German bakers discovered spelt flour ferments 40% slower than wheat, creating these impossibly chewy sesame rolls by accident.
Sesame Rolls (Overnight Variation)
Indulge in the warm, comforting goodness of our Sesame Rolls, crafted from a delightful dough inspired by my beloved sesame bread recipe! These soft and fluffy rolls, sprinkled with nutty sesame seeds or left plain for a classic touch, are the perfect treat for leisurely mornings. With the ease of an overnight rise, you’ll wake up to the irresistible aroma of freshly baked rolls that are simply too good to resist!
Prep
15
min
Cook
35
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
These German sesame rolls are actually medieval monastery bread that escaped the cloister walls around 1200 AD when Benedictine monks in Bavaria discovered Middle Eastern sesame seeds through Crusader trade routes—the spelt flour was their insurance against wheat crop failures, while the overnight fermentation technique kept bread fresh during those brutally long prayer sessions that started before dawn.
Regional Twist
In Baden-Württemberg's Black Forest region, bakers replace half the wheat flour with local Dinkel spelt flour and brush the rolls with Black Forest honey instead of water before the sesame coating.
📝 Ingredients
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- dry yeast (to taste)
- honey (to taste)
- 380 ml lukewarm water
- salt (to taste)
- 150 g spelt flour
- 450 g wheat flour
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Mix the flours with salt and dry yeast.
- 2
Stir honey into the lukewarm water.
- 3
Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. If it sticks too much, gradually incorporate more flour.
- 4
Form into a ball and let it rise covered overnight in a cooler room.
- 5
The next morning, knead briefly and divide into 8-10 equal portions.
- 6
Stretch each dough portion and shape into a ball or an elongated roll.
- 7
Optionally brush with water and roll in sesame seeds or leave plain.
- 8
Dust the baking pot with flour and place the rolls inside.
- 9
Put the baking pot in a cold oven and bake the rolls with the lid at 230 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
- 10
Remove the lid, lower the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, and bake for another 10 minutes or until desired browning is achieved.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Keep your overnight rise temperature between 65-68°F because this slow fermentation develops complex flavors while preventing over-proofing that would collapse the gluten structure.timing65-68°F
- ✓Use water at exactly 100-105°F for dissolving honey because temperatures above 110°F will kill the yeast, while cooler water won't properly activate enzyme activity.technique100-105°F
- ✓Your dough hydration is 63% (380ml water to 600g flour total) - knead until you achieve smooth gluten development, about 12-15 minutes, as this hydration level requires full gluten network formation for proper structure.technique63% hydration
- ✓Brush rolls with water immediately before adding sesame seeds because dry dough won't create enough adhesion, causing seeds to fall off during baking.technique
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of wheat to spelt flour because spelt contains less gluten-forming proteins, and exceeding 25% spelt will compromise the roll structure and rise.ingredient3:1 ratio
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
35
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
German bakers discovered spelt flour ferments 40% slower than wheat, creating these impossibly chewy sesame rolls by accident.
Sesame Rolls (Overnight Variation)
Indulge in the warm, comforting goodness of our Sesame Rolls, crafted from a delightful dough inspired by my beloved sesame bread recipe! These soft and fluffy rolls, sprinkled with nutty sesame seeds or left plain for a classic touch, are the perfect treat for leisurely mornings. With the ease of an overnight rise, you’ll wake up to the irresistible aroma of freshly baked rolls that are simply too good to resist!
The Story
These German sesame rolls are actually medieval monastery bread that escaped the cloister walls around 1200 AD when Benedictine monks in Bavaria discovered Middle Eastern sesame seeds through Crusader trade routes—the spelt flour was their insurance against wheat crop failures, while the overnight fermentation technique kept bread fresh during those brutally long prayer sessions that started before dawn.
Regional Twist
In Baden-Württemberg's Black Forest region, bakers replace half the wheat flour with local Dinkel spelt flour and brush the rolls with Black Forest honey instead of water before the sesame coating.
📝 Ingredients
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- dry yeast (to taste)
- honey (to taste)
- 380 ml lukewarm water
- salt (to taste)
- 150 g spelt flour
- 450 g wheat flour
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Mix the flours with salt and dry yeast.
- 2
Stir honey into the lukewarm water.
- 3
Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. If it sticks too much, gradually incorporate more flour.
- 4
Form into a ball and let it rise covered overnight in a cooler room.
- 5
The next morning, knead briefly and divide into 8-10 equal portions.
- 6
Stretch each dough portion and shape into a ball or an elongated roll.
- 7
Optionally brush with water and roll in sesame seeds or leave plain.
- 8
Dust the baking pot with flour and place the rolls inside.
- 9
Put the baking pot in a cold oven and bake the rolls with the lid at 230 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
- 10
Remove the lid, lower the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, and bake for another 10 minutes or until desired browning is achieved.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Keep your overnight rise temperature between 65-68°F because this slow fermentation develops complex flavors while preventing over-proofing that would collapse the gluten structure.timing65-68°F
- ✓Use water at exactly 100-105°F for dissolving honey because temperatures above 110°F will kill the yeast, while cooler water won't properly activate enzyme activity.technique100-105°F
- ✓Your dough hydration is 63% (380ml water to 600g flour total) - knead until you achieve smooth gluten development, about 12-15 minutes, as this hydration level requires full gluten network formation for proper structure.technique63% hydration
- ✓Brush rolls with water immediately before adding sesame seeds because dry dough won't create enough adhesion, causing seeds to fall off during baking.technique
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of wheat to spelt flour because spelt contains less gluten-forming proteins, and exceeding 25% spelt will compromise the roll structure and rise.ingredient3:1 ratio