I have to apologise if I am boring you with another bread recipe, but I made this the other day and It was so lovely and flavourful (perfect toasted with vegan spread!) The lil’ tiny sesame seeds just disappear into this loaf and give it a real depth of flavour. I love the deeply flavourful crust (though it’s not quite that dark in real life). If you have some free time this weekend I strongly suggest you take some time to relax and bake your own bread, its worth it!

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
1 1/3 cup or 200g strong white bread flour
3/4 cup or 190ml water
1 tbsp dried yeast

The rest of the ingredients:
1 1/3 cup or 200g strong white bread flour
3/4 cup or 190ml tepid water
1 tbsp dried yeast
1 tbsp unrefined golden caster sugar or agave
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Method:
Mix the sponge up but stirring together the white bread flour, yeast and water, fold together for about 3-4 minutes in the bowl and cover, leave for about 8 hours (preferably overnight). It should have risen and maybe dropped back in on itself a little. In the morning combine the sponge with the rest of the flour, water, sugar, sesame seeds and yeast. Mix the dough until roughly combined, add the salt mixed with 1 tbsp water to dissolve it, then use the stretch and fold method (pull the dough up from the bottom of the bowl using a spoon/rubber spatula and fold it over its self) to knead the dough until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add a little more four if the dough is unmanageable until you have a knead-able yet rather wet

The dough after kneading.

dough. Add 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil to the bowl and continue to knead the dough in the bowl for about 8- 10 minutes – add a little olive oil to the bowl if it begins to stick. Cover the dough and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size. Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface using a dough scraper or a rubber spatula. Knock the dough back and gently knead then grease a 2lb

After shaping and second rise.

loaf tin, shape the dough and pop it in the tin. Cover gently and allow to rise back up until the dough is just peaking over the top (about 30 minutes – 1 hour). About ten minutes before your dough is done rising pop the oven on to 210c/410f and pop a dish with an inch of freshly boiled water in it, in the bottom of the oven (be careful :O there! ). Bake the bread for about 35-45 minutes until dark brown on top and the dough sounds hollow when tapped. Once out of the oven remove from the pan, give a gentle squeeze just ’cause its very satisfying and pop on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.