Savoury sesame loaf


Winter is a great time to bake bread , no sweat especially if you're hand kneading .....

Though I just bake bread whenever I feel like it since bakeries here in Hongkong are dime a dozen ...

But it still a shock to my wallet hah ! to see the price of some artisan breads here ....

I know that it takes time and effort to make a good artisan bread , so last time I borrowed ( as usual ! )  Tartine Bread book at the library but got cross-eyed reading it , I guess I'm not dedicated ( or that's my laziness talking again ! ) enough to make it , yet .....

So I just re-borrow this The big book of bread , which in my opinion , has the easiest bread recipes that actually works no matter how I manhandled the dough ! lol


Most of the recipes are straight forward and fuzz-free that I , the not-so dedicated home baker , always had a great time , yes , even during those hot summer days , trying recipes from this book ....

And because I love savoury bread , I tried this recipe which as the name suggests , don't really have that much sesame and the only sesame is the topping ....

As I love to modify er substitute some of my bakes , this recipe is no exception ....

We have some ground black sesame in the fridge , so what better way to use it than in this loaf ?! At least I can say that there's really some sesame in the dough hah !

This is one flavorful bread , even without some filling , it's still delicious by itself .


Recipe adapted from The Big Book of Bread

Makes one loaf , serves 14-16 slices

500 grams strong plain white flour ( I used 320 grams bread flour , 30 grams ground black sesame seeds and 150 grams whole wheat flour )
1 tsp salt
1 sachet ( 7 g / 1/4 oz ) easy-blend dried yeast ( 2 1/4  teaspoons Saf red instant yeast ) 
1 tsp mustard powder ( don't have this )
115 ( 4 oz ) mature cheddar cheese , grated ( 95 grams cheddar )
about 300 ml warm water ( about 320 ml or so ) 
25 grams butter
1 onion , chopped ( 145 grams , a combination of shallots and white onion ) 
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

* Grease a 900 grams ( 2 pound ) I used a 9 x 5-inch loaf tin or baking sheet and set aside . Sift flour and salt into a bowl , then stir in the yeast  , mustard powder and cheese . Make a well in the center , then add enough water , mixing to form a soft dough .
* Turn dough into a clean surface and knead until smooth and elastic ; shape dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl , cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size . Meanwhile , melt butter in a pan , add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until onion is softened .
* Knock back the dough on a clean surface , then knead the onions evenly into the dough . Shape into oblong and press into the loaf tin or shape into an oval and place on the baking sheet , then cover and leave to rise again until doubled in size .
* Meanwhile , preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F . Brush the top of the loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds . Bake loaf for 40-50 minutes or until bread has risen , golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath . Turn out and let cool on a wire rack , serve in slices .



First proofing , after 1 hour and 30 minutes , tripled in size ....

Comments

  1. Hi Anne, yuhuuu.... I bring coffee to eat with your delicious bread. :)

    Very nice texture, so fluffy and soft. I might need more than 1 serving, so save that for me.LOL

    Have a nice weekend, regards.

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  2. The bread looks perfect! I love the add of the onions.
    Have a great weekend, Anne.

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  3. This must be a very delicious type of bread ... specially as there's cheese, onion, sesame...great idea Anne! I'll place order with my husband to incorporate these in his baking...he bakes daily..only on bread machine LOL!

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  4. This looks good! I love bread with sesame top! Makes it fragrant with added seedy crunch! You have baked quite a number of bakes from this book and everything looks yummy! This bread would be lovely as a sandwich bread, love the onions in them! And you did a wonderful addition with the black sesame seeds in the dough! Great job!

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  5. Wow, this sesame loaf looks amazing! Loved it!

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  6. Hi Anne, loaf looks good, love the greyish hue and the soft texture :)

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  7. Such a beautiful, savory loaf, Anne! Perfect!

    PS...thanks for the commiseration on the zebra cake! Hope to eventually have stripes!

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  8. Hi Anne! I like your attitude and energy - from library to kitchen to your blog!

    I love Artisan bread too but I have not confidence in my baking yet... maybe this should be my new year resolution.

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  9. haha! is tartine bread very difficult to follow? at one time, i thought of getting that book too..but ended up getting another one. You did wonderful on this loaf, it looks soft and fluffy too..hmm..cheese is nice:)

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    1. Lena , you BUY it ! I'm planning to borrow it again , sometime ! lol

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  10. Anne,
    I wouldn't mind have a few slices of your lovely bread!
    Must be really fragrant with black sesame n whole meal , just lovely with a cuppa of hot latte:D
    mui..^^

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  11. Hi Anne, love the use of cheese and sesame seeds in the bread. Would be so fragrant!

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  12. Hi Anne,

    I laughed reading about you sweating while kneading your bread... Good that it is winter at HK... Here at Australia is hot like crazy!

    Like you, I like bread baking during winter but the proving can be quite for our winter and my friend has to prove her bread under her electric blanket... LOL!

    Zoe

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    1. Zoe , I had to proof my dough inside the oven since it's too cold to leave it outside :D Using electric blanket sounds like a great idea though ! lol

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  13. oooo, i love the color black sesame gives! but i've never tasted it in savory form...it looks great as a sandwich! happy new year!

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  14. Hi Anne, you should open an artisan bread shop too... looks great! :)

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  15. My daughter has hinted me many times that I should also bake some wheat bread at home. This bread sounds wonderful with onions and sesame.I like your other bread also in which you use plough man's baking tin.

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    Replies
    1. Bal , this is really good when toasted in a skillet or a nonstick pan :D

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