Japanese Curry Bread (Kare Pan) カレーパン

Learn how to make delicious Japanese Curry Bread with this step by step recipe. With a savory mild curry filling encased in a crispy, chewy and soft crust, this Kare Pan recipe tastes just like the ones you find at Japanese bakeries! (Vegan with Baked and Air Fried Options)

Whenever visiting bakeries in Japan, I ALWAYS got kare pan. I loved comparing kare pan's from different bakeries, almost like hunting for the best ones! After many curry breads throughout my childhood my ideal kare pan has: a crispy, thin and chewy... yet still soft and a little fluffy crust with a good amount of filling.

What is Kare Pan?

Kare Pan, also known as Japanese Curry Bread is a savory pastry with a crispy, chewy and soft crust filled with warm Japanese curry. Think... savoy donut. It's probably one of the most popular savory pastries in Japan and can be found in almost every bakery. They're even sold by the mass at convenient stores, supermarkets and food stalls!

Ingredients to Make Curry Bread

There are two components to making kare pan: the bread dough and the curry filling.

Curry Filling

It's very common to use leftover Japanese curry for the filling, but I like to make it specifically for kare pan because I can control the consistency and I prefer to have minced grounds in my curry bread (which my usual go-to curry recipe doesn't have). If you do decide to use leftover curry, heat it over a stove to thicken it up a bit so it is easier to work with. As for vegetables, you can use anything you have on hand and like! For this recipe, I used a combination of onions, carrots and potatoes and seasoned it with Japanese curry cubes, ketchup and garam masala.

Bread Dough

• Bread flour: You could also use all purpose flour but bread flour is what will give it that delicious chewy texture.
• Sugar
• Instant yeast
• Salt
• Butter: I used vegan butter for this recipe but you can use margarine or even oil.

How to Make Japanese Curry Bread (Kare Pan)

Curry Filling:

1. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions become almost translucent. Add the vegan grounds and cook for one minute. Add the potatoes and carrots and fry for 30 seconds and then pour in the water. Cover and reduce to low heat and cook until potatoes are almost cooked through. Add the curry roux blocks, ketchup and garam masala and mix to combine. Cook until the curry has thickened (it should be quite thick, but it will also thicken as it cools). Remove from heat and transfer to a glass container. Once cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Dough

1. Hand knead: Add the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Once a shaggy dough forms, place the dough on to your work surface and knead until the dough starts coming together. Once relatively smooth, add the butter in the middle and knead. Once butter is incorporated, hit the dough on the table and roll upward, until the dough is smooth. Once the dough is  smooth, shape into a ball and then place in a bowl and cover. Let it proof for 30-60 minutes (depending on temperature) or until double in size. To check, poke a hole in the middle of the dough— it should not spring back up quickly.
2. Stand mix: Add all of the ingredients, except butter into your stand mixer bowl. Turn on the stand mixer to setting 2 and knead for 1 minute. Increase speed to 4 and knead for 8 minutes. Remove the dough from the hook and press in the butter into the middle. Place it back into the stand mixer bowl and turn on to speed 4 and knead for another 5 minutes. Remove from the bowl and then form it into a ball. Cover and let it proof for 30-60 minutes or until double in size. 
3. Bread machine: Add all the ingredients to your bread machine and turn on bread dough setting. Let it run until primary fermentation is done. 
4. Flatten the dough to remove air bubbles and then divide into 6 equal pieces. Give them a quick knead and then roll them back into balls. Cover and let them rest for about 10 minutes (this allows the gluten to relax). In the meantime, divide the filling into 6 portions about 40-42g each (approx. 2 tbsp). 
5. Take a piece of dough and roll it out into a 10x13 inch oval. Add the filling to the top half and then bring the edge from the lower half of the dough upward to meet the edges of the top half of the dough. Be careful not to let the curry touch the edges or it will not seal properly. Firmly pinch the dough to seal it tightly. One sealed, place it seam side down into a silicon baking mat and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying. Repeat with remaining pieces.
6. Add panko to a shallow dish. Brush or spray water around the entire piece of dough and then quickly coat in panko. Place it back onto the silicon mat. Cover with a light damp tea towel as you go. 
7. Let it proof for 15-20 minutes. **Skip this step if you prefer thin & chewy kare pan bread dough and go straight to frying. 
8. Add 3 cups of oil to a deep pot and heat to 160-170 C (320-338 F). Place 2-3 pieces of the dough into the oil and fry each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to allow excess oil to drip off. After each round of frying, use a metal skimmer to remove excess panko. Repeat with remaining pieces. Allow them to cool for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!

How to Bake and Air Fry Curry Bread

• Bake: Pre-heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Place the curry bread on a lined baking tray and spray with oil on all sides. Bake each side for 15 minutes (total 30 minutes) or until they're golden brown.

• Air Fry: Pre-heat air fryer to 180 C (350 F). Place the curry bread in the air fryer basket and spray all sides with oil. Air fry for 6 minutes. Flip and air fry for another 6 minutes (total 12 minutes).

Tips for Making Curry Bread

After testing this recipe several times, here are some key tips I picked up along the way:

1. Thicken the curry: It is much easier to work with thickened curry so I highly suggest making it a day ahead of time and leaving it to cool and thicken overnight in the fridge (which is why leftovers are great). If your leftover curry is still loose, thicken it up by heating and simmering it over the stove until paste-like.
2. Thin out the edges: After rolling out the dough, use the rolling pin and/or fingers to pinch the edges thinner. It makes it easier to seal and the thicker base will hold the curry together.
3. Keep curry out of the edges: Once the curry touches the edges, it is almost impossible to keep sealed so this is VERY important. If you do have a bit of curry touching the edges, rip a small piece of dough off, cover the spot and knead it in and try to tightly pinch the dough together. Otherwise, I suggest baking the ones that are not properly sealed so that you don't run into the problem of them exploding when frying.
4. Secondary fermentation: The second rise will determine the thickness and fluffiness of the bread. You can skip the secondary fermentation which will create a very thin, chewy and crispy crust whereas leaving it covered for 20-30 minutes will yield a fluffier, thicker crust. The length of fermentation will depend on the temperature in your kitchen but a good rule of thumb to check for doneness is to press on the dough, where it should leave a indentation. This is purely personal preference so try different proofing times and see which you like best!
5. Frying: 15-20 seconds after you add the curry bread to the oil, flip and fry for 1 minute. Then flip and fry for another 1 minutes. Repeat until both sides are beautifully golden brown. This method of frying ensures the bread is even throughout and doesn't cause a large gap on the inside (as shown below).

More Delicious Curry Recipes to Love!

• Authentic Vegan Japanese Curry
• Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry
• Japanese Curry Fried Rice
• Pan Fried Curry Buns
• Vegan Curry Udon
• Yaki Curry
• Vegan Pumpkin Curry

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

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