Semolina bread with sesame seeds is quite typical of Sicily. This rustic loaf has a crusty exterior, a pale yellow interior due to the use of semolina flour and is topped with sesame seeds giving it a wonderful crunch and nutty flavor!
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Semolina bread with sesame seeds is commonly found in Sicily. In recent trips there, I enjoyed this rustic, hearty country style bread. Made with mostly semolina flour, this bread has a crumb which is much more dense than your typical loaf. It definitely gives you something to sink your teeth into!
I’ve been working on this bread recipe for almost a year now. I tried several times to make it with only semolina flour however I was not satisfied with the texture. However, I have finally found a combination of mostly semolina flour and some all purpose white flour that, in my opinion, comes close to the bread I enjoyed during my travels!
What is semolina flour?
Semolina flour is made from durum wheat and this is the same type of flour used for making dried pasta. The semolina I used is a double milled flour (much finer texture) referred to as farina di semola rimacinata in Sicily. I actually found this product imported from Italy at my local grocery store and found that Amazon also sells it. Here’s a link for that flour:
I have, however, made this bread with regular semolina flour usually located in the same aisle as other types of flour in the grocery store. This flour also works well for this recipe.
What makes this bread so typical of Sicily:
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- The use of double milled semolina flour.
- Sesame seeds sprinkled on the bread adding a wonderful nutty flavor and crunch to the bread which I find particularly satisfying.
- The elongated shape of this bread, often referred to as a filone.
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. You’ll find the complete detailed printable recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Semolina Bread with Sesame Seeds:
Begin by proofing your yeast: heat water until lukewarm and place in a small bowl. Stir in honey until it dissolves. Add an envelope of instant yeast (8 grams), stir gently and let sit until foamy, about ten minutes.
Meanwhile, add semolina, all purpose white flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix until combined. Pour in the yeast mixture and on gentle speed mix until combined and a dough begins to form. The mixture will be very wet at first, this is normal.
Mix on medium speed for eight minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. After 4-5 minutes of kneading, the dough will wrap itself around the hook (as shown) and pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be slightly sticky and soft.
Shape into a ball. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area, free from draft until it doubles in bulk, about two hours.
Shape the dough: after two hours have passed, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Punch down the dough and using your finger tips, flatten the dough into a rectangle, about 13 x 9 inches.
Fold the long edge of the dough 2/3 of the way toward the center of the rectangle, as shown. 
Fold the other long edge over the the first fold, as shown. Tuck in the ends by making a small fold toward the interior of the bread in order to seal the ends. 
Turn the dough over and carefully lift onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet. 
Lightly brush the surface with water and top with sesame seeds. Use a sharp knife to make four or five horizontal slits on the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425F and place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 375F and continue baking for ten to fifteen minutes longer, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
Transfer to a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing it. 
Is it possible to make Semolina Bread with Sesame Seeds without a stand mixer?
The answer is yes! The only difference is that you will have to handle the stickier dough by hand. After testing this method several times I conclude that it does work.
- Combine semolina flour, all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl.
- Make a well in the center and stir in the proofed yeast with a wooden spoon until a raggedy dough takes shape.
- Transfer the mixture onto a well floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Add a spoonful of flour at a time as needed if the dough becomes too sticky to handle.
- Shape into a ball and proceed with the recipe.
Tips and suggestions for making Semolina Bread with Sesame Seeds:
- If you can not find double milled semolina flour in your grocery store, regular semolina flour will work as well.
- The dough for this bread will be slightly sticky and softer than most other bread dough. This is normal.
- Place a pan of water on the lower rack of the oven while baking to give the bread a crusty exterior.
- Wait until the bread has cooled completely before slicing it.
- Store the bread well sealed at room temperature for up to three days.
- Freeze the bread in a freezer bag for up to a month.
- I enjoy using this bread to make bruschetta. It is also perfect with one of my favorite egg recipes, my dad’s famous fried tomatoes with eggs
Is there anything better than the scent of fresh bread baking in your home? Now you can make your own hearty, country style Semolina Bread with Sesame Seeds for your family! Let me know how much you enjoy it by tagging me with your bread photos with @mangiabedda or #mangiabedda on Facebook or Instagram. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 1 envelope dry yeast (8 grams)
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 3/4 cups durum semolina flour
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
For the dough:
- Begin by proofing your yeast: heat water until tepid and place in a small bowl. Stir in honey until it dissolves. Add an envelope of instant yeast (8 grams), stir gently and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the semolina flour, all purpose flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix until combined. Pour in the yeast mixture and on gently speed mix until combined and a dough begins to form. The dough will be very wet at first, this is normal. Mix on medium speed for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. After 4-5 minutes of kneading the dough will wrap itself around the hook and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area, free from draft until it doubles in bulk, about two hours.
To shape the dough:
- After two hours has passed, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Punch down the dough and using your finger tips, flatten the dough into a rectangle, about 13 x 9 inches.
