Recreating the caramelized an pan (red bean) and fermented butter toast I fell in love with in Tokyo! I've never had the famous honey toast at Arome in London but it looks pretty similar to what was in the bakery in Japan, so I gave a quick google - found many copycat Arome toast recipes, and set forth to recreate the an pan in my memories. While the store-bought red bean paste I got doesn't hold a candle to the one in Boulangerie Sudo, I think this is a pretty respectable copycat! Short of flying 7 hours to Tokyo, why not try this out... :b

Ingredients

• 40g salted butter, softened

• 20g brown sugar (light or brown is fine)

• 20g honey

• Japanese milk bread//Shokupan, sliced thickly

• Japanese Red Bean Paste (I used store bought)

• Slabs of your favourite brand of salted, fermented butter

Directions

• Mix the butter, brown sugar and honey together. Set aside.

• Slather one side of the toast and all its sides with the honey-butter-sugar mixture. Use any excess for another slab of toast.

• Air Fry it at 190C for 7 to 10 mins (start checking it at the 7 minute mark), or use your toaster or oven to do the same. You're looking for the sugar and honey to caramelize, forming a golden brown crust around the edges of your toast.

• Once it's coloured to your liking, take the toast out of your air-fryer or oven. While it's still hot, use a pair of tongs to fold the toast in half, the browned sides facing outwards. Let it cool completely. Once cool, the sugar will harden and crisp up.

• To assemble the toast: On the "pale" side of your toast, place a few generous slabs of salted butter, then dollop red bean paste on top. Fold the toast over itself (it should fold easily since we nudged it into shape earlier), and serve!