It is late morning. Grassy odour permeates the
air. Our lawn is being mowed. As the machine moves and gnaws the juicy grass, a
swarm of grasshoppers and nymphs and a dozen other tiny moths and winged creatures
rise like smoke. They disperse and settle on the distant blades of grass till
the machine reaches far end forcing them to move further.
A Brown Rock
Chat is perched on the ledge of the window. She lets out a shrill whistle and swoops
down to catch her prey which is in abundance here.
The weather
is warm and perfect to bake bread. I braid the dough and dress it up with
sesame seeds. As it rests to rise, some more mowing is done till the Sun gets
strong and makes it difficult to work.
The bread rises well and is placed in
the oven. Grassy odour faints and yeasty aroma dominates. The bread is in the
final stages of baking.
Sesame seeds
gives a crunchy crust while the crumb is soft. This is Italian Sesame Bread.
Italian
Sesame Bread
Recipe
source – www.kingarthurflour.com
I used milk
wash in place of egg wash as mentioned in the recipe
Ingredients
Dough
3 ¾ cups
all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons
instant dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons
salt
2
tablespoons olive oil
1 cup and 2
to 4 tablespoons warm water
Topping
3
tablespoons white sesame seeds
Milk wash ( ¼
cup milk, 1 tablespoon butter,2 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt. Boil together
for 5 minutes on low heat)
Method
Whisk
together flour and salt in a large bowl. Add olive oil, mix well.
Add yeast to
1 cup warm water. Stir so that it dissolves.
Add to flour
mix. Knead for 6- 8 minutes. Keep adding more water till you get a soft and
supple dough.
Transfer
dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around so that it is coated with oil all over.
Cover with a kitchen towel and keep in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ hour or
until double.
Transfer
dough to a floured counter. Divide into three equal parts. Roll out each part
into a 20 inch long rope slightly tapering at the edges. Braid the pieces,
pinch the ends together and tuck them under. Place on the greased baking tray.
Cover and keep for 1 ½ hours or until double in size.
Preheat oven
to 200 degrees C. Brush the braid with milk wash and sprinkle sesame seeds.
Bake for 20
– 25 minutes or till it is golden brown. Tent with a foil if the top is
browning too fast.
Cool in the
rack. Slice when cold.
My Notes - Avoid milk and butter to get a vegan topping. Boil water and sugar.Cool before brushing.
Fab recipe..plz tell the ratio for active dry yeast...not the instant one
ReplyDeleteHello Seema, You may use the same quantity of active dry yeast as mentioned in the recipe. You will have to activate the yeast first and then add it to ingredients. Happy Baking!
DeleteWhat a wonderful combination of smells you just had. I love the smell of fresh mowed grass and add the smell of hot fresh bread to that and you don't get much better. It is warming up here and we just let Brunhilda go out for her summer hibernation period. That means baking bread in the covered gas bbq but we have done that many a time. I will have to see if this glorious loaf translates well to bbq cooking. Thank you for the lovely share Namita :)
ReplyDeleteHi! if you are not a vegan, you use milk wash as mentioned in the recipe. You are a strict vegan, and want a vegan topping, then just boil 1/4 cup water with 2-3 teaspoons sugar . Let it bubble. Cool. Brush your loaf and sprinkle sesame seeds. Idea is to get the seeds sit on top.
ReplyDeleteHi Namita, how have u been......bread looks tempting.....we all love Italian bread here and I personally love braided breads....they look so pretty :)
ReplyDeleteThank You Spice !
DeleteHi Namita,your recipes are so wonderful!! Thanks for sharing.Please tell which brand of instant yeast to use n from where to get it.
ReplyDeleteSudha Agarwal
Hello Sudha, Thank you for your kind words.....your words of appreciation motivate me. I buy 500 gms brick of instant dry yeast. My brand is "Four Seasons". I keep it in refrigerator and it usuallylasts whole year.
DeleteThanks a lot Namita for such a prompt reply.Please also guide from where to get it because it won't be available in my place.Sorry to bother you,but I am new in baking bread n we don't like the smell of active dry yeast.I used Red star once.
DeleteSudha
Hello Sudha, I live in a small town and this is the only brand available here. I am sure there must be many more brands in the stores. Gloripan is a good brand. You can even order it online. It also comes in satchets (2 1/4 teaspoon ) each.
DeleteThankyou Namita.
DeleteSudha
Hi,I am trying this Italian Sesame Bread today and I am missing sugar or honey in the yeast activation.Is it fine not to add any sweetner to the dough though the final wash has sugar.Thank you for the recipe
ReplyDeleteHello Jayashree,
DeleteIts absolutely ok not to have any sweetener in the dough. Sugar gives a kickstart to the yeast. Without sugar also the yeast will work. It will eat the starches and sugar in the dough. It might take a little longer though.
Happy Baking!