Black sesame bread is one of my favorite bread recipes. I’m talking top 3 favorites! And it’s simply because black sesame is incredibly aromatic and the taste combines spectacularly with bread, especially if you are using sourdough. But don’t worry, this recipe is for both yeast and sourdough bakers. Black sesame bread is so good, that I want everybody to enjoy it!

I started making this bread using black sesame powder. I learned about it when my husband bought it many years ago at our Chinese store. He likes to make a hot soup for dessert, especially on the days he feels more homesick. The smell of that soup was so delicious! That toasty and nutty aroma of sesame but deeper and with some sweetness to it. So, of course, my baker’s mind thought… “black sesame bread!”.

Are black sesame seeds good for you?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, black sesame can help you with your liver and kidney health, and grey hair, among other things. Given the amount of good compounds found in sesame seeds and the results of some studies, it’s safe to say that yes, sesame, and in this case black sesame, is good for us. Of course, as a part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

What are sesame seeds rich in?

Black sesame seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, a type of polyphenol typically found in seeds. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some studies have even suggested that black sesame can have a positive impact in cardiovascular health and others have seen improvements in fasting blood sugar. Overall, sesame, and in particular, black sesame seeds, are an excellent addition to our diet!

How to make black sesame powder at home

After making black sesame bread several times, I realized that making the powder myself was not only super easy but also more flavorful because I was using freshly ground seeds. These steps are optional, but I highly recommend them to make the most out of your seeds.

Toasting the seeds

Black sesame seeds are very flavorful, but I prefer toasting them to deepen the aromas even more. To toast the seeds put them in a saucepan and heat them at medium-high temperature, stirring often. Because of their rich oil content, they can burn easily, so keep stirring until you start seeing seeds popping and a bit of smoke. Then transfer the seeds to a plate to cool.

Grinding the seeds

In the industry, companies have equipment to grind sesame seeds without releasing all the oil and turning it into a paste. When you buy black sesame powder, it’s less oily and a tad drier than the powder you make at home. At home, we need to be cautious when grinding sesame seeds (all sesame seeds, and even chia, or flax seeds) because they’re rich in oils and can turn into a paste quickly (like tahini but with a darker color).

You don’t need to grind all of the seeds to make black sesame bread, you can use them whole. I prefer blitzing at least 3/4 of the seeds to enhance the aroma of the bread. To avoid releasing too many oils, pulsing instead of grinding for long periods works better.

You can grind the seeds with any device of your choice, I have this coffee grinder that I only use for spices, etc. it’s inexpensive and does the job perfectly! But you can use anything you have at home. Even a mortar and pestle if you don’t have a grinder. However, if you have a very powerful grinder (something like a Vitamix), I’d recommend freezing the seeds. When the seeds are hot, they release the oils much faster, and powerful grinding can raise the temperature of the seeds, so starting with frozen seeds gives you a bit of a leeway.

Preparing the dough

Now that we have the seeds ready, let’s start with the dough! The method is similar for both sourdough and yeast versions. The yeasted version uses a poolish and has only a very small amount of yeast, so the fermentation will be as slow as sourdough. If you were to make this bread on a cold day, you can add a bit more yeast to the final dough.

Black sesame bread with poolish

The night before dissolve 1/4th of a teaspoon (a pinch) in 40ml of water, then add 40g of bread flour and mix well. Cover the container loosely and let it ferment overnight.

If your kitchen is too warm, you can prepare the poolish earlier, and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Black sesame bread with sourdough

The night before refresh your starter as you normally do. Prepare more than 80g total, 80g for the recipe plus what you need to feed it again.

Mixing the dough

Both poolish and sourdough methods are prepared the same. First, you need to dissolve the starter in the water. This step will make developing the dough easier. I like to add salt in this step as well, if I leave it for later, the chances of forgetting it increase exponentially!

When you have dissolved the salt, add the seeds and the flour and mix well until you don’t see dry flour particles. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes to allow the flour and seeds to hydrate. Depending on the strength of your flour, the seeds will absorb more or less water. Give the dough some time so you can decide if it needs more water or if it’s okay the way it is. And always add water little by little, it’s easy to go from a dry dough to a very slack one.

