Sesame Turmeric Bread with charnushka seeds and onion

Imagine a fall day when the leaves have suddenly turned and the sky is blue and the ground is a blanket of gold dappled with orange and red. Imagine bread both familiar and exotic, a soft loaf with the nutty hint of sesame, the golden glow of turmeric, a little spice, a little comfort.

The days grow shorter but they are glorious days. Seek out the sun and hold it in the cup of your hand. Be amazed that your hands can be a cup, a fork, a knife, a spoon. Be grateful for the heat of the oven and the scent of bread baking. Share.

Sesame Turmeric Bread

a beautiful decorative loaf made with charnushka seeds and onion

adapted from the Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book potato bread recipe.

makes two loaves

ingredients

• 1 cup European style yogurt (or kefir, or butter milk)
• 1 medium potato (about 8 ounces) peeled, cooked and mashed
• 1 cup potato water, reserved, hot
• 2 tsps active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (no more than 115F)
• 2 TBSP honey
• 2 TBSP sesame oil
• 3-4 cups bread flour (500g)
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (300g)
• 2 teaspoon diamond kosher salt (12g)
• 1 medium large yellow onion- about 1 1/2 cups- finely chopped

• a glug of oil for cooking the onion
• 2 TBSP tahini
• 2 tsps lemon juice
• 1/2-1 tsp diamond kosher salt (5g)
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground garlic
• butter for greasing
• charnushka seeds for sprinkling (you could use black sesame seeds instead)

Instructions

1. Peel and cook the potato until tender in about 2 cups water.
2. Mash the cooked potato with 1 cup of the potato water.
3. Mix together the potato slurry, yogurt, oil, and honey.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
5. Stir the potato mixture in with the yeast slurry.
6. Whisk together the flours and add to the mixing bowl a cup at a time to form a stiff dough. (The original recipe calls for 900g of flour, this worked the first time I made this but when I made a second batch with leftover mashed potatoes I had to lower the flour quantity a bit)
7. Knead the dough on low until the dough is soft, supple, and smooth.
8. Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise once more as before. The second rising will take about half as much time as the first.
9. While the dough is rising- prepare the filling.  Cook the chopped onion over a low/medium low heat until soft and translucent (20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally). Combine the onion, tahini, lemon juice, and spices in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined and spreadable.
10. Press the dough flat and divide in two, lightly round and let rest until relaxed.
11. Butter your loaf pans.
12. Roll out half the dough as long as you’d like about the length of your loaf pans. Spread half the filling, leaving an inch or so along the edges so it doesn’t squirt out when you roll the dough. (I made a single layer roll and a double layer roll, see photos). Sprinkle with seeds and roll into a loaf.
13. Lightly seal edges and place seam side down. Cut the loaf in half length wise and gently “braid” the bread.
14. Place the braid in the buttered bread pan and let rise in a warm, humid, draft-free place until the dough doesn’t spring back when gently pressed (usually only about 20-30 minutes). Repeat.
15. Bake about an hour at 350F. Cover, if necessary, near the end of cooking to prevent over browning. Cook until deep golden, check with probe thermometer to make sure the interior dough is at least 195F.
16. Brush with butter if desired. Let cool for at least fifteen minutes before slicing.

notes- when making a stuffed loaf I always double check doneness with a probe thermometer. These two loaves varied in bake time by almost ten minutes.

the original recipe calls for 6 cups (900g) whole wheat bread flour I wanted a lighter loaf that still had structure so I opted for my combo

Sesame Turmeric Bread

Decorative and flavorful bread with with tahini, turmeric, and charnushka seeds

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine Baking

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup European style yogurt or kefir, or butter milk
• 1 medium potato about 8 ounces peeled, cooked and mashed
• 1 cup potato water reserved, hot
• 2 tsps active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water no more than 115F
• 2 TBSP honey
• 2 TBSP sesame oil
• 3-4 cups bread flour 500g
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 300g
• 2 teaspoon diamond kosher salt 12g
• 1 medium large yellow onion- about 1 1/2 cups- finely chopped
• a glug of oil for cooking the onion
• 2 TBSP tahini
• 2 tsps lemon juice
• 1/2-1 tsp diamond kosher salt 5g
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground garlic
• butter for greasing
• charnushka seeds for sprinkling you could use black sesame seeds instead

Instructions

 

• Peel and cook the potato until tender in about 2 cups water.
• Mash the cooked potato with 1 cup of the potato water.
• Mix together the potato slurry, yogurt, oil, and honey.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
• Stir the potato mixture in with the yeast slurry.
• Whisk together the flours and add to the mixing bowl a cup at a time to form a stiff dough. (The original recipe calls for 900g of flour, this worked the first time I made this but when I made a second batch with leftover mashed potatoes I had to lower the flour quantity a bit)
• Knead the dough on low until the dough is soft, supple, and smooth.
• Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise once more as before. The second rising will take about half as much time as the first.
• While the dough is rising- prepare the filling. Cook the chopped onion over a low/medium low heat until soft and translucent (20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally). Combine the onion, tahini, lemon juice, and spices in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined and spreadable.
• Press the dough flat and divide in two, lightly round and let rest until relaxed.
• Butter your loaf pans.
• Roll out half the dough as long as you’d like about the length of your loaf pans. Spread half the filling, leaving an inch or so along the edges so it doesn’t squirt out when you roll the dough. (I made a single layer roll and a double layer roll, see photos). Sprinkle with seeds and roll into a loaf.
• Lightly seal edges and place seam side down. Cut the loaf in half length wise and gently “braid” the bread.
• Place the braid in the buttered bread pan and let rise in a warm, humid, draft-free place until the dough doesn’t spring back when gently pressed (usually only about 20-30 minutes). Repeat.
• Bake about an hour at 350F. Cover, if necessary, near the end of cooking to prevent over browning. Cook until deep golden, check with probe thermometer to make sure the interior dough is at least 195F.
• Brush with butter if desired. Let cool for at least fifteen minutes before slicing.

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