Black Sesame Sourdough Bread

With its mesmerizing swirl, nutty and earthy flavor, and crunchy black sesame seed exterior, this Black Sesame Sourdough Bread is one of the most beautiful and dramatic breads I’ve made!

I love the tahini flavor of black sesame paste and have wanted to develop a tahini and sesame sourdough bread recipe for some time.

Intially, I was skeptical. Adding a fat like black sesame paste in large percentages can hinder gluten development and fermentation. You’ll notice it immediately when you mix the black sesame paste into the dough. The fat and high-hydration dough repel each other and it seems unlikely that it will mix.

I was happily surprised, though, when I sliced into the first recipe test of this loaf and it came out extremely tender and soft with a whimsical zebra swirl pattern. I knew I had to pursue this delightfully mystifying loaf.

While the crumb is tighter because of the added fat, the natural black color, sesame flavor, hint of honey, and velvety texture of the dough outweigh any qualms I have with it.

To achieve the swirl effect, I separate the dough into two parts and laminate it. The process adds an additional step, but the payoff is worth it.

👉 For other sourdough bread recipes, you may enjoy this Buckwheat Sourdough with Pumpkin Seeds recipe, Calabrian Chili and Honey Sourdough Bread, Spelt Sourdough Bread, or my My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe.

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What is Black Sesame Paste?

Sometimes referred to as Black Sesame Tahini or Black Sesame Butter, black sesame paste is a spread of ground, toasted black sesame seeds.

Whereas tahini is made from toasted white sesame seeds, black sesame paste is made from toasted black sesame seeds. So, what’s the difference between black and white sesame seeds? Black sesame seeds are simply unhulled sesame seeds. Accordingly, the two products are similar with slightly different flavor profiles which I describe below.

Black sesame paste is often used in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other Asian cuisines, where it’s added to various savory and sweet recipes including many baked goods, rice cakes, ice creams, dressings, and soups.

You can often find black sesame paste in Asian markets in the U.S., but it’s available online as well.

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What does Black Sesame Paste taste like?

Black Sesame Paste tastes nutty, earthy, and slightly bitter.

It’s bolder than tahini, but similar in flavor and texture to it. If you’re unfamiliar with tahini, a key ingredient in hummus, it tastes similar to peanut butter or other nut butters!

Black sesame paste is a versatile product and pairs well in desserts, rice cakes, soups, dressings, etc. for its nutty flavor and enchanting black hue. For this bread, I add a bit of honey to harmonize with the earthy flavor.

Once ground, natural black sesame paste separates with a layer of oil on top. This is completely normal and akin to natural peanut butter, tahini, or other nut butters. Thoroughly stir the oil into the mixture before using and refrigerate the paste to keep it fresh longer.

While you can make black sourdough bread using activated charcoal, I opted for black sesame paste for both flavor and texture.

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How to Make Black Sesame Paste

If you can’t find black sesame paste- no problem! It’s easy to make your own black sesame paste and you don’t even need a recipe for this simple task.

Grind toasted black sesame seeds in a food processor or high-speed blender with a bit of sesame oil until it becomes a thick paste. That’s it!

I recommend using at least ½ cup of black sesame seeds at a time in a small food processor for the best results.

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Baker’s Percentage Chart

I include a baker’s percentage chart to scale a recipe up or down easily. With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the recipe is 100%.

I also include the prefermented flour from the levain in this flour weight. Finally, I note the ingredients proportionally to the total weight of flour (in this case, 430g of total flour). That’s why the percentages below will add up to over 100%.

The King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated if you want to learn more.

Ingredients	Weight	Percentage
Bread Flour	390 grams (includes 30g for levain*)	90.7%
Whole Wheat Flour	40 grams	9.3%
Black Sesame Paste	64 grams	14.9%
Honey	23 grams	5.3%
Sea Salt	8 grams	1.9%
Water	357 grams (includes 30g for levain)	83%
Sourdough starter	30 grams (all for levain)	7%

*Note: If you do not build a levain, use about 80-90g sourdough starter instead.

