If you are looking for a sourdough recipe with a crisp nutty crust and super soft, bouncy crumb, this recipe is for you. It’s a simple, rustic loaf made with the addition of whole wheat flour and sesame seeds. It is my go-to sourdough bread recipe.

I love a crusty, rustic loaf of sourdough bread. The crust with the addition of sesame seeds makes it even better. As the bread cooks, the seeds toast in the oven giving them a subtle nuttiness. It adds a depth of umami and brings another level of crunchiness to the bread.

This is a fairly easy sourdough recipe, even though it takes quite a bit of time before you will have a baked loaf. The dough comes together quickly in just a couple of minutes. After it is mixed you will perform four total sets of stretches and folds over two hours, every 30 minutes. As the task suggests you are stretching a portion of the dough and folding it back on itself until you have a tight ball. This helps to strengthen the dough. Once complete, cover and let sit to bulk ferment until the dough has risen. It will have doubled in size and have large bubbles around the edges of the bowl.

Once bulk fermentation is done, you will preshape your loaf and let it rest. After the dough is done resting, you will do a final shaping, then spritz the dough with water and coat the outside with sesame seeds. Once shaped and coated in seeds, cover the proofing basket and place it in the fridge to proof for the next 24 hours. I like to use a shower cap to cover my proofing basket. You can leave the dough to proof up to 48 hours in the fridge.

When you are ready to bake, heat your oven with a Dutch oven and pizza stone inside until it comes to temperature. The pizza stone helps to prevent the bottom of the loaf from burning. Remove the dough from the fridge and score. I like to make an X or half moon. Place the dough in a covered Dutch oven for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes or so to get the loaf nice and golden. Simple enough right?

Really, the hardest part about making sourdough is the timing. There is a lot of waiting while the dough comes together, so just be sure to stay around the house, especially in the beginning of the bulk fermentation. There are also a lot of points where you can just pop the dough in the fridge if you are strapped for time. This slows down the fermentation process.

Once the bread is baked let it rest on a wire rack to cool down. You can slice the bread after it has had a chance to cool down for at least an hour. The best slice is the first slice that is all crust when it is fresh out of the oven. Smother it with some good butter and flakey sea salt and enjoy. It is heaven.

sesame-crusted sourdough bread

If you are looking for a sourdough recipe with a crisp nutty crust, and super soft, bouncy crumb, this recipe is for you. A simple, rustic loaf of sourdough bread made with the addition of whole wheat flour and sesame seeds.

Ingredients

425g all-purpose or bread flour
75g whole-wheat flour
100g ripe sourdough starter
375g warm water
12g kosher salt
35g raw sesame seeds

Directions

dough
Add warm water and sourdough starter together in a large bowl and mix. Add flour and salt. Mix until fully combined and form into a shaggy dough ball (I personally just use my hands to mix. It will be sticky and messy, but it’s more fun). Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
stretch and folds
Uncover the bowl and grab a corner of the dough. Pull it up and into the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all four sides have been folded. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Repeat until you’ve performed four sets of stretches and folds over a two-hour period.
bulk fermentation
After the stretches and folds are complete, cover the bowl and let rise at room temperature. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50% in volume, has a few bubbles on the surface, and jiggles when you move the bowl. This will take about 4-8 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen. In the warmer months, this is a faster process.
preshape
Once risen, uncover and coax the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape it into a round by folding the top down to the center, the bottom up to the center, the side to the center, and the other side to the center. Flip the dough over and shape it into a round circle. Continue pushing and pulling the dough into a tighter ball to create tension.
shape
Cover the dough with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dust your proofing basket with flour. Uncover and shape it again the same way as the preshape for a round loaf.
Add sesame seeds to a half-sheet pan or large plate. Spritz the outside of the loaf with water then flip over into the sesame seeds and move back and forth until all sides are coated. Place the round into your lined proofing basket, seam side up.
overnight proof
Cover the dough (I like to use a shower cap) and refrigerate overnight, about 24 hours. You can keep the dough proofed in the fridge for as long as 48 hours.
When ready to bake, place a Dutch oven in the middle of the oven and place a pizza stone under it on the rack beneath. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
bake
Cut a small square of parchment paper and place over the dough. Invert the proofing basket to release the dough. Using the tip of a small knife or a razor blade, score the dough with an X. Carefully lift the parchment paper and transfer the dough into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 400 degrees, and continue baking for 15 more minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before slicing.