Ali Baba bread


Ali Baba bread
This bread is so-called because its magical sesame flavour is non-negotiable! The triple dose comes from tahini (sesame paste), sesame oil added to the dough before kneading, and toasted sesame seeds both in the dough and on top of the loaves.

The texture is soft, rather like ciabatta, but with a very distinctive taste - so "open sesame" and enjoy!
53 K 5/5 (1 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
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Last modified on: December 10th 2017
For 4 loaves, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 45 min.
Resting: 3 hours
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 4 hours 25 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 15 min.
Ali Baba bread
Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).

Lay a sheet of cooking parchment on a baking sheet and spread 100 g sesame seeds out on this.

Toast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Stage 2 - 1 min.
Ali Baba bread
Take the sesame seeds out of the oven and tip them into 100 g water.

Mix quickly and leave to cool.

Stage 3 - 5 min.
Ali Baba bread
Put into a mixer bowl in the following order: 100 g leaven, 320 g water, 30 g sesame oil, 40 g tahini (sesame paste), 500 g plain white flour (French Type 65), 5 g yeast and 9 g salt.

Stage 4 - 15 min.
Ali Baba bread
Knead on slow spead for 15 mintes.

Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home..

Stage 5 - 2 min.
Ali Baba bread
2 minutes before the end of the kneading time, add the sesame seeds with their soaking water.

Stage 6 - 1 hour
Ali Baba bread
Gather the dough into a rough ball and transfer to a large clean bowl, then cover with a plastic sheet.

Leave to rest for 1 hour.

Stage 7 - 2 min.
Ali Baba bread
After resting, knock back and work the dough: stretch it up with a dough-cutter as far as possible...

Stage 8 - 1 hour
Ali Baba bread
...and fold it over.

Do this once or twice, then cover again with the plastic and leave to rest for another hour.

Stage 9 - 8 min.
Ali Baba bread
After resting, weigh out the dough into lumps of about 350 g and shape these into oval balls.

Cover with the plastic sheet and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Stage 10 - 8 min.
Ali Baba bread
After this, fold each ball lengthways in 3 to form a long roll.

Stage 11 - 2 min.
Ali Baba bread
Lay the loaves in a baguette tin or mould or, if you don't have one, on a baking sheet.

Stage 12 - 1 hour
Ali Baba bread
Brush the tops of the loaves with a little water or oil and scatter some raw sesame seeds over them. Press these in slightly to help them stick.

Stage 13 - 25 min.
Ali Baba bread
Preheat the oven to 460°F (240°C ) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: As when baking any bread, you should ensure that the oven is filled with steam for the first 15 minutes of baking. This page shows you how; it really is the secret of golden-brown, crusty loaves..
Remarks
This bread is delicious enough on its own, but it si simply heavenly with houmous, especially if sliced thin and toasted.
Keeping: A few days in a coth bag.
Source: Home made, but based on a recipe by Eric Kayser.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe100 RDI=40 %530 RDI=50 %140 RDI=20 %3,310 RDI=170 %13,880 RDI: 170 %
Per 100 g8 RDI=3 %40 RDI=4 %10 RDI=2 %270 RDI=10 %1,130 RDI: 10 %
Per loave20 RDI=10 %130 RDI=10 %30 RDI=5 %830 RDI=40 %3,470 RDI: 40 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Sesame, Gluten
How much will it cost?
  • For 4 loaves : 2.75 €
  • Per loave : 0.70 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
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