Baking Great Bread at HomeSoft butter, egg, and milk crumb with three diagonal sesame stripes
IntermediateEnriched Sesame SandwichLoaf
by Henry Hunter Jr.
A tender everyday loaf with a bakery-window look
Fermentation
1.5-2.5 hours total
Bake Time
35-40 minutes
Yield
One 9x5" loaf, about 12-14 slices. Scale to 1.5x for a 13x4x4" Pullman pan.
Perfection is not required
"Perfection is not required. Progress is."— Henry Hunter Jr.
By Henry Hunter Jr., founder of Crust & Crumb Academy and Baking Great Bread at Home.
Authentic Flavor
Baker, author, and founder of Crust & Crumb Academy
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Dough
An enriched dough for a soft, tender crumb
Topping
Egg wash and the three-stripe sesame finish
Step 1
Mix the Dough
10 minutes mixing
We're building a simple that gives you soft, pillowy sandwich crumb.
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Combine the Wet
Warm the milk to body temp, around 95-100°F (35-38°C), no hotter or it'll fight the yeast. Whisk the egg into the warm milk in your mixer bowl.
Add the Dry and the Butter
Add the bread flour, sugar, salt, instant yeast, and softened butter. With instant yeast there's no bloom time needed.
Mix and Knead
Mix on low with the dough hook for about 2 minutes until it comes together shaggy. The butter makes it look slick and loose at first, then it tightens back up. Bump to medium and knead 8-10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and pulling from the sides of the bowl. Hand mixing: stir to a shaggy mass, turn out, and knead 10-12 minutes.
Pro Tip
The dough should pass the when it's ready. Stretch a small piece thin. If it goes translucent without tearing, you're good.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Kneading
Step 2
First Rise
60-90 minutes
Now we let do the work of building flavor and structure.
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Round and Rest
Shape the dough into a smooth ball, drop it into a lightly greased bowl, and cover it. Let it rise at room temperature until doubled, usually 60-90 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen runs.
⏱ Wait Time
Pro Tip
Go by size, not the clock. Doubled is the target. A cold kitchen will take longer, and that's fine.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Bulk Rise
Step 3
Shape the Loaf
10 minutes
A tight shape now means an even crumb and a loaf that fills the pan corner to corner.
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Degas and Flatten
Turn the dough out and press it into a rough rectangle to knock the big gas bubbles out. Keep it gentle.
Roll into a Cylinder
Roll the dough into a tight log the length of your pan, sealing the seam as you go. Tension matters here. A slack shape leaves gaps in the crumb.
Pan It
Set the log seam side down in a greased 9x5" loaf pan. If you scaled to 1.5x, use your 13x4x4" Pullman and make sure the log reaches end to end.
Pro Tip
For the 1.5x Pullman scale, bake it top-off so the loaf can crown and brown. Leave the lid on only if you want the flat, square pain de mie look.
Step 4
Final Proof
45-60 minutes
The last rise before the oven. This is where you set the height of your crown.
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Proof to the Rim
Cover and let the loaf rise until the crown sits about an inch above the rim of the pan, roughly 45-60 minutes.
Check with the Poke Test
Use the . A light press should spring back slowly and hold a slight dent. If it springs right back, give it more time. If the dent stays flat, it's slightly over, so get it into the oven.
⏱ Wait Time
Pro Tip
The bigger 1.5x batch holds heat and can move faster than you expect. Watch the crown height, not the timer.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Final Proof
Step 5
Egg Wash and Sesame Stripes
5 minutes
The signature look. Three clean diagonal sesame stripes across a glossy top.
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Brush the Egg Wash
Beat one egg with a splash of milk and brush the whole top of the loaf. This gives you the shine and helps the sesame stick.
Lay the Stencil
Lay three strips of parchment or clean masking tape diagonally across the top, evenly spaced, leaving three open gaps between them for the stripes.
Seed and Peel
Sprinkle white sesame heavy into the open gaps so they're well coated, then peel the strips off cleanly. You're left with three crisp diagonal stripes.
Optional Score
If you want to score, keep it shallow and simple, one line matching the stripe angle. Skip the egg wash on the score line itself so it opens cleaner. Enriched dough splits softly, so don't expect a dramatic ear.
Pro Tip
Don't freehand the sesame. It smears. The stencil is what gets you those crisp Adidas-style lines every time.
Step 6
Bake
Top-off in the pan so it crowns and browns like a proper sandwich loaf.
Step by Step
Bake
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35-40 minutes for the single loaf, or 40-50 minutes for the 1.5x Pullman, until deep golden all over.
Check Internal Temp
Pull it when the center hits 190-195°F (88-91°C). Temp is the real answer, not the clock.
Tent if Needed
If the top is browning faster than the inside is cooking, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Bake
Baked at 350°F (175°C) by accident? It still works, it just runs 5-10 minutes longer. Go by internal temp and you're covered.
Baking Methods
Top-off bake in a 9x5" pan for a golden crown
Equipment: Greased 9x5" loaf pan
Bake
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35-40 minutes until deep golden brown.
Check Internal Temp
Internal temperature should reach 190-195°F (88-91°C).
Cool Before Slicing
Turn out onto a rack immediately, then cool at least 45 minutes before slicing.
"Bake top-off so the loaf crowns and browns. Leave the Pullman lid on only if you want the flat, square pain de mie shape instead of a rounded top."
Step 7
Cool and Slice
45+ minutes
The hardest part. Let it cool so the crumb sets.
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Out of the Pan
Turn the loaf out onto a rack right away so it doesn't steam itself soft sitting in the pan.
Cool Completely
Let it cool all the way before slicing, at least 45 minutes. Slicing warm gums up the crumb, and that enriched smell will test your patience.
Pro Tip
This loaf makes exceptional toast and the best grilled cheese you'll get out of your own kitchen.
Nutrition Facts
Per 1 slice • 13 servings per recipe
* Values are estimates based on standard ingredients; actual values vary by brands and portion size.
Storage
Room Temperature
3-4 days in a bread bag or wrapped in a clean towel
Refrigerated
Don't refrigerate. It dries out and stales faster.
Frozen
Up to 3 months. Slice before freezing for easy toasting. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil.
Refresh
Toast slices straight from frozen, or warm the loaf at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes.
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Troubleshooting
Baker's Notes
Common questions and solutions for perfect results
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