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Tools Needed

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes. See my Sourdough Tools and Equipment guide for a full list of my favorite bread-baking tools

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Ingredients Needed

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

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How to Make Black Sesame Sourdough Bread

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make the best Black Sesame Sourdough Bread.

1. Make the Levain:

Mix 30g sourdough starter, 30g bread flour, and 30g water in an empty jar.

Cover and set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until bubbly and ripe. The levain should at least double in size during this time.

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2. Autolyse:

Note: I typically autolyse for an hour, but this dough benefits from a longer autolyse because of the added fat. I opt for two hours, which works fine, but you can extend it as well.

About two hours before the levain is ripe, mix 360g bread flour and 40g whole wheat flour in one mixing bowl.

Separate 150 grams of the mixed flour into another mixing bowl. This smaller bowl will be a separate dough for the black sesame paste inclusion. The larger bowl of flour should have 250 grams in it.

Pour 198 grams of warm water into the larger bowl of flour and 119 grams of warm water into the smaller bowl.

Use your hands, a silicone spatula, or a flexible bench scraper to mix the flour for a couple of minutes in one bowl until hydrated. The dough will be quite sticky and stiff. It’s okay if some floury spots remain. Then, repeat with the other bowl.

Cover the bowls and set them aside in a warm location until the levain is ready.

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3. Add Levain:

When the levain is bubbly and ripe, add about 55 grams of the levain to the larger bowl and about 30 grams of the levain to the smaller bowl.

Use your hands to dimple the levain into the dough. Then, stretch and fold the dough onto itself for a few minutes until you thoroughly incorporate the levain into the dough.

To stretch and fold:

1. Use your hand as pincers to pull up a portion of the dough.
2. Lift the dough to stretch it, then fold it down in the middle of the bowl.
3. Rotate the bowl and repeat this motion.

Cover the bowls and rest in a warm location for 30 minutes.

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4. Mix the Two Doughs:

After 30 minutes, sprinkle 5 grams of sea salt and 5 grams of water on top of the larger dough.

Dimple in the sea salt and begin mixing. Stretch and fold the dough for about 5 minutes.

Then, sprinkle 3 grams of sea salt, 5 grams of water, 23 grams of honey, and 64 grams of black sesame paste into the smaller dough.

Repeat the mixing with the smaller black sesame dough for 7-10 minutes. Try to disperse the black sesame paste evenly throughout so the dough is dark gray.

The black sesame dough can be tricky to mix. Thus, the longer mixing time. This dough is quite sticky and may appear soupy at first. But, continue mixing and add a few grams of water if it becomes stiff. The picture below is the dough at the end of mixing for visual reference.

We will continue to add strength to the doughs during bulk fermentation, lamination, and shaping.

Cover both bowls and rest for 30 minutes, starting bulk fermentation.

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5. Bulk Fermentation:

At 78ºF, bulk fermentation (first proof) takes about five hours. The black sesame dough takes slightly longer to proof due to the added fat. Additionally, there are also two stages of folds during this bulk including lamination and coil folds, which are covered below.

If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, bulk fermentation will be faster.

Note: An instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen is a great tool to check your dough temperature throughout bulk fermentation.

Sourdough Lamination:

After 30 minutes of resting, combine the two doughs together through a process called lamination. This isn’t the same type of pastry lamination that’s used in my pie crust or croissant recipe, though.

Sourdough lamination is a method to strengthen dough, evenly add inclusions like nuts or seeds, and integrate different doughs together.

In this case, it’s used to strengthen the dough and to incorporate the black sesame dough into the plain dough. Once laminated and folded, it will create a black-and-white swirl effect.

How to Laminate Two Doughs:

1. Lightly mist your hands and the clean countertop. I use a basic spray bottle. Use wet hands to remove the larger dough from the mixing bowl onto the counter. Stretch it into a thin square about ¼ inch thick. It’s okay to pat the dough into place at this stage.
2. Repeat with the black sesame dough, but stretch it to a slightly smaller square. FYI it will be sticky, so always use wet hands.
3. Then, quickly pick up the black sesame dough and place it on top of the larger dough. It’s okay if it’s not perfectly square.
4. Using wet hands, stretch the dough from the middle into a larger rectangular shape. Try to keep the black sesame dough evenly dispersed.
5. Lastly, fold the four sides of the dough into a packet. Use my wet hands and a bench scraper to fold one side to the center of the dough, then fold the opposite side over it. Next, repeat with the other two shorter sides of the dough.
6. Place the dough seam-side down into a shallow baking dish or a clean mixing bowl.

