Simit (Turkish sesame bread rings) is a traditional Turkish recipe for a classic breakfast or snack of braided bread rings coated in toasted sesame seeds and baked. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Turkish version of: Turkish sesame bread rings (Simit).
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Ingredients:
300ml lukewarm water
4g instant dried yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
500g strong white bread flour, pasta or pizza flour, if you can – if not regular white flour also works
8g salt
For the Topping:
100ml grape molasses (üzüm pekmezi)
50ml water
1 tbsp plain flour
200–300g sesame seeds, toasted
Method:
Place a baking or pizza stone in the oven (if you have one) and preheat the oven to 250°C.
Mix the yeast and warm water. Set aside for a few minutes for the yeast to activate.
Sift together flour and salt into a bowl. Form a well in the centre and add the water and yeast mixture. Mix well and knead until the dough keeps together well (about 5-6 minutes). The dough should be smooth, but not as soft as a regular bread dough. Cover and set aside to prove for 30 minutes.
Mix the grape molasses, water and 1 tbsp white flour in a large, flat bowl. Prepare a plate of toasted sesame seeds. If you only have white (raw) sesame seeds, toast them in a dry pan until golden, stirring or shaking the pan regularly, taking care not to burn any of the seeds. This only takes a few minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into long sausages. I don't normallyuse extra flour for this purpose, but if you find the dough too sticky, sprinkle a thin layer of flour on the surface.
Take two pieces of the dough and set them alongside one another. Squeeze the ends together and roll the ends in opposite directions, causing the two sausages to braid and intertwine. Squeeze the two ends together to form a ring. Repeat with the remaining dough lengths.
Dip the simits into the grape molasses mixture until covered all over. Cover with sesame seeds until you cannot get another seed to hang onto it. Stretch the dough a little as you do this to ensure the simit is as even as possible. Place the ready simits on a piece of baking parchment.
Flatten the simits ever so slightly before placing in the centre of your hot oven. Bake in two rounds until cooked through and golden brown on the outside, (about 12-15 minutes), a little longer if you don’t have a baking or pizza stone. Keep watching and turn the heat down if the simit looks like it might burn.
Leave to cool on a wire rack, but don't allow to cool too much. Unlike bread, simit is best when eaten while still warm.
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