Tahini Bread Rolls with Sesame and Nigella Seeds – Tahinli Ekmek

Posted by Ozlem on Feb 15, 2011 in Savory Pastries, Uncategorized | 2 comments

This tahini bread recipe is from the southern part of Turkey, Antakya (Antioch).
Tahini is widely used especially in southern and eastern parts of Turkey for making dips (like hummus), casseroles, sauces and baking. When used in baking, you could smell the wonderful aromas of these breads from the local bakeries as of early in the morning, very inviting. Sesame and nigella seeds are widely used especially at decorating the savory pastries (boreks) and breads at home. They all add a wonderful taste and texture, like in this delicious bread rolls, worth trying.

This is my 100th post on this blog and I wanted to share this special recipe from my hometown.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 min (+45 min for the dough to rise)
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

For the dough:

455gr/1lb plain flour
7gr/1sachet of dry yeast
5gr/1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
240ml/8fl oz/1 cup warm water
45ml/3 tablespoons mild olive oil

For the filling and decoration:

30ml/2 tablespoons tahini
15ml/1tablespoon nigella seeds
15ml/1 tablespoon sesame seeds
30ml/2 tablespoons mild olive oil

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Stir in the olive oil. Add warm water and mix to form a soft dough. Knead for 10 minutes on a floured surface or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape like a ball and cover the dough with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until double in size.

Generously oil a baking tray. Take about a tennis ball size dough and roll out the ball to make a small oval shape, about 15cm/6in long. Spread a generous teaspoon of tahini in the middle of the dough and roll like a cigar. Then swirl to make a spiral, tucking the end of the roll under the roll. Place the finished roll on the greased tray and decorate with sprinkle of sesame and nigella seeds. Tap the top of the dough gently for the seeds to settle. Repeat these steps for the rest of the dough.

Place the tray in the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until the top of the rolls start to get a golden color.

Serve the rolls warm with delicious dips like walnut red pepper paste spread, hummus or soups. They are also nice with butter and jam.

Afiyet Olsun!

Note: Tahini is a thick, smooth paste derived from ground sesame seeds. It has a wonderfully rich, nutty flavor with a creamy texture, and it is rich in protein, iron, and essential fatty acids but has no cholesterol. It is natural for the sesame oil to separate; simply stir to blend the oil back into the pulp.