Cover and rest one hour.

Coil Folds

After the one-hour rest, perform two sets of coil folds with wet hands and spaced an hour apart (linked is a video on how to perform coil folds).

Coil folds will continue to strengthen the dough and add a few more swirls to the dough.

Typically, I add more folds to most loaves. However, this bread develops the most strength from the lamination, so more folds aren’t really necessary. If the dough is flattening quickly and is very slack during the folds (extensible), you can add one or two more folds in.

It’s also advantageous to not fold too much with this bread, or the distinctive swirl will be lost.

The dough rests in bulk fermentation for the remainder of time until shaping (about 2.5 to 3 more hours).

Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough rises about 50%, feels full of air, and there are visible bubbles on top of and around the dough.

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6. Shape and Top with Black Sesame Seeds:

Note: I typically only preshape dough if it feels very slack or includes a gluten-free flour like my buckwheat sourdough recipe.

Spread a layer of black sesame seeds on a small sheet pan or plate and season your banneton with a mix of white rice flour and bread flour.

Lightly flour your surface and use a bench scraper to shape the dough into a boule (round) or batard (oval). If the top of the dough is dry, spritz it with some water so the seeds will stick. Then, use the bench scraper to flip the dough seam-side up.

Next, use both hands to transfer the package of dough to the sheet pan and rock the dough back and forth on top of the sesame seeds for even coverage.

Lift the dough and place it seed-side down into the banneton.

In addition, I stitch this dough in the banneton to add extra strength since it can still be quite slack.

Cover and rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

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7. Overnight Proof:

With the banneton covered, place it in a cold refrigerator overnight and up to 48 hours.

The overnight proof, or retard, will give additional flavor to the dough and slow down fermentation. Additionally, the bread will become sourer the longer it proofs.

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8. Score & Bake:

Place an empty cast iron dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 500ºF (260ºC) for an hour.

After an hour, remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a small piece of parchment paper.

Then, score the dough using a sharp bread lame.

I usually score with one long slash for a batard (oval). For a boule (round), score the dough with a cross pattern in the center of the dough or another design. The score should be about ¼”-½” deep. If interested, I often share scoring videos on my Instagram.

Carefully place the scored dough with parchment into the dutch oven and immediately cover it with the lid.

Bake at 500ºF (260ºC) for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn down the oven to 450ºF (232ºC) and bake with the lid off for 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Finally, enjoy cutting into the crunchy topping to reveal this hypnotic loaf!

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How to Serve Black Sesame Sourdough Bread

I enjoy this loaf with butter and a drizzle of honey. The honey balances out the nutty and earthy flavor of the black sesame paste. Mascarpone or cream cheese is also welcome here.

The loaf pairs well with savory lunch sandwiches, avocado toast, or toasted with soups.

For an eye-popping addition to a caesar salad, soup, or panzanella salad you can make croutons! Cut into cubes, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and better. Then, bake in the oven at 350ºF until the croutons are crispy.

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How to Store Black Sesame Sourdough Bread

Due to the added fat in the loaf, this bread stays soft and retains moisture better than typical sourdough bread. Furthermore, it also slices more easily because the crust isn’t as tough.

Store sourdough bread cut-side down once sliced. This helps the loaf keep more moisture so it doesn’t dry out and become stale.

Then, wrap the loaf in a tea towel and place it in a bread bag, bread box, or brown paper bag, where it will stay fresh for about three days. After a couple of days, you may need to reheat or toast slices.

You can freeze sourdough bread by cutting slices and placing them in a freezer-safe bag where it will keep for months. To thaw, reheat the frozen slices in a toaster oven, toaster, or oven.

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Black Sesame Sourdough Bread FAQs:

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