is nice and stretchy. You’ll know it’s ready when you can stretch it thin without it tearing.
Step 5: Put the dough in an oiled bowl cover it up and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour. You want it to get about twice as big.
Step 6: Gently press the air out of the risen dough cut it into 6 equal pieces roll ’em into little balls and just let them rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Take one of the dough balls and roll it into a 4-inch (10 cm) circle. Put one of the chilled filling balls in the center, then pull the edges of the dough up and around the filling and pinch the bottom to seal it tight.
Step 8: Alright, here’s how to shape your Sakura Anpan bread. Place your paper guide on a baking sheet and put a piece of parchment paper over it. Put the bread on top so the filling side is down, right over the circle, and gently press it so it’s about 4 inches wide.
Step 9: Using the guide’s 5 main lines take a scraper and make 5 deep cuts toward the middle like a star but don’t cut all the way through the center.
Step 10: Now use the 5 thinner lines as your guide to make one more little snip right in the middle of each of those 5 “petals.”
Step 11: Gently twist each petal about 90 degrees so the cut edges curl up and look like little hearts or open petals. This really makes the pretty pink filling inside pop, making it look like a flower. Once they’re all shaped, you can pull the paper guide out from under the parchment.
Step 12: Let the shaped buns rest and get puffy which should take about 30-40 minutes in a warm place.
Step 13: Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Bake the cookies for 14 minutes. And now here’s my big trick for keeping that perfect pink color: I put an empty baking tray on the rack right above the cookies because it blocks the direct heat and stops them from turning brown.
Why I Make These Every Year
I’m not kidding, this Sakura Anpan recipe is seriously amazing. Making this cherry blossom-inspired bread has become my favorite way to kick off spring. It tastes just as delicious as it looks, and that sweet floral flavor is absolutely wonderful. You really have to try it, and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know how it went.
Sakura Anpan
Make this Sakura Anpan recipe. They're soft fluffy pink buns filled with sweet cherry blossom bean paste. Learn to shape these impressive, bakery-level buns at home.
Ingredients
For the Sakura Dough
- 200g Bread flour
- 20g Sugar
- 3g Salt
- 10g Skim milk powder
- 3g Instant dry yeast
- 120g Water
- 15-20g Sakura paste or powder
- 20g Unsalted butter softened
For the Pink Sakura Filling
- 250g Sakura an (cherry blossom bean paste)
- 25g Shiro an (white bean paste)
Instructions
1. First, let's start by making the filling. Mix An's sugar and An's syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave for one minute at 600 watts, then stir it well and repeat this about 4 times - this is just to make the filling thicker so it’s not runny. Let it cool, then divide it into 6 equal balls.
2. While the filling cools, let's make a paper guide from the picture. Just draw a circle with a 10 cm (4 inch) diameter on a piece of paper, then draw 5 lines to divide it evenly like a star. Finally, draw 5 more lines (the red ones in the picture) in the middle of each "petal." You'll then place this under your parchment paper to guide your cuts.
3. Now for the dough. Just whisk all the dry stuff (flour sugar salt milk powder yeast) together in a big bowl. Add your water and sakura paste and mix it all together until you get a shaggy dough.
4. Put the dough on the work surface and start kneading. Once it starts looking smooth, add the softened butter and keep kneading until the dough is stretchy and elastic - you'll know it's ready when you can roll it out thin without it tearing.
5. Put the dough in an oiled bowl cover it up and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour. You want it to get about twice as big.
6. Gently press the air out of the risen dough cut it into 6 equal pieces roll 'em into little balls and just let them rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
7. Take one of the dough balls and roll it into a 4-inch (10 cm) circle. Put one of the chilled filling balls in the center, then pull the edges of the dough up and around the filling and pinch the bottom to seal it tight.
8. Now here's how to shape the Sakura Anpan bread. Place your paper guide on a baking sheet and put a piece of parchment paper over it. Put the bread with the filling side down directly on the parchment over the circle and gently press it to spread it out to about 4 inches wide.
9. Using the guide's 5 main lines take a scraper and make 5 deep cuts toward the middle like a star but don't cut all the way through the center.
10. Now use the 5 thinner lines as your guide to make one more little snip right in the middle of each of those 5 "petals."
11. Gently twist each petal 90 degrees so the cut edges curl up and look like little hearts or blossoming petals. This shows off the pretty pink filling inside, making it look like a real flower. Once you've shaped them all, you can pull the paper guide out from under the parchment paper.
12. Let the shaped buns rest and get puffy which should take about 30-40 minutes in a warm place.
13. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Bake the cookies for 14 minutes. And now here's my big trick for keeping that perfect pink color: I put an empty baking tray on the rack right above the cookies because it blocks the direct heat and stops them from turning brown.
Notes
- To keep your bread from getting too dark, just put an empty baking sheet on the rack above it.
- The paper guide is just for formatting. Take it off before the final proof.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 166Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 7mgSodium 225mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 4g