Curry bread is a very popular side dish bread (惣菜パン；souzaipan) in Japan. It is made with a bread dough filled with Japanese curry roux, covered in Panko (breadcrumbs), and then baked or fried. There are many variations of this dish, but the most common are made with beef or chicken curry. You can also add vegetables to the mix, like onion, potato, and carrot. This dish is very easy to make, and it’s a great way to use up leftovers from your fridge. Let’s learn how to make this delicious Japanese dish!
A Brief History:
The dish is thought to have originated in the early Meiji period when Japan began to open its ports to the outside world. At this time, Japanese people began to experiment with different types of food, including western dishes like curry. The first recorded recipe was published in 1872, and it quickly became popular among the Japanese people.
Why You Should Make Japanese Curry Bread at Home:
There are many reasons why you should make Japanese curry bread at home. For one, it’s a very easy dish to make and doesn’t require any special ingredients or cooking skills. Additionally, it is a great way to use up leftovers from your fridge. Finally, cooking and baking at home is a great way to show your friends and family how much you care about them.
This recipe is for the baked version of Japanese curry bread, not the fried version.
About the bread recipe
In my bread recipe you will see many percentages, these are know as the Bakers Percent.
Baker’s percent is a mathematical method widely used in baking to calculate the amounts of ingredients. Instead of dividing each ingredient’s weight by the total formula weight, bakers divide each ingredient by the weight of flour. Learn more here.
This will allow you to adjust the quantity to make more or less, easier.
Japanese Curry Bread（カレーパン）
Ingredients
Dough
- 200 g Strong Bread Flour(100%)
- 4 g Fast Yest(2%)
- 10 g Granulated Sugar(5%)
- 4 g Salt(2%)
- 30 g Beaten Egg (15%)
- 120 g Warm Full Fat Milk (60%) (Warm milk is around 25°C~30°C)
- 20 g Unsalted Butter(10%)
For Filing and Baking
- 100 g Onion – Finely Chopped
- 65 g Carrot – Finely Chopped
- 100 g Half Pork and Half Beef Minced (you can use whatever you like)
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- 2 Chestnut Mushrooms – Finely Chopped
- ½ Green Pepper – Finely Chopped (or any colour you like)
- ¼ Apple – Reduced to Paste
- ½ tsp Dark Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp Ketchup
- ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 50 ml Water
- 1 Japanese Curry Roux (you could choose any flavour you like)
- 10 g Unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp Oil for cooking
For Baking
- 1 Beaten Egg
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 50 g Bread Crumbs (Panko)
Instructions
Making Dry Curry
- Ready a pan and turn on a medium low heat, add the oil and the onion, fry it until it becomes soft and turns golden brown, then add the carrot fry it for around 2 minutes or until it becomes soft .
- Add the Mince into the pan and fry it until it changes colour then add the garlic paste mix it well, add the mushrooms and cook around 2 minutes or until they become soft.
- Add the pepper mix it well then add the dark soy sauce, Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce and apple paste. Mix well the add the water (if your water is too less you could add a little bit more), bring it to boil then add the roux, put the lid on steam it for 1 minute.
- After 1 minute remove the lid, you will see the curry roux is melting, mix it well. Once the water has been reduced, turn off the heat and add the butter, mix until the butter has melted into the curry. Leave the curry to cool, you could always make the the curry the day before and put it in the fridge overnight.
Making Bread
- Ready a bowl, add the flour, fast yeast, granulated sugar and use your hand or a dough cutter mix it well, this is dry ingredient. Ready another bowl add the milk and the beaten egg into the bowl mix it well, this is wet ingredient. Next add the wet ingredient into dry ingredient bowl and mix well with your hand or bread cutter, until there is no any dry flour.
- Turn the dough out onto the work surface, and start to knead it for 10 to 15 minutes or until the gluten has formed. If the dough sticks on the surface or your hand , use the bread cutter clean it and gather the dough together and continue to knead it. You also can pick the dough up and gently slap it on the work surface and fold it, then turn 90°and repeat same process until the gluten has formed.
- Check the dough, use bread cutter cut a small piece of dough and spread it very thin as picture 3, if you can see your finger though the dough( the dough don't need look very smooth), it means it is ready to add the butter. Spread the dough and add the butter.
- Spread the butter on the dough and cover it with the dough, then start to knead it again, it will become sticky and spread on the work surface, use the bread cutter gather it together and continue to knead it.
- Once the dough has gathered together, you can pick the dough up and gently slap it on the work surface and fold it, then turn 90°and repeat same process until the gluten has formed and the dough become smooth.
- Using the bread cutter, cut a small piece of dough and spread it very thin as picture 2, if you can see your finger though the dough and it doesn't break, this means the gluten is ready. Next roll it into a ball and put it into a bowl and cover with wrap or wet towel to prevent the dough from drying out. Put it in a warm place to do the first rest for 30 to 60 minute or until it doubles in size.
- Finger test to check if the dough has rested enough (See Notes). If the dough has rested enough, turn it out onto the work surface (if the dough is sticky, dust the flour on the surface). Use your fingers gentle push the air out and divide into 6 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece in to a small ball, use the outside edge of your hand to roll the dough in the other hand. This should stretch the top and give it a smooth look. Then at the bottom you want to pinch the dough together to seal the ball. Allow to rest for 15 minutes, cover with wrap or wet towel.
- While the dough is resting, beat the egg for later. Add the oil into bread crumbs and mix well this wIll give it flavour and nice baking colour. Also divide the curry into six.
- Dust your work surface with a little flour, spread out each ball and push the air out gently, then roll it into elliptical shape with your roll pin.
- Next add the curry into the dough then fold it and pinch the dough together then shape it into oblong and make the ends pointy.
- Dip the dough into the beaten egg, then cover with the bread crumbs and, put it on the baking tray. Leave it to do a second rest for 30 to 60 minutes or 1.5 size or doubles in size.
- To Bake: 10 minutes before the dough is ready, preheat the oven 230°C, once dough is ready put the dough into the oven and reduce to 210°C. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bread becomes golden brown. To Fry: Ready a pan and add oil, with a medium heat and bring it to 160°C, then add the curry bread and fry it until it becomes golden brown, if you feel heat is too hot turn it down a little bit.
- Enjoy your meal 🙂