How to Make Sesame Bread
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SERVINGS:
6
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PREP TIME:
360 MINUTES
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COOK TIME:
60 MINUTES
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INGREDIENTS
3 c | |
2 tbsp | |
6 c | |
1 tbsp | |
2 tsp | |
PREPARATION OF THIS HEALTHY RECIPE
1. Make the Sponge First Rising (one hour)
1T Yeast
2T Honey
1c Absolutely lukewarm water
2c Spelt Flour
Mix the honey with the absolutely lukewarm water. Dissolve the yeast in the honey water to activate it. Wait until the yeast is bubbling and frothing up (about 20 minutes). Add the flour and whip the sponge with an egg beater, about 100 strokes. Cover and let the dough rise for 40 minutes, or until double in size. Covering is important because it helps the yeast hold its heat and quickens rising time.
Hint: Bread making is yoga: Right-handed folks should use their left hand and left-handed folks their right. The opposite hand balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Caution: Cooked honey is considered sticky and toxic in Ayurveda, clogging the channels. We used honey here assuming it gets digested by the yeast. The safer option is agave syrup.
2. Complete the batter Second Rising (one hour)
1c Ground sesame seed (use a coffee grinder)
2c Spelt flour
2t Salt
2c Additional flour for kneading
Mix in the ground sesame, salt, and flour into the batter. Continue adding flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Strengthen the dough by following these important rules: 1) Knead the dough at least 10 minutes or until it is very springy; 2) Never cut or break the dough after step one above; 3) Always fold, knead, or stir in the same direction to lengthen the strands of protein.
To knead the dough: 1) If the dough is sticky, sprinkle the counter surface and dough completely with some additional flour. 2) Then, pull the far side of the dough over the near side, completely covering it plus some. 3) Push both wrists into the dough away from you. 4) Turn the dough by one quarter. Repeat these steps for at least 10 minutes or until very springy.
Clean the bread bowl and oil the surface. Place the dough in the bowl and cover. Let it rise for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
3) Third Rising (one hour)
Punch the dough down. Cover and let rise another 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
4) Fourth Rising (one and a half hours)
Punch the dough down. Oil the muffin pan. I use muffin pans because the serving size is perfect and there are plenty of crispy edges. Fill the muffin holes half way. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Let rise for 20 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?
CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW
Bread is about sharing life. Autumn is a time of sharing, as people gather together to warm each other as the days get shorter and cooler. This nuturing bread recipe reminds us to revel in the togetherness of colder weather. Thanksgiving is on its way, and the joy and celebration of the winter holidays are right around the corner. Baking breads grounds us, easing the transition from the burn-out of late summer to the restful nature of the chilly months. If you can accept and embrace the flow of the seasons, there is no reason to fear the illnesses that come from rejecting the needs of our bodies during seasonal change. If you are able to digest grains, grains build
ojas, which is the essence of all bodily tissues. Ojas is Ayurveda's word for nourishing. Ojas builds heartiness, which strengthens your resiliency to disease. Ojas gets depleted by the hot rays of the sun, which dry bodily tissues. Rebuilding ojas in the fall is a great way to prepare for winter.
Spelt flour is a special kind of wheat flour with less gluten, so it can be easier to digest than regular wheat. Sesame provides rich ojas-building oils and is warming for colder temperatures of the fall.
All breads are drying and soak up precious digestive juices in the stomach. We recommend hydrating this bread first by dipping it in a
sambar soup, or a delicious seasonal soup of your choice. Or, generously slather the bread with ghee.
WHAT IS SESAME BREAD?
I've had a vision of light, fluffy-fresh baked bread for several years, of wholesome goodness without the stickiness of high-gluten wheat flours. After many experiments, I finally spent a morning sunrise re-reading the famous
Tassajara Bread Book looking for hidden hints I might have missed. It had been several years since the first time I thumbed through its contemplative reflections on folding hands & kneading dough. This recipe is modeled after Tassajara Bread Recipe #1.
September sesame bread recipe was also built with hints from many cooks from Virginia to New Mexico. For example, Frank Cook taught me to activate the yeast in honey. Two hidden hints from
Tassajara were notablewhipping the sponge and strengthening the dough, explained below. Golden brown, breath, bread of lifebaking bread is a quiet act in embodying a spiritual life. Welcome.
Makes 6+ muffins. Takes one hour of work and six hours of waiting, meditating, or sitting on the porch.
AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT
Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances.
With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you.
Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature.
By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health.
See How it Works.