- Fold the long edge of the dough 2/3 of the way toward the center of the rectangle. Fold the other long edge over the the first fold.. Tuck in the ends by making a small fold toward the interior of the bread in order to seal the ends.
- Turn the dough over and carefully lift onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet, seam side down.
- Lightly brush the surface with water and top with sesame seeds. Use a sharp knife to make three or four horizontal cuts on the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for thirty minutes.
To bake:
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425F and place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 375F and continue baking for ten to fifteen minutes longer, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped.Transfer to a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing it.
Notes
- Combine semolina flour, all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl.
- Make a well in the center and stir in the proofed yeast with a wooden spoon until a raggedy dough takes shape.
- Transfer the mixture onto a well floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Add a spoonful of flour at a time as needed if the dough becomes too sticky to handle.
- Shape into a ball and proceed with the recipe.
- If you can not find double milled semolina flour in your grocery store, regular semolina flour will work as well.
- The dough for this bread will be slightly sticky and softer than most other bread dough. This is normal, do not add extra flour.
- Place a pan of water on the lower rack of the oven while baking to give the bread a crusty exterior.
- Wait until the bread has cooled completely before slicing it.
- Store the bread well sealed at room temperature for up to three days.
- Freeze the bread in a freezer bag for up to a month.
Nutrition
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can this be made just using white flour.
Hello Marilyn, I have in fact never tried making this bread with only white flour as my objective was to recreate the bread I enjoyed in Sicily. I do have a separate bread recipe using only all-purpose flour. Here is the link: https://www.mangiabedda.com/sicilian-easter-cuddura/. You can shape this dough into a round loaf of bread and bake it without the eggs as well. Hope this helps!
Hello, Marilyn: I think the whole point of this particular bread is to use the semolina flour for the correct flavor and the color; otherwise, it would be just another white bread if made with all purpose flour. It is worth the investment if you have to order the flour online. I have made this several times and it is delicious and worth seeking out the semolina flour. I hope you will try it. Happy Baking!
Hello David, I totally agree with you. Thank you for your feedback!
The bread baked up so huge. Nothing like the author’s picture!
Hello Babs, that sounds interesting! My question is, how did it taste? Hope you enjoyed it!
Very good! A bit chewy with a thin crust. I may have overproofed it. I put it in an 80 degree oven for 2 hours. It rose very high and deflated when I put it out to shape. After shaping it looked great but great huge in the oven!!! No complaints just an interesting experience
Hi Babs, please take note of David’s comment. He also suggested it may have proofed too long. Nonetheless, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
It sounds like you may have let it rise too long, either in the bowl or on the sheet. It is best to follow the times written in the recipe. I have made this several times and it always looks like the photo and is always delicious. I make it for gift too; everyone loves it. Try again and good luck!
Hi David, thank you very much for your input. I quite enjoy it when my readers step in to offer help to others with my recipes. Thanks again!
I am trying this with 40% semolina (Caputo brand) and 60% King Arthur bread flour, using a sourdough starter instead of instant yeast. So far things are looking good – it’s in the oven right now. I used the Tartine method for sourdough, roughly, but based around this recipe, roughly. I added a bit of olive oil too because that didn’t seem too far off from what’s in keeping with this type of bread.. we’ll see how it goes!
Hi Anna, all I can say is wow, I’m impressed. Please let me know how it turned out Thanks!
I have made this a few times and it is excellent. This time I am planning to cut the loaf in half once formed and cook both loaves the first 20 minutes then freeze the second half and finish the baking at a later time. This has the best flavors. ThNk you for sharing.
Hello Kathie, I’m so glad you enjoy this bread recipe! I like your idea of freezing the partially baked loaf for another time. Let me know how that turns out and thanks again for sharing this with me!
Can you share the ingredient amounts if you are making two loaves? I know it is not always a straight doubling up on everything.
Thanks!
Hello Ryan, to be quite honest with you I have not until now doubled the recipe. And you are correct, it is not always a straight doubling up. I must attempt it. Sorry I could not be of help!
I haven’t made this yet but I will soon! I almost always double a bread recipe, sometimes triple it! I’ve never had a problem. Just watch how the dough feels, etc. and judge accordingly.
Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Susan, good advice! Thank you for your comment and hope you enjoy this bread!
In my experience you can double loaves, but it is usually not necessary to double the yeast amount. Or use just slightly more. I don’t think tripling is a good idea.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I have made it several times now and it works perfectly! I am in the UK and buy semola rimacinata online. I never leave comments on recipes but wanted to say thanks for this.
Hello Claire, thank you so much for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed this bread and I appreciate you taking the time to write to me. All the best!
Hello, Nadia:
I received a bag of Semolina flour for Christmas. Yesterday I googled: “The very best semolina bread recipe” and yours popped up. It was a great success today. For many years I lived in New York City, and this bread is better than what I bought there! I followed the recipe exactly and it looks exactly like your photo. And so delicious I can’t keep away. Thank you for working out the recipe with meticulous directions, so your readers don’t have to.
