Name: Ali Baba bread
Prep time: 3 h 43 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 4 h 23 min
Yield: 4 loaves
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 100 g sesame seeds; 100 g water; 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; 9 g salt; 10 g sesame seeds; 1 tablespoon oil

Step by step recipe

Step 1 - ⌛ 15 min.

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.

Step 2 - ⌛ 1 min.

Take the sesame seeds out of the oven and tip them into 100 g water.

Mix quickly and leave to cool.

Step 3 - ⌛ 5 min.

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.

Step 4 - ⌛ 15 min.

Knead on slow spead for 15 mintes.

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

Step 5 - ⌛ 2 min.

2 minutes before the end of the kneading time, add the sesame seeds with their soaking water.

Step 6 - ⌛ 1 hour

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.

Step 7 - ⌛ 2 min.

After resting, knock back and work the dough: stretch it up with a dough-cutter as far as possible...

Step 8 - ⌛ 1 hour

...and fold it over.

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

Step 9 - ⌛ 8 min.

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.

Step 10 - ⌛ 8 min.

After this, fold each ball lengthways in 3 to form a long roll.

Step 11 - ⌛ 2 min.

Lay the loaves in a baguette tin or mould or, if you don't have one, on a baking sheet.

Step 12 - ⌛ 1 hour

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.

Step 13 - ⌛ 25 min.

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..

Nutritional information

	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats	Calories	Energy
Per 100 g	7 g RDI=11 %	35 g RDI=13 %	10 g RDI=14 %	262 kcal RDI=13 %	1,096 kJ RDI=13 %
Per loave	21 g RDI=33 %	108 g RDI=41 %	32 g RDI=44 %	803 kcal RDI=40 %	3,363 kJ RDI=40 %
Whole recipe	85 g RDI=130 %	433 g RDI=164 %	129 g RDI=176 %	3,213 kcal RDI=161 %	13,452 kJ RDI=161 %