Japanese melon bread (Meronpan)

1. Mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt, add the lukewarm milk and egg and knead for 5 minutes, then work in the soft butter and knead for another 8 minutes until smooth and elastic; cover and prove for 1 hour.

2. For the cookie crust, beat the soft butter with the sugar until fluffy, add the beaten egg and the grated lemon zest, then sift in the flour and baking powder and quickly bring together into a dough; wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Divide the risen dough into 8 and shape into smooth balls; divide the cookie dough into 8 as well and roll each piece out between two sheets of baking paper into a 10 cm disc.

4. Cover each ball with a cookie disc, leaving the bottom free, dip the top in the remaining sugar and press a criss-cross pattern into it with the back of a knife.

5. Place on a lined baking tray, cover and prove for 40 minutes until one and a half times their size; meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 °C.

6. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the cookie crust is pale golden and crisp; cool on a rack and serve lukewarm or cold.

Tip: Meronpan is named after its criss-cross top, which looks like a cantaloupe – there's no melon in it. The crust shouldn't brown too much: if the top colours too quickly, cover it with baking paper.