You’re the best! Happy New Year!
Hello David, I’m thrilled that you found my recipe. Without a doubt homemade is always tastier. I’m glad that you appreciated my detailed recipe. Thank you for sharing this with me. Happy New Year to you as well, stay safe!
I made this bread twice now, and it is excellent. Two notes:
1. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I kneaded by hand. For anyone else planning to try this, what I did was work the dough for same amount of time (8 minutes) in more of a stretching than a kneading motion. I basically walked around the kitchen pulling on the dough as if it were a resistance band. (Who needs exercise when you can do this?) Toward the end of the 8 minutes, the dough was stretchy (somewhat like pizza dough) and started to become less sticky.
2. The second time I made it, it was for vegan friends, so I substituted corn syrup for the honey. I don’t think it made a big difference.
Hello Edith, thank you very much for sharing your wonderful tips. I’m so glad it worked well for you and that you enjoyed it. Thanks again!
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner after receiving my order of the double milled semolina flour. It was very easy to make. However, mine did not pull away from the bowl after 8, 9 , 10 minutes in the mixer. So I added a tad more flour until it started doing so. It could have been humidity of air and/or flour? It rose beautifully and was able to form a filone. It was delicious!!!! So much better than what you get at the store. I took some pictures and will tag you on Instagram.
Thanks for a great recipe.
Hello Karen, that is an excellent tip, thanks for sharing this information! I did see your photo on Instagram and your bread looked perfect. Thanks again!
I am so excited to try this bread, I am Sicilian and recall my Nonna making this kind of bread.I have Semolina flour and a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I will try it and get back to you. Your recipe is perfectly written, and thanks for the photos, that helps a lot.
Hi Michelina, please let me know how your bread turns out! You can also tag me with a photo on Instagram or Facebook. Enjoy!
I had a good supply of semolina flour and wanted to try my hands in creating a semolina bread. I varied the portions of the flours water and yeast in your recipe to a slight degree in order to incorporate my sourdough starter. I followed the rest of the steps and the result is fantastic! Now I have a new go-to bread recipe with sesame seeds. The changes to the recipe: 2cups of semolina flour, 1 cup of APF, 1 tsp yeast, 1 cup of warm water, and 3/4 cups of sourdough starter.
Hello Junsen, thanks for sharing your variation with me! I tried experimenting with a sourdough starter myself but did not have much luck. You are now motivating me to try again just so I can attempt your modified recipe. Thanks for sharing this with me!
I just did the whole thing by hand and it came out great. It was a little messy and I did lost a bit that stuck to my hands, but the final product was fantastic. While not ideal, there is no reason this recipe can’t be done by hand.
Hello Anthony, thanks for sharing this information. Yes it is a challenge without the mixer but it does work!
Can a high quality hand mixer be used instead of a stand mixer?
Hello Frank, although I have not tried myself I don’t think a hand mixer would work well. I use a dough hook on my stand mixer which is quite different from the blade on a hand mixer.
Don’t suppose you have the amounts by weight? Lost using cups lol
Hello Antoinette, good question! In fact I also find myself cooking and baking by weight more and more. There is a button at the end of the recipe list where you can switch to Metric measurements. Just click on it to get the converted measures by weight. Hope this helps!
My mix never pulled off the bowl. Had to add more flour still didn’t come together as expected. Had issues with proofing going to try new yeast
Hello Bruce, after several minutes, each time I make this bread the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and wraps itself around the dough hook. In your opinion did it knead for enough time? It is a rather sticky dough and can be challenging to work with but it does indeed work. I hope you had success the second time around. Thank you for your feedback and if I can be of help please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I’m trying to decide whether or not this recipe is an April fool joke. I have been baking bread for years and never had dough like this. It was so thin that I could not even pick it up. It did rise properly but almost poured out of the rising container. I double checked al ingredients to make sure I didn’t make an error. I did use a stand mixer.
Hello Al, no April fool joke I assure you! It is indeed a tricky dough to work with and much more sticky than others however I assure you the recipe has been tested several times and does work. When I was testing the recipe I did notice that once shaped, if it rose for too long it did tend to lose it’s shape. Hope this helps and thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it.
I tried the recipe today. I followed all the directions but it never rose up when it went into the oven. I did let it rise for 2 hours and it did double in bulk. Any suggestions for my next attempt?
Hello Susan, my first question is did you use a stand mixer? Mine has always doubled after 2 hours so I’m wondering if perhaps your yeast was expired? Just checking the standard issues that may have caused it not to rise. Please let me know, thanks!
I tried it again after looking at the photos. My problem was that I didn’t knead it enough in my stand mixer. The second round was perfect. Thanks
Hi Susan, yes it definitely works best with a stand mixer, glad it worked out second time around. Thanks for letting me know!
Mine came out great! I’m lucky to have an Italian store near my house where I found the semolina flour. The bag of flour cost less than $2. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Donna, so glad to hear it turned out great. Indeed semolina flour is not very expensive. Thanks for taking the time to share this with me!