As long as I don't live in Japan, I will be on a quest to recreate the many, individual savory and sweet breads available there.

Here's one I've healthified from an Allrecipes.com recipe.

The main substitutions here are honey instead of sugar, whole wheat flour, adding wheat germ and dried milk powder, and using spinach instead of pimento or other non-girl1 and 2 friendly foods.

I also made individualized portions as if they were offered up in a Japanese bread store, which helps on controlling the intake as well as giving you more crispy crust! :)

My recipe calculator says this is about 150 calories each, with lots of trace minerals including folate and vitamin A from the wheat germ and spinach.

Of course one could easily omit the ham if one were vegetarian, or if you are an unabashed carnivore, I reccomend substituting bacon for the ham....


This makes about 8 fist-sized portions.

Ingredients

1/2 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dried milk powder (may be omitted if its too much trouble to obtain)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano or basil or whatever
1 slice chopped ham
1/8 cup shredded cheese
2 big handfuls of fresh spinach chopped
1 thick slice of onion diced

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and honey. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the flour, egg, milk powder, wheat germ, herbs and salt; mix well. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Lightly saute onion, ham, and spinach in just a tiny bit of butter. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, or whatever you like. Sprinkle with cheese. Set aside.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Tear dough in half. Tear each of those in half again. And yet again (8 pieces)

Roll or pat the dough into a rectangle. Make parallel cuts on the two long edges of the rectangle. Evenly spread the filling mixture over the center of the rectangle. Fold the short ends of the rectangle over the filling. Starting from one of these ends, alternately stretch strips from the two sides across the filling so that the strips overlap diagonally.

Transfer breads to a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 12 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown.