MAKES: 1 medium loaf
PREPARATION: 20 min
COOKING: 13 min
INGREDIENTS
– 250 g / 2 cups bread flour
– 7 g / 0.25 oz / 2¼ tsp instant dried yeast
– 200 ml / ¾ cup + 4 tsp warm water
– 2 tsp caster/fine sugar
– 1 tsp fine salt
– 15 ml / 1 tbsp olive oil, for glazing
– Handful of white and black sesame seeds
METHOD
1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Create a small well in the middle of the flour and add the yeast. Pour the water into the well and mix everything together with your hands. At this stage, the dough should be very wet and fairly hard to manage.
3. Cover the mixing bowl with cling film and leave to prove for about one hour (or until it has doubled in size).
4. Flour a work surface and tip the proven dough out onto the work surface making sure to add lots of flour to avoid sticking. Shape the dough into a flat circle (about 2-3 cm high).
5. Place the dough on an olive oil-greased baking tray. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 250° C / 480° F in the last 20 minutes of this time.
6. Dent the top of the dough by first drawing a rough inner circle (with your fingertips) of about 3 cm from the edge of the bread. Then fill in the centre of the inner circle with criss-crossed diagonal lines about 2-3 cm apart.
7. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds and press the seeds in as far as you can to make sure that they stay in the bread.
8. Bake the bread for 8 minutes at 250° C / 480° F and then turn the oven down to 200° C / 390° F and bake for another 5 minutes (or until golden brown).
