Easy Black Tahini Rolls

Sweet – But Not Too Sweet. They’re Perfect.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never made anything with black sesame tahini .* Knowing how much I love regular tahini, but also knowing how I frequently use black sesame seeds * in my cooking, I had to buy a jar and test it out. Black sesame seeds * have a stronger flavor and more crunchy texture than the white variety, so I was intrigued.

As you can see, there’s no exaggeration in calling this tahini black. It is pitch black. I thought it was gorgeous. And its flavor is more pronounced and intense than normal tahini. It isn’t as nutty, but has a strongly toasted flavored and a little more bitterness. I like it a lot and decided the tahini would play very well with something sweet in order to balance its flavors. I did find that adding a little salt to the tahini really brought out its sesame flavor. 

Using my milk bread dough recipe as a base, I kept the filling ingredients to a minimum. Milk bread is so fluffy and buttery, I thought it would be perfect as a sweet black tahini roll. Pus, I love working with this dough because it’s so easy. 

I patted and rolled out the dough, spread it with black tahini * (to which I’d added a little salt), sprinkled on black sesame seeds ,* and sugar. I really wanted the black sesame flavor to be front and center, so I didn’t add any warm spices. I kept it simple. 

After rolling up the dough, I sliced it into individual rolls, and set them aside to rise.

The rolls only bake for 18 minutes. While they were in the oven I cooked up a simple syrup of sugar and water and let it simmer for a few minutes, only until it got a little syrupy. At first I thought I’d add vanilla to the syrup, but then realized that a hint of citrus would be beautiful with the black sesame flavor. 

Once again, I used Fiori di Sicilia. I have raved about this flavoring oil in the past, but it’s worth noting that I haven’t lessened my feelings about it as I’ve used it time and time again. It is vanilla and citrus flavored and its complexity is just gorgeous. I don’t know any other way to describe it. I’ve seen it described as having bitter orange, lavender, and bergamot in its flavor. And while that may be true, it really is so much more than any of those things. It may sound ridiculous, but it really does add an almost mysterious flavor element to my baked goods. I buy it from King Arthur Baking and I’ve seen that Sur La Table also carries it online. 

I decided to try another brand recently because it was easily accessible on Amazon and is much less costly.  It is not an oil, it is an extract. The brand is Rodelle. Well, sometimes you really do get what you pay for and this is one of those cases. While the Rodelle is certainly not at all bad, it lacks the complexity and richness of King Arthur’s. 

While you pay more for King Arthur’s, you only need a very small amount normally. In other words I’m still using the first 4 ounce bottle I bought over 2 years ago, have a third of the bottle left, and I use it all the time. I keep it in the fridge and it is as good as the day I bought it. They also offer a smaller 1 ounce bottle. 

But there is always an exception to every rule and in this case I added a full 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Fiori di Sicilia to the syrup. I’ve never used more than a half teaspoon in any recipe. But seeing as how there is only a little syrup brushed on each roll, I had to use that much in order for it to be discernible when eating the roll. And it made these rolls really come alive. If you don’t have it, you can use a teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of good food grade orange oil. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will still be delicious. 

You can see here how beautifully the rolls turned out to be, but I promise they taste even better. As I was testing this recipe I had to make it a few times and no one complained. I love that they are not too sweet and don’t feel heavy, but are deeply flavored and very well balanced between sweet and salty. As my son says, “One is never enough.” I’ve gotta agree with him.