Kneading vs no-knead method

After a 20-minute autolyse, I like to knead the dough using the “slap and fold” technique. This technique is very efficient and you can have your dough ready in a few minutes. But if you don’t like kneading, you can try the stretch and fold + coil folds method. And always remember that when you knead and the dough doesn’t come together, rest is your best choice. Let the dough rest and the gluten proteins realign and when you go back to kneading you will see a big difference!

Fermentation & proofing of black sesame bread

Both methods (poolish and sourdough) will ferment slowly. If you start early in the morning, you will be able to shape your bread somewhere between late afternoon and early evening. Aim for 8-12h fermentation (depending on the temperature of your kitchen), or when the dough almost doubles in size.

I usually don’t give exact times in my recipes because it depends on your specific conditions. Weather, skills, type of flour, oven… everything can alter the times for each part of the process.. That’s why it’s important to get familiar with your dough.

How to tell my bread is fermented

If you struggle with fermentation times and when the dough is ready etc., there are two easy ways to keep an eye on the fermentation. One is using a clear bowl where you can see the air pockets in the bottom that develop over time. You want to see a consistent size of air pockets. Not some too large and some areas without any pocket. The dough shouldn’t leave residue in an oiled bowl. If it does, it’s probably a bit over-fermented.

Another way is to use a “spy”. This is very common in panettone making. You put some dough in a cylindric container, and make a mark where the dough is, as it grows, you can tell when it doubles, triples… For this method you don’t need to buy anything, you can use a small glass, a recycled glass jar… I use a shot glass or a little measuring cylinder I have.

Shaping and cold-proofing black sesame bread

When the bulk fermentation is over, it’s time to shape the bread! If you feel the dough is a bit slack, you can add a pre-shape to add a bit of extra tension. It’s usually a good idea when the dough has over fermented a bit, or if the gluten network wasn’t developed properly.

You can shape the bread in any shape you want using any method. I like to do it like this, a very simple way and it has yet to fail me.

After shaping and putting the dough in a banneton, it’s time for the final proof. You can do it at room temperature, but doing it in the fridge will improve the flavor profile of your bread. Either sourdough or poolish, a cold-proof is a very interesting way to develop extra aromas in your bread. Plus, a cold dough is much easier to score than a warmer one!

During the cold proof, the dough will rise while it’s at a warm temperature, but once it cools down, it will stop. That’s why bulk fermentation is so important, once it’s in the fridge, not much will happen no matter how long it stays in the fridge. You can leave the bread in the fridge for 12-24 hours to develop flavor.

PRO TIP: If your bulk fermentation isn’t long enough and the dough is a bit underfermented, shape your bread and let it ferment at room temperature in the banneton for an hour or two before putting it in the fridge.

Tips on how to bake your black sesame bread

To have a great oven spring it’s necessary to have steam during the first minutes of baking. You can achieve this by introducing steam, or by baking the loaf in a closed container like a Dutch oven. A cast iron Dutch oven is ideal because it’s less susceptible to temperature changes when you open and close the oven.

If you don’t have a Dutch oven, just know that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on one. I have this one and is been working perfectly for many years! Since the lid is flat, you can put the bread there and use the larger part as the lid to avoid burning your hands when loading and unloading the bread!

I also like to add one ice cube inside the Dutch oven. It helps with oven spring and keeps the crust a bit thinner because it takes longer to dry out. But this is a matter of preference, if you like thicker crusts avoid the ice.

Many people usually preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 500F, but in my experience, that’s too hot and my loaves have suffered because they dried out too fast at such a high temperature. So I use 435F in my convection oven or 445F in a non-convection oven.

I like to bake the loaf covered for 15-20 minutes and uncovered for another 20-25 minutes or until the loaf has the color I like.

An that’s it! That’s how you make one of the most delicious breads you’ll ever eat!

If you liked this recipe…

You might enjoy these:

Spanish milk buns

Brie and olives sourdough rolls

Whey sandwich bread

If you make any of my recipes let me know what you think! As always you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I also have a few videos up on my YouTube channel (which I hope I can resume soon!)

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Happy Baking!