Italian Sesame Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients by hand, mixer, bread machine or food processor until you've made a smooth, elastic dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat, cover, and allow it to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 20-inch log, tapering the ends slightly. Place the logs on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Braid them loosely; pinch the ends together, and tuck them under.
• Brush some of the beaten egg white over the braid; reserving the remainder. Cover the braid and allow it to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it's almost doubled in size.
• Preheat your oven to 400° degrees. Brush the braid again with some of the remaining egg white and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake the braid for 20 to 25 minutes, until it's golden brown. (Tent it lightly with aluminum foil after 15 minutes, if it appears to be browning too quickly.).
• Remove the braid from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Place the first four ingredients into your bread machine pan in the order they are listed above.
• Mix the flour with the seeds and pour into the pan, followed by the yeast.
• Set the programme to 'DOUGH'.
• When the cycle has finished, (my machine takes 90 minutes) transfer the dough to a floured surface, knead about 5 times then shape as you like (round, oval, loaf, etc.) Place the dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover it with a piece of oiled cling film/plastic wrap. Leave it to prove until it has almost doubled in size (about an hour).
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400°F
• Using the point of a sharp knife, cut 4-5 slashes in the loaf no more than 1/4 inch deep, making a simple design of your choice. (ex: / / / / or XXXX, etc.).
• Brush the dough gently with the milk then sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until it has turned golden brown. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave it to cool a little before slicing.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, oil, salt and 4 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 15x10-in. rectangle. Roll up from a long side; seal well. Place with seam side down on greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. , Beat egg white and water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray; let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. , With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow diagonal cuts across top. Bake at 400° until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.