Dough for Kuri Man

Submitted by Akikobay

"Kuri manju is my favorite manju snack, but there's no Japanese bakery where I live. So I have to improvise and I make something similar. I cheat and I don't use shiro koshian and there's a good reason for this. I can't make very nice shiro koshian and I can buy regular koshian at the grocers. The result is not exactly like kuri manju, but it's close. I always use an egg wash and sesame seeds on the top, because it makes the manju beautiful and since I'm pretending not to make traditional kuri manju, it's okay. Don't expect this to be like a chinese filled bun that you'd find at a dim sum restaurant. This dough is more of a soft shortcrust type. I think you could fill this with other softer (but not liquidy fillings), but I'm having a hard time imagining what those would be (sorry, it's late here). Prep time doesn't include the time the dough MUST sit in the fridge or freezer."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Yields: 20 balls

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons butter, cold
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg

directions

1. Mix flour, sugar, and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles sand.
3. Whisk together the milk and egg.
4. Add to flour mixture and mix until a dough forms, being careful not to overmix.
5. Refrigerate this dough for at least 2 hours, freezing also makes the dough easier to handle.
6. Taking walnut sized balls of dough, roll to 1/4 inch thick rounds and fill with shiro koshian or koshian, making sure to seal the dough well.
7. If desired, brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle on sesame seeds (untoasted).
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, increase temperature to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 5 to 6 minutes.