Old-fashioned sesame-wheat bread
This bread has been a staple in my household for a few weeks simply because we are crazy about its texture and the flavor of sesame seeds in it. I adapted the recipe a little bit by using a white whole wheat flour instead of the regular whole wheat flour. The result is exactly what I want in a wheat bread, soft with golden crust. Some time I will leave the crust unadorned, some other time I brush it with milk and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. Using toasted sesame seeds seem to heighten the flavor of it, though it’s fine to use untoasted seeds. The recipe came from my beloved book, The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. But even though the recipe is for a bread machine, I actually use the machine only to knead the dough and do the rest in the oven. I’m really partial to use milk and/or a combination of milk and water to achieve the best texture, and this bread is one of the best recipes in the book. Using only oil and/or water quite often resulted in a dryer bread and that’s not what my family like. The recipe suggested to eat the bread the day it’s made and I’ve proven that it actually lasted longer than one day! Even after three or four days in my bread box, it’s still unbelievably soft.
Old-Fashioned Sesame-Wheat Bread
For 1 1/2-pound loaf
3/4 cup water
3/8 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 1/4 cups bread flour
3/8 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set to Dough cycle; press Start. While the dough is rising, grease a 9×5 x 2-inch loaf pan.
When the Dough cycle ends, immediately remove the dough from the pan. Using a rolling pin, and on a work surface lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking, roll out the dough into a rectangular. Roll the dough by the short side tightly to form a loaf. Place it in the pan, cover and let it rise until doubled in bulk for about 1 hour (preferably in a warm temperature setting).
About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. If you desired, brush the crust with egg wash or milk and scatter some sesame seeds on top. Bake the bread for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove the bread from the loaf and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
Source: adapted from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger
Finger Sticks French Toast
And to add some variety of our daily breakfast, I made finger stick French toast using this bread. This time instead of using whole eggs I used leftover egg whites. Now, the toast wasn’t exactly as fluffy as it would had been dipped in whole eggs mixture, but it was pretty good and quite healthy. The recipe for egg white French toast could be found on the Internet. Four egg whites combine with milk, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon would be enough to soak about 4-5 slices of bread. You could leave the bread whole, make them to sticks, hearts or whatever shape you like. Serve with maple syrup and maybe some fresh fruits, you’ll have a wholesome breakfast.
Wow Eliza it’s beautiful. It really is.
hey, you’re quick! thanks…
Comment by Noble Pig — April 20, 2008 @ 4:01 pm
I seriously want some of that bread. Haven’t baked anything for such a long time. now I miss my kitchen.
awww…i’m sorry. i know if i can’t baked anything, at least i have to eat baked goods
Comment by Anh — April 20, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
Wow! That would be PERFECT for a peanut butter sandwich! Absolutely perfect. It looks so delicious!
thank you…my hubby is the one who’s been eating it with peanut butter!
Comment by FLG — April 20, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
Do you have an experience to use starter with bread making machine ?.
do you mean a sourdough starter or a bread mix? i’ve never tried both of them actually. i love to try sourdough starter but haven’t had a time to do it yet.
Comment by Marlin — April 20, 2008 @ 11:40 pm
wah mba eliza foto2 rutinya keren deh…nyontek resepnya ya..
boleh aja Lina…terima kasih udah mampir disini.
Comment by Lina Hidayat — April 21, 2008 @ 12:31 am
keren banget ihh, gua sih ga bisa bikin roti…bisanya beli dari bakery terdekat kekeke
kalo yg dijual di bakery enak2 sih gue juga mau Rit
Comment by rita — April 21, 2008 @ 12:45 am
Lovely bread, but the sticky finger idea is the best – Saturday morning food.
that’s right Nina, this is a favorite of our weekend foods…
Comment by Nina — April 21, 2008 @ 1:10 am
nah kalo ini roti beneran ya. Bukan roti2an kayak sour cream twist kemaren
. rotinya gendut menul menul menggiurkan sekale!
doh…kasian tu sour cream twist dibilang roti bo’ong
roti ini top deh pokoknya…
Comment by dita — April 21, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Juara deh si ibu ini kalo udah bikin roti. Fotonya cakep abis. Harum raginya serasa nyampe idung gue, Liz
How are you? Masih mau gue kirimin buku Thesaurus Bahasa Indonesia buat bokap?
thanks Ri…coba bisa di scratch & sniff ya fotonya
gue kirim email deh ke elo yah…
Comment by Riana — April 21, 2008 @ 11:41 am
I just love the way your photos leap off the screen. They’re always so enticing!
thanks you Susan..
Comment by Susan from Food Blogga — April 21, 2008 @ 3:45 pm
Wow, how lovely your bread looks, I’m so tempted to make it this weekend! first time here, nice to meet you!
love,
Mrs Ergül
hi Pei Lin! grins I didn’t know this was you…
Comment by Mrs Ergül — April 21, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
That’s one beautiful loaf!
thank you Mari!
Comment by mari — April 22, 2008 @ 5:29 am
That is a yummy looking loaf of bread, Liz. I’m curious about baking with sesame seeds now!
you should try…I’ve been a fan of sesame seeds forever. I especially like sesame seed bagels
Comment by Patricia Scarpin — April 22, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
i can almost smell the bread baking! looks delicious!
it were, it were!
Comment by missy — April 22, 2008 @ 11:00 pm
ooohhh noooo…...so beautifulll…!!..jadi pengen makan nih, canggih banget bisa bikin roti…:D
hehe..emangnya kamu gak bisa bikin roti Sye? gak susah2 amat koq bikin roti, apalagi kalo yg ngadonin itu mesin
Comment by elsye — April 23, 2008 @ 2:34 am
I can smell it from here! And the toasts look delicious!
yaoza! glad you like it
Comment by Tartelette — April 26, 2008 @ 11:48 pm
how can you make home made bread look so gorgeous and simple !
i’m still so scared to try to bake some bread.
you are?! i can’t believe it…your blog is full of wonderful things! bread is not so hard, especially with the machine doing the kneading. i do breads that are simple, no sourdough or starter sponge bread for me yet.
Comment by kate — April 27, 2008 @ 10:20 am
if you visit sprinkles in newport beach, make sure to get the red velvet cupcake…that’s my favorite!!
laguna beach is also a great place to visit if you have time.
oh, yeah…i know Laguna Beach. i went to college in Long Beach, so i definitely missed So Cal beaches!
Comment by missy — April 28, 2008 @ 9:56 am
Sounds delicious and looks beautiful
thanks for visiting and commenting, Felicia!
Comment by Felicia — April 29, 2008 @ 9:45 am