-
1
Put all the dough ingredients in a bowl except for the butter and mix.
-
2
When it comes together in one mass, add the butter, and knead well.
-
3
Take out 1/5 of the dough and mix in some blue food coloring that has been dissolved in a tiny bit of water to make the blue dough.
-
4
Mix some yellow food coloring that has been dissolved in a tiny bit of water in the rest of the dough to make the yellow dough.
-
5
Leave the dough to rise until doubled in volume (1st rising).
-
6
Divide each piece of dough into 4 portions, round off each portion and rest for 10 minutes.
-
7
(Cover with plastic wrap etc.
-
8
to prevent the dough from drying out.)
-
9
Roll the yellow dough pieces into flat circles, place a ball of anko in the middle and wrap the dough around it.
-
10
Place the wrapped dough with the seam sides down.
-
11
Roll the blue dough out too, and cut them into rectangles.
-
12
Wrap the blue dough around the yellow dough.
-
13
Use the remaining blue dough to make leaves for the heads.
-
14
Make a cut in the bottom of the yellow dough for the legs.
-
15
Leave to proof again until the buns are 1.5 times their original size (2nd rising).
-
16
Preheat the oven to 170C.
-
17
Lower the oven temperature to 160C, and bake the buns for about 13 minutes.
-
18
Make sure they don't get burned.
-
19
When the buns are baked and have cooled down, draw on the faces using a decorating chocolate pen.
-
20
I made the ribbons out of strawberry jam.
-
21
I also have a recipe for Funasshii kabocha squash bread made without food coloring.
