Barbari Sesame Bread

Grooved oven bread with a soda-water glaze adaptation.

Preparation: 20 min · Cooking: 15 min · Total: 1 hr 50 min · 2 servings

Ingredients

• 465 ml All-purpose flour FOR DOUGH
• 1 tsp Instant dry yeast
• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
• 0.5 tsp Fine salt
• 15 ml All-purpose flour RESERVED for kneading and shaping
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 180 ml Warm dough water, about 30°C
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil FOR DOUGH
• 1 tsp Food-grade baking soda FOR GLAZE
• 45 ml Separate hot water FOR GLAZE

Instructions

1. Reserve 15 ml dusting flour separately from 465 ml dough flour.

   Reserve 15 ml dusting flour separately from 465 ml dough flour. Half uses 232.5 + 7.5 ml; fourfold 1860 + 60 ml, with NO glaze flour added.

2. Mix dough flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt in a clean bowl.

   Mix dough flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt in a clean bowl. Keep the reserved dusting flour out of this initial mix.

3. Add the measured warm dough water and vegetable oil.

   Add the measured warm dough water and vegetable oil. Mix until a soft cohesive dough forms.

4. Knead on a clean counter from 8 minutes until smooth and pliable.

   Knead on a clean counter from 8 minutes until smooth and pliable. Use only the reserved dusting allowance as needed across kneading and shaping.

   First check: 480 seconds

5. Return dough to its bowl and cover away from heat.

   Return dough to its bowl and cover away from heat. Let rise from 60 minutes until doubled, guided by dough rather than time alone.

   First check: 3600 seconds

6. Shape one approximately 30 cm oval for the base, a smaller similar-thickness oval for half, or four base-sized ovals for fourfold.

   Shape one approximately 30 cm oval for the base, a smaller similar-thickness oval for half, or four base-sized ovals for fourfold. Use only remaining reserved dusting flour.

7. Press about five parallel grooves gently into each oval without tearing holes.

   Press about five parallel grooves gently into each oval without tearing holes. Rest on a suitable cool carrier from 15 minutes until slightly puffy.

   First check: 900 seconds

8. Dissolve the food-grade baking soda in the separate 45 ml hot base glaze water.

   Dissolve the food-grade baking soda in the separate 45 ml hot base glaze water. Let it cool to a safely warm brushing temperature, not scalding hot.

9. Preheat the conventional oven to 230°C with a suitable rated metal tray.

   Preheat the conventional oven to 230°C with a suitable rated metal tray. Use only a compatible rated liner and safe tools, never an arbitrary oven maximum or unspecified stone transfer.

10. Brush a thin layer of warm glaze without pooling and distribute the measured sesame.

    Brush a thin layer of warm glaze without pooling and distribute the measured sesame. This is a soda-water adaptation, not a flour Roomal formula.

11. Transfer the bread safely to the hot tray with suitable tools and dry oven gloves.

    Transfer the bread safely to the hot tray with suitable tools and dry oven gloves. Bake at 230°C from 10–12 minutes, in manageable batches.

    First check: 720 seconds

12. Continue the 230°C bake until the interior is fully cooked without raw dough, not just a golden blistered crust.

    Continue the 230°C bake until the interior is fully cooked without raw dough, not just a golden blistered crust. Cool on a clean rack before handling.

13. Do not taste raw dough or add flour/oil beyond the listed allowance.

    Do not taste raw dough or add flour/oil beyond the listed allowance. Discard unused dough-contact glaze safely; cheese and tea are only optional separate accompaniments.

Tips

• Cup = 240 ml; tbsp = 15 ml; tsp = 5 ml. Ingredient amounts scale exactly; instruction amounts describe the base 2 servings. Process waters, retained cooking water, infusion and derived liquids are separate, not guaranteed consumed yields. Times are first checks; keep the same method across scales.

Common mistakes

• Do not restore old draft ingredients or treat colour, fixed times, meat fat percentage or stirring direction as safety guarantees. Keep raw foods and used tools away from ready-to-eat portions.

Substitutions

• Only explicitly listed alternatives are included. Check package ingredients, allergens and required cooking; use pasteurized dairy and the specified dry/cooked pulse states.

Storage

Cool baked bread on a clean rack. Store protected, cool and dry for up to 2 days as a selected quality limit, not a preservation guarantee.

Reheating

Warm only baked bread briefly if desired; never taste raw dough.

About this recipe

Barbari Sesame Bread is presented as the owner's Iranian household version or stated adaptation. Ancient origins, royal exclusivity, therapeutic benefits and universal customs are not independently authenticated.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.