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I rebaked this bread that I baked two years ago with a slightly adjusted recipe.

Characteristic of this bread: The texture is moist with a crispy crust and slightly very mild tangy taste. Usually sourdough starter provides an aromatic flavour to the bread and with addition of roasted sesame seeds, the bread has a more substantial flavour.

It is advisable to read the GENERAL NOTES at the bottom before baking.

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible. Do tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws if you attempt on this recipe.

How To Make Sesame Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Yields: 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS:

240g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour) - 80%

30g whole wheat flour - 10%
30g rye flour - 10%

230g water - 78.78% final hydration

60g levain (active sourdough starter) - 20%

6g sea salt - 2%

20g sesame seeds (black and white), toasted
Some extra black sesame seed for topping, raw

Please refresh your starter several times before baking day in order to get a better result if you do not feed your starter daily or regularly.
Please reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go as each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.
Banneton (proofing basket)'s size - 6.5" oval shape
Ambient temperature after adding in levain: 26C
The total fermentation time: 5 hours and 15 minutes.

METHOD:

Feed starter - Feed ratio of 1:1:1, keep at room temperature (28C – 30C) and wait until tripled, around 3 – 4 hours. Please feed your starter at the ratio that fit your schedule as long as the starter is at its peak when use.
Autolyse - Mix flour and water, stir until there is no more dry flour with a spatula. Cover and leave for at least 1 hour at room temperature (28C – 30C). I autolyse almost 2 hours.
Levain & Salt- Wet your hand, add 60g sourdough starter to the dough and mix in with hand. Half way mixing, sprinkle in the salt and mix until incorporated, about 6 - 8 minutes. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold - Wet your hand and scrapper. Loosen the side with scrapper. Pull and fold the four sides, flip over and round the dough in the mixing bowl. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Lamination & Sesame Seeds - Lightly mist the counter top with water and wet your hand. Pull from centre out to form a rectangle shape. Sprinkle the toasted mixed sesame seeds evenly. Pick up one edge and fold into the center. Pick up other edge and fold into the center over first section. Fold the top down half way. Fold the bottom up. Put dough in a new dish (square pyrex dish). Cover and rest for about 30 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.
Coil Fold 1 - At this stage, the dough is weak and extensible. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for about 40 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.
Coil Fold 2 - At this stage the dough still extensible but stronger compare with the dough before the 1st coil fold. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for about 40 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.
Coil Fold 3 - At this stage, the dough is quite strong and not so extensible and will be the last coil fold. However, if the dough is still quite extensible and spread a lot, then you will need one or two more coil folds. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for 60 - 90 minutes or until dough rise 50% in size since you added the levain.
Shape - Flour the counter top. Shape the dough. Brush the top of the dough with plain water and roll the dough (top) into a dish filled with black sesame seeds then transfer to a slightly flour banneton with the seam side up.
Proof In Banneton - Proof at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes. I skipped this step as I found my bread rose quite fast.
Cold Retard - Then retard overnight in the fridge (4C) for 12 - 16 hours.
Baking -

Preheat oven with the dutch oven (cast iron) at 250C for 45 - 60 minutes before baking.
Take bread dough out from the fridge, invert onto a parchment paper and scoring.(Slash the dough approximately 0.5 inches deep at 45-degree angle). Immediately transfer the dough with the parchment paper to your preheated dutch oven.
Lower the temperature to 240C and bake with cover on for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and continue bake for another 10 - 15 minutes at 230C.
Remove bread from oven and dutch oven. Let it cool on rack before slicing.

GENERAL NOTES

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Please click this link for "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance"

A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina. It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak. A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general. If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.

HYDRATION

The liquid measurement given is also a guide. It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go. This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency. This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.

BULK FERMENTATION

Bulk fermentation starts when you add in levain to the dough and ends when the dough is ready for shaping.

TEMPERATURE DURING BULK FERMENTATION

Ambient temperature plays a very important part in sourdough baking. It will affect the dough temperature and eventually affect your fermentation time. The cooler ambient temperature will extend the fermentation time. The greater degree of proof, the stronger the dough will be as explained by Trevor J. Wilson.

The ambient temperature that worked for me is between 25C - 26C and bulk fermentation time is between 4.5 hours to 5.5 hours. At the end of bulk fermentation, my dough would have increased 50% in volume. The dough should look puffy. It should jiggling when you slightly shake it. This is the end of bulk fermentation.

But, my kitchen ambient temperature (without air-conditioner) was 29C - 30C. So, I have to bring down the temperature.

How to bring down ambient temperature?

Air-conditioner room - Rest the dough in air-conditioner room during bulk fermentation. I used this option sometimes. I turned on my air-conditioner when I added in levain and try to maintain temperature between 25C - 26C.
Home oven (that's turned off) - Place ice cooler packs inside along with an ambient temperature thermometer. Then place your dough during bulk fermentation in the oven. Keep an eye on that thermometer and try to keep between 25C - 26C.

DOUGH STRENGTH AND EXTENSIBILITY

Too strong (tension or elastic) dough will take a longer time to increase (proof) in volume. So too strong dough may not have good oven spring and open crumb. While too weak dough (extensibility) dough may not hold it shape and rise with good oven spring too.

So over-working the dough (too strong dough) or under-working (weak dough) may affect the crumb structure and oven spring.

The number of coil folds is not fixed and very much depends on the strength and extensibility of the dough.

As demonstrated in an experiment by Kristen (Full Proof Baking) the over-worked dough rose super tall but was smaller in overall size and had a more dense crumb while the control dough rose tall during the oven spring and had a better overall result.

How do we know when it is enough and no more coil folds are needed?

We usually do 3 coil folds for this method. However, if by the second coil fold the dough is strong with less extensibility as you lift up a part of the dough then it should be the last coil fold, or just do a half coil folds instead of full. The resistance of the dough to being folded should be an indication to refrain from folding further.

How do we know when to do the next coil fold or stretch & fold?

When the dough spreads. Please do not rely on the time given in the recipe as it is just a guideline. Please watch your dough and not the clock.

SALT

You may wonder why most of the recipes asked to add salt after autolyze and adding levain. Salt will tighten the gluten and make it harder to stretch.

Comments

Unknown16 March 2020 at 03:14
Its looks yummy
Unknown23 September 2020 at 21:51
hi, I love your recipes and they come out great. May i check if 230g water - 73.42% final hydration (does this include the water used for making the levain.

Thank you.
Unknown19 August 2021 at 09:23
Hello, Can you please tell us how long the Autolyse is in step 2? Thanks!