Semolina Bread With Sesame Seeds Recipes

SEMOLINA SESAME ARTISAN BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the yeast and salt with the lukewarm water in a large 5qt container. I use a large plastic tub with a lid, but I do NOT seal the lid to make it airtight.
• Mix in the flours using a large spoon. (I use a large wooden spoon. By the end of adding all the flour, I wet my hands to mix in the last bits of the flour into the dough. The dough is a fairly wet, sticky dough. You can certainly use a mixer if you'd like to, but I don't find that I need one.)
• Cover (not airtight...this needs to off gas a bit...but then...don't all God's creatures need to do that? Yeast is no exception.). Allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top) approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used at this point, or you can store it in your fridge for up to 14 days. As if you could wait that long!!!
• When You're Ready to Bake
• If you're going to bake one 2 lb. loaf, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off about half of it. (About 2 lbs.) Return the other half of the dough, to the plastic container and store it in your refrigerator till you're ready to use it. Dust the dough you'll be baking with more flour and quickly shape it first into a ball, and then into an oval (ish) shape. Allow to rest for 40 minutes on a sheet of parchment paper that you have sprinkled with cornmeal. (If you HAVE a pizza peel, then use that to let it rest on, and to help you transfer it into the oven. I don't have a pizza peel, so I use parchment paper as my sling for transferring the bread dough loaf to the oven onto my baking stone. It can stay on the parchment paper for the baking: no problem. No need to transfer it off directly onto the stone.)
• Twenty Minutes Before Baking
• Preheat the oven to 450º, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack, and the bottom of a broiler pan on the shelf just below that.
• Time to use that mysterious cornstarch that's in the ingredient list.
• You're going to make a Cornstarch Wash to make the bread shiny, and help the sesame seeds to stick to the outside of the bread.
• Cornstarch Wash
• Blend the 1/2 t. of cornstarch with a bit of water to form a paste. Add 1/2 c. of water, and whisk with a fork. Microwave for 60 seconds, till mixture appears glassy. You can store the unused portion in the fridge, covered with plastic, for the next loaf.
• Just before baking, paint the surface of the loaf with the cornstarch wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and slash the surface of the bread (I usually make 3 diagonal slash marks) about 1/2″ deep, using a serrated knife.
• Gently place the loaf and the parchment paper onto the hot baking stone, using the parchment paper as a sling to carry the loaf to the baking stone. Pour 1 c. of hot tap water onto the broiler tray below it, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for around 30 minutes, until deeply browned and firm. Adjust baking time to the size of your loaf, and your own oven's performance.
• Allow to cool before slicing and eating.

SEMOLINA AND SESAME GRISSINI (BREADSTICKS)

Steps:

• Place 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl with the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir to dissolve and let stand to proof, 5-7 minutes. If it is not foamy by then, the yeast is dead; get new yeast and start again.
• Place semolina and all-purpose flours in work bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the salt, and 2 tbsp of sesame seeds. Mix briefly to combine.
• Make a well in the pile of flour and add the proofed yeast, the remaining water, and the olive oil. Start the mixer on low speed until everything comes together and starts to get smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase to medium and knead another 2-3 minutes, until it begins to look velvety and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand until smooth and elastic (about 30 turns, about 1 minute). Grease a clean mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough into it, turning the dough over to coat both sides.
• Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm, dark spot until it triples in volume, about 2 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, place dough in an oiled, airtight plastic container at least twice the size of the dough mass and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding).
• Preheat oven to 400°F Coat 2 baking sheets each with 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp olive oil.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Cut dough in 6 equal pieces. Cover the unused pieces with a damp kitchen towel.
• Cut each piece into 4 or 5 equal pieces, each about the size of a medium walnut (3/4 to 1 ounce each). Using both hands, roll each piece against the board until it forms a 12 to 14 inch rope. Do not flour the board; the stickiness helps the dough stretch out.
• Place the rope on the baking sheet, rolling it to coat with oil. Spaced 1/2 inch apart, each sheet should hold 10 to 12 breadsticks.
• When all the breadsticks are made, coat with sesame seeds: pour the seeds into a long narrow pile, as long as the bread sticks and twice as wide. Starting with the first breadstick (which will be most relaxed and easiest to work with), roll each breadstick in the sesame seeds, coating well, then return it to the sheet pan. Sprinkle each with a bit of kosher salt and let rest 10 minutes.
• Bake 14-20 minutes. Halfway through, turn each sheet pan 180° in the oven, and swap racks, to ensure even browning. They are done when they are an even light golden brown (the ends may be a little darker). Cool completely on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.