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A one-bowl recipe with endless possibilities.
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Why It Works
- The ingredients can be tossed into a bowl and mixed until a dough comes together. No fancy equipment required.
- With homemade sesame sticks, you can customize the finished product by controlling the type and amount of fats and seasonings used.
In DIY attempts to mimic packaged goods, it often comes down to the shape of things. Cookie cutter defines mass production. When a homemade version of this sort of food is even a bit off visually, it can ruin the illusion—no matter how good it is, the look may beat out the taste in the rush to judgment.
Maybe it's just me, but that's where I sometimes find myself getting frustrated in the kitchen. I feel an imaginary Tim Gunn peering over my shoulder, his exasperated voice urging me to pull it together, make it work, and get it in the oven already, even though my efforts have only produced a cheap imitation. And that's where I stood with these sesame sticks. Thosetraditional snakes of seed-flecked doughconfounded me. Could I use a dough thin enough to push through a wide pastry tip and still get the taste I wanted? I could not. Could I use the dough I preferred for taste and just cut it into small rectangles? I could, but something was missing. It felt more like eating very small crackers than the customary bulk-bin treat.
So I picked up a small piece of dough and rolled it briskly between my palms a couple times.Et, voila!A small snake of a sesame stick. That said, by the end of rolling the batch, I was seriously questioning this added-labor decision just to get the visual. Next time, I might just roll the dough out a little thicker, cut the strips narrow, and call that shape...well, close enough for homemade.
Requiring no fancy equipment, this recipe couldn't be easier—just toss the ingredients into a bowl and stir up the dough. In this way, the cook also controls the type and amount of fats and seasonings that end up in the finished product, so you can really have some fun with it. Still, in my house, sesame sticks are an occasional snacking treat, not a weekly staple, and simply pulling down the bar on the bulk bin of Cajun Hot Sticks—even if I have no idea how long they have been sitting in there—will remain a tempting option.
October 2012
This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and updated to guarantee best results. Instead of baking the sesame sticks, we now recommend frying them for crisper, lighter sesame sticks that more closely resemble the store-bought version.
Recipe Details
DIY Sesame Sticks Recipe
Prep5 mins
Cook20 mins
Active45 mins
Resting Time45 mins
Total70 mins
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour (about 5 ounces; 142g)
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (about 2 ounces; 57g)
1/4 cup fine cracked wheat (about 1.5 ounces; 43g)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon beet rootpowder (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder,or to taste
2 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/4 cup (60ml) sesame oil (plain, not toasted finishing oil)
1/4 cup (60ml) plus 2 tablespoons water
Canola oil, for frying
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sesame seeds, cracked wheat, turmeric, beet powder (if using), garlic powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil and water. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Combine thoroughly, kneading any remaining bits into the dough by hand.
Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic, flattening into 3/4-inch-thick disks. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow dough to firm up before rolling.
Pour canola oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a large pot or a large deep-sided skillet; heat oil over medium to 350°F (177°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness and, using a knife or pizza wheel, cut into small rectangles (approximately 1/4-inch by 3/4-inch). Alternatively, roll and cut dough to your desired shape, reworking the scraps until all the dough is used. (Uniformity is more important than size to assure even cooking.) Leave the pieces as they are or roll each one quickly between your palms to form thin rods.
Working in 3 batches, carefully add shaped dough to hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden brown, about 90 seconds. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer fried sesame sticks to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, allowing the hot oil to return to 350°F in between batches. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
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Special Equipment
Whisk, large pot or large deep-sided skillet, thermometer, rimmed baking sheet, slotted spoon
I used beet powder because it is an ingredient listed in most commercial versions of the sticks. However, it seems to be more for color than for taste, so you may eliminate it if desired.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 122 | Calories |
| 8g | Fat |
| 11g | Carbs |
| 3g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 122 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 8g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 6% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 442mg | 19% |
| Total Carbohydrate 11g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
| Total Sugars 0g | |
| Protein 3g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 52mg | 4% |
| Iron 1mg | 7% |
| Potassium 74mg | 2% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
