Character Bread - Funasshii Anpan

1. 1

   Put all the dough ingredients in a bowl except for the butter and mix.

2. 2

   When it comes together in one mass, add the butter, and knead well.

3. 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. 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. 5

   Leave the dough to rise until doubled in volume (1st rising).

6. 6

   Divide each piece of dough into 4 portions, round off each portion and rest for 10 minutes.

7. 7

   (Cover with plastic wrap etc.

8. 8

   to prevent the dough from drying out.)

9. 9

   Roll the yellow dough pieces into flat circles, place a ball of anko in the middle and wrap the dough around it.

10. 10

    Place the wrapped dough with the seam sides down.

11. 11

    Roll the blue dough out too, and cut them into rectangles.

12. 12

    Wrap the blue dough around the yellow dough.

13. 13

    Use the remaining blue dough to make leaves for the heads.

14. 14

    Make a cut in the bottom of the yellow dough for the legs.

15. 15

    Leave to proof again until the buns are 1.5 times their original size (2nd rising).

16. 16

    Preheat the oven to 170C.

17. 17

    Lower the oven temperature to 160C, and bake the buns for about 13 minutes.

18. 18

    Make sure they don't get burned.

19. 19

    When the buns are baked and have cooled down, draw on the faces using a decorating chocolate pen.

20. 20

    I made the ribbons out of strawberry jam.

21. 21

    I also have a recipe for Funasshii kabocha squash bread made without food coloring.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.