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!
The texture is soft, rather like ciabatta, but with a very distinctive taste - so "open sesame" and enjoy!
49 K 5/5 (1 reviews)
4 hours 25 min.
Easy
4 loaves
11 IngredientsLast modified on: December 10th 2017
For 4 loaves, you will need:
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup 
½ cup 
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
3 1⁄3 cups 
1 teaspoon 
½ tablespoon 
1 tablespoon 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 45 min.
Resting: 3 hours
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 4 hours 25 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 15 min.
Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
Lay a sheet of cooking parchment on a baking sheet and spread ½ cup sesame seeds out on this.
Toast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Lay a sheet of cooking parchment on a baking sheet and spread ½ cup sesame seeds out on this.
Toast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Stage 2 - 1 min.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Put into a mixer bowl in the following order: ½ cup leaven, 1 ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste), 3 1⁄3 cups plain white flour (French Type 65), 1 teaspoon yeast and ½ tablespoon salt.
Stage 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..
Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home..
Stage 5 - 2 min.
2 minutes before the end of the kneading time, add the sesame seeds with their soaking water.
Stage 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.
Leave to rest for 1 hour.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
After resting, knock back and work the dough: stretch it up with a dough-cutter as far as possible...
Stage 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.
Do this once or twice, then cover again with the plastic and leave to rest for another hour.
Stage 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.
Cover with the plastic sheet and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Stage 10 - 8 min.
After this, fold each ball lengthways in 3 to form a long roll.
Stage 11 - 2 min.
Lay the loaves in a baguette tin or mould or, if you don't have one, on a baking sheet.
Stage 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.
Stage 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..
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 recipe | 100 RDI=40 % | 530 RDI=50 % | 140 RDI=20 % | 3,310 RDI=170 % | 13,880 RDI: 170 % |
| Per 100 g | 8 RDI=3 % | 40 RDI=4 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 270 RDI=10 % | 1,130 RDI: 10 % |
| Per loave | 20 RDI=10 % | 130 RDI=10 % | 30 RDI=5 % | 830 RDI=40 % | 3,470 RDI: 40 % |
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)
Plain white flour (French Type 65)
Like these other recipes: Poitevin twist, Pizza dough, "Psychedelic" sandwich bread, Leavened bread, Loaf for "les filles'", ... See them all 19
Sesame seeds
Like these other recipes: Escalopes in a sesame crust, Celeriac and sesame soup, Fish in a sesame crust, Sushi, Black sesame flan, ... See them all 22
Water
Like these other recipes: Blackcurrant liqueur, Provençal braised carrots, Olive and pesto bread, Cretan Bread, Spaghetti Bolognese, ... See them all 134
Leaven
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Old style brioche, New leavened bread, Leavened bread, Mouna, Cretan Bread, ... See them all 21
Other recipes you may also like
Croute à thé
Under this strange name (literally "crust for tea") there hides a delicious cake in crusty sweet pastry, filled with a smooth almond mixture and icing sugar on top. It's an excellent cake for tea time, but it goes very well with fruit salad for example.May 5th 2021308 K 14.9 1 hour 15 min.
Apple semelles (flat apple tarts)
The French semelle is a flat rectangular tart with a base of puff pastry. In this version, a layer of stewed apple is spread on the pastry, then topped with finely-sliced fruit.October 28th 2011157 K4.3 1 hour 5 min.
Fisherman's Ragout
This ragout combines vegetables (cut small and cooked until just tender in vegetable stock) with a mix of cockles and chunks of fish, all simmered together with cream and saffron.December 30th 2019104 K4.1 2 hours 20 min.
Simple maple-syrup tart
It would be hard to find a simpler tart recipe: just sweetcrust pastry filled with maple syrup, then baked.November 5th 201459 K4.2 50 min.
Apple crisps
This is a really simple recipe - there's really not much to do, other than wait while the crisps (or chips for Americans) cook gently in the oven.April 19th 201750 K4.5 2 hours 8 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-25)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.