Floating sesame loaf
Instructions:
- 2½ cups regular whole wheat or white whole wheat flour (10¾ ounces), plus 3–7 tablespoons as needed;
- 5 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds;
- 2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast;
- 1 teaspoon sugar;
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt;
- 1¼ cups lukewarm water (90 F to 100 F);
- Medium or coarse cornmeal, for sprinkling.
- Fill a stockpot or a 4-quart saucepan (about 5 inches high) with cold tap water to 1 inch below the rim.
- Whisk together the whole wheat flour, 3 tablespoons of the sesame seeds, and the yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water. Using a wooden spoon or a dough whisk, and starting from the center, gradually stir in the flour until a pretty moist dough forms and all the flour has been incorporated.
- Scrape the sticky mass onto a well-floured work surface. Sprinkle with 1 scant tablespoon of flour. Knead the dough with floured hands, incorporating additional flour by the ½ tablespoonful just until the dough is supple and smooth with a slight tackiness, about 2 minutes. Depending on the flour you use and the humidity, you should need only 2 to 5 tablespoons (the dough will continue to absorb more flour at the expense of lightness, but don’t add more!). Quickly form a round ball, folding any loose ends into the bottom, and gently deposit the dough into the water in the stockpot.
- Meanwhile, position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and place a large baking sheet (or a 10-inch cast-iron skillet) on it. Preheat oven to 425°F. While you wait for the dough to rise, which typically takes 7 to 15 minutes (up to 30 minutes), sprinkle a 12 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper with cornmeal. Generously flour your work surface.
- Once the dough rises to the surface of the water (it will slowly puff like a balloon before popping up), remove it with both hands, letting excess water drain between your fingers. Transfer the dough—it will feel like wet clay—to the work surface. Dry and then flour your hands, and dust the wet surface of the dough with 1 scant tablespoon flour. Working briskly, give the dough not more than a few gentle turns, adding flour by the ½ tablespoonful, and then gently stretch the “skin” or surface of the dough from the top to the bottom all around to form a ball with a few loose ends at the bottom. (This stretching is a handy little step—otherwise your loaf might crack around the sides. However, cracks are no more than an optical flaw, which, in my opinion, is cracks are no more than an optical flaw, which, in my opinion, is also the beauty of handmade.) Kneading and shaping should not take longer than 40 seconds and should not incorporate more than 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour. The dough can be quite slack, even stretchy.
- Transfer the dough to the parchment paper. It will look somewhat flat. Cover with a dish towel (not terry cloth) and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, brush with water and gently press the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame seeds all over the surface. Using a sharp knife, make three ¼-inch-deep cuts across the loaf. Transfer the parchment paper with the dough to the baking sheet (or set in the cast-iron pan).
- Bake until the loaf is well risen and light golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped (or when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 200°F), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the parchment paper 10 minutes before the end of baking for a better crust. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely—about 2 hours, for best flavor and texture— before cutting. The loaf might have quite a crust at first, but it will soon soften nicely. Wait if you can!
- TO VARY IT: To form a sesame bread ring: At the end of step 5, once you have formed the dough ball, create the ring. Flour your hands. Holding the dough in both hands, gently form a hole in the middle by pulling the center apart—first with both your thumbs from the top, and then molding it with the rest of your fingers from the bottom. The hole should be at least 3 inches wide. Or make a hazelnut-raisin loaf: Use naturally sweeter white whole wheat flour (instead of regular whole wheat) for a more appealing loaf, and add 1 tablespoon sugar (not 1 teaspoon). Instead of the sesame seeds, measure ¼ cup dark raisins and ½ cup toasted chopped hazelnuts. Add the raisins and ¼ cup of the hazelnuts to the dough in step 2 (instead of sesame seeds). And in step 6, gently press the remaining ¼ cup hazelnuts (instead of sesame seeds) all over the surface.