Black Sesame Sourdough Bread

Make the Levain:
In a clean jar, mix the sourdough starter, bread flour, and water for the levain.
Cover and set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until doubled and bubbly.
30 grams Sourdough Starter, 30 grams Bread Flour, 30 grams Water
Autolyse:
Two hours before the levain is ready, start autolyse. In a mixing bowl, mix together the bread and whole wheat flours.
Then, separate the flour into two bowls, one with 250 grams of flour and the other with 150 grams of flour (this is to create one black sesame dough and one regular dough for the swirl effect).
In the larger bowl, add 198 grams of warm water. In the smaller bowl, add 119 grams of water.
Mix together the flour and water just until it comes together and there are minimal dry bits of flour left.
Cover and rest in a warm location for at least two hours or until the levain is ready.
360 grams Bread Flour, 40 grams Whole Wheat Flour, 327 grams Water
Add Levain, Salt, and Mix:
Add 55 grams of the levain into the larger bowl and 30 grams of levain into the smaller bowl. Dimple the levain into the doughs and stretch and fold the doughs upon themselves for a few minutes to incorporate.
Cover and rest in a warm location for 30 minutes.
Mix the larger dough first. Sprinkle 5 grams of sea salt on top with 5 grams of water. Dimple the salt and water into the dough. Stretch and fold the dough upon itself for 5 minutes until thoroughly mixed. At the end of mixing, the dough will be smooth, you should not feel any individual salt granules between your fingers, and the dough will be more extensible.
For the smaller dough, sprinkle 3 grams of sea salt, 5 grams of water, the honey, and black sesame paste. Dimple in and repeat the mixing process, mixing for 7-10 minutes until the dough is dark gray and thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be very sticky.
Cover and rest in a warm location for 30 minutes.
Levain, 8 grams Sea Salt, 23 grams Honey, 64 grams Black Sesame Paste
Bulk Fermentation (Lamination & Coil Folds):
At 78ºF (26ºC), bulk fermentation for this dough typically takes about 5 hours total.
After the 30 minute rest, laminate the black sesame dough into the regular dough. Please see my lamination instructions in the guide for more detail. Cover and rest one hour.
Perform two coil folds separated by one hour each. The dough rests in bulk fermentation for the remainder of the time (2.5-3 hours).
At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough should be smooth and rounded, feel full of air, have visible bubbles, and should wobble/jiggle if shaken. The dough should rise about 50%.
Shape:
Spread a layer of black sesame seeds on a small baking sheet or plate.
Lightly flour the top of the dough and the counter. Gently loosen the dough from the sides of the mixing bowl and turn the dough out onto the counter.
With the help of a bench scraper, shape the dough into a batard (oval) or boule (round). Then, flip the dough seam-side up and use both hands to lay the dough on top of the seeds, rocking it back and forth with your hands to evenly cover.
Lift up and place it seed-side down into a floured banneton.
Stitch the dough in the banneton if it is still loose or slack.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Black Sesame Seeds
Cold Overnight Proof:
Place the covered banneton into a cold refrigerator to proof overnight and for up to 48 hours.
Bake:
Place the empty dutch oven with lid in the oven and preheat for an hour at 500°F (260ºC).
Once preheated, remove the banneton from the refrigerator and turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.
Score the dough with a sharp bread lame about ¼-½" deep.
Transfer the scored dough to the dutch oven and cover it with the lid.
Bake at 500°F (260ºC) for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the oven temperature to 450ºF (232ºC) and bake for 15 minutes with the lid off.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.
Slice and enjoy!

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain

Black Sesame Sourdough Bread

Instructions

Notes