Armenian Trace in Japan – Melon Pan

 

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Armenian Trace in Japan – Melon Pan

What is Melon bread or Melon pan?

Melon pan is a sweet bread that is common in Japan, China and Latin America.  It is made by wrapping a soft, sweet bread dough in a thin layer of cookie dough. The cookie dough is typically made with butter, sugar, and flour and flavored with vanilla or almond extract. The bread dough often contains milk, butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Melonpan is usually round and has a criss-cross pattern on top, made by cutting the cookie dough with a knife. It is often eaten as a snack or dessert.

Who invented Melon Pan?

Melon Pan has been created in the early 20th century by an Armenian baker Hovhannes  Ghevenian / Ivan Sagoyan (イワン・サゴヤン). Sagoyan was the personal baker of the Romanov’s House in Russia and was known for creating French and Viennese baked goods. After the revolution of 1917, Sagoyan fled to China and settled in Harbin, where he became the baker of the New Harbin Hotel.

Baron Ōkura Kihachirō, a wealthy and influential Japanese figure, traveled to Harbin, China in search of a skilled baker. He offered favorable terms to move to Japan, which the baker accepted and relocated to the Meguro suburb of Tokyo. There, Sagoyan found employment at the Imperial Hotel and also started their own bakery, called «Monsieur Ivan». It was in Japan that Hovhannes Ghevenian Sagoyan created the sweet bun known as melon pan, which is now widely popular in Japan, China and Latin America.

Also Sagoyan known for training multiple generations of Japanese bakers. His most famous student was Fukuda Motoyoshi, the inventor of Japanese hotel bread, also known as milk bread.

Hovhannes Ghevenian, Ivan Sagoyan

イワン・サゴヤン

Baron Ōkura Kihachirō

大倉 喜八郎

About Baron Ōkura Kihachirō (大倉 喜八郎)

Baron Ōkura Kihachirō was a Japanese entrepreneur who is known for establishing the Ōkura-gumi zaibatsu, which later became the Taisei Corporation*, and the Ōkura Shōgyō Gakkō, which was later renamed to the Tokyo University of Economics in 1949.

*Taisei Construction Company is a Japanese company that was founded in 1873. It specializes in building construction, real estate development and civil engineering.

BOULANGER MONSIEUR IVAN

ARTISAN BOULANGER MONSIEUR IVAN – アルチザン ブーランジェ ムッシュ イワン

Site: http://www.ivan.shop-site.jp/about.html
Address: Chome Wakabacho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0001, Japan

〒190-0001 東京都立川市若葉町1丁目

東京都立川市若葉町1-7-1  
若葉ケヤキモール内 Tel:042-538-7233
FAX:042-537-5231
E-mail: メールアドレスmonsieur@ivan.shop-site.jp
営業時間:8:00 – 18:00
休業日:年中無休
イートイン:20席
本社:㈱ウィルペン 大田区多摩川1-23-19

How To Make Melon Pan or Melon Bun

Melon Pan – Recipe  (for 12 buns)

Bread ingredients:

Bread Flour – 480g, Instant Yeast – 7.5g, Salt – 6g, Sugar – 96g, Milk Powder – 16g, Cold Water – 232g, Whole Egg – 72g, Unsalted Butter – 72g (19°C-23°C,65F-75F)

Topping Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter – 60g, Icing Sugar – 45g, Whole Egg – 24g, Bread Flour – 120g, Matcha Powder – 2g, Cocoa Powder – 3g

Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C, bake at middle layer for 12-15 minutes until the surface is golden brown.