Breakfast · 75 min · turkish

Simit (Sesame Bread Rings)

A Turkish breakfast built around flour and water — on the table in 75 minutes.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 4 cups Flour
• 1.5 cups Water
• 1 cup Sesame seeds
• 0.25 cup Grape molasses
• 2.25 tsp Instant yeast
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Salt

Steps

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water and rest 5 minutes until foamy. Mix with the flour and salt, knead 10 minutes until smooth, and rise 1 hour until doubled.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant — untoasted seeds taste flat, and simit is mostly crust.
3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a 14-inch rope, twist two ropes together, and pinch into a ring. The twist gives simit its classic braided look.
4. Whisk the molasses with 1/2 cup water. Dip each ring in the molasses wash, then press into the toasted sesame seeds, coating heavily on all sides.
5. Arrange on lined baking sheets and rest 20 minutes while the oven heats to 450°F — the second rise makes them chewy inside.
6. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until deep mahogany and glossy. Cool on a rack. Proper simit crackles when squeezed and stays chewy for hours.

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