Simit - Turkish Sesame "Bagels"

Simit are a delicious Turkish street bread that is twisted and then shaped into a ring similar to a bagel. It's then dipped into a molasses sweetened liquid and encrusted with sesame seeds. 

I've wanted to try making Simit forever! So much bread, so little time!

I've seen Simit rings of various sizes, from traditional bagel-sized to larger rings similar to Jerusalem bagels, only round instead of oblong. They are dipped in a fruit (often grape/pekmez) molasses and water mixture and then dredged in toasted sesame seeds before baking.

In Istanbul, there are Simit stands all over the city, and recently, they are also being featured as a bakery item in storefronts.

If you order Simit as part of a breakfast plate, it might come with feta style cheese, cucumbers, salami, olives, tomatoes, and perhaps some sliced hard boiled eggs.

That doesn't mean you can't enjoy these toasted with butter and jam.

Here's what I tried:

First, I mixed up some smoked salmon and cream cheese with some chopped red onion and used it as a spread on these.

Second, I simply split the Simit, toasted them, and spread them with butter.

Finally, I split one, toasted it, and made an egg salad sandwich topped with baby spinach. Delicious.

Nobody actually makes these at home in Turkey because Simit are so readily available as a street food, but if you are a Turkish expat, or if you love exploring international breads, definitely try this recipe!

To get the twisty effect of this bread, roll out your dough pieces into long ropes and then fold them in half and twist them so that you have a two-stranded rope. Next, join the ends of the rope together to form a ring.

Note: Simit is typically dipped in pekmez, a molasses made from reduced grapes. If you can't find it, you can use cane molasses or pomegranate molasses, or a mixture of both. You can also use diluted honey or dark corn syrup.

This recipe is really easy to make. Don't be intimidated by dipping your shaped dough in the molasses mixture. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

This recipe calls for a lot of yeast, so pay close attention to the dough. In fact, you will feel the warmth of the dough once you punch it down after the first rise. Work quickly when shaping the dough for the second rise.

Simit is most often coated with toasted sesame seeds. They are a lot like Jerusalem bagels, the difference being that Jerusalem bagels include milk in the recipe.... plus, these are twisty.

If you're not a fan of sesame seeds (why not?), you can use poppy seeds or flax seeds.

Note 2: If you have one, use a baking stone in your oven for extra oven spring. I also recommend setting up a steam pan under the baking stone. See the instructions in this post.

This month, the Baking Bloggers are baking Greek, Cypriot, and Turkish recipes.

• Alevropita (Greek Thin-Batter Feta Pie) from Tara's Multicultural Table 
• Apricot Sekerpare (Turkish Thumbprint Cookies) from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Baked Kabak Mücver from Sneha's Recipe 
• Cypriot Lamb Tavas from Pandemonium Noshery 
• Flaounes (Cypriot Cheese Pastries) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Kalo Prama - Cypriot Semolina Cake from Food Lust People Love 
• Kreatopita from A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Sekerpare from The Schizo Chef  
• Simit (Turkish Sesame Bagels) from Karen's Kitchen Stories 
• Tiropita (Greek cheese pastries) from Caroline's Cooking

simit, bagels, bread, Turkey, sesame seeds, pekmez

bread

Turkey

Yield: 12 bagelsAuthor: Karen Kerr

Simit - Turkish Sesame "Bagels"

ingredients

• 500 grams bread flour
• 10 grams (3 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 4 grams (pinch) sugar
• 10 grams (2 teaspoons) salt
• 350 grams (ml) lukewarm (100 degrees F) water
• 1/4 cup pekmez or other molasses (see note)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup toasted sesame seeds

instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and sea salt. 
2. Add the 350 grams of warm water and mix with a wooden spoon or dough whisk. 
3. Knead the dough with the dough hook for about seven minutes. 
4. Form the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about an hour. 
5. Mix the molasses with the 1/4 cup of additional water and place it into a shallow bowl. Place the sesame seeds in another shallow bowl. 
6. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. and line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. 
7. Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Cover with oiled plastic wrap or a damp towel. 
8. Roll each piece of dough into a 24 inch long strand. Fold each strand in half and then twist to form a "rope." 
9. Join the ends together and seal. 
10. Dip the rings into the molasses mixture on both sides. Next, dip into the sesame seeds to coat both sides. 
11. Place the shaped simit onto the parchment lined baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. 
12. Once you have six simits on a baking sheet, let the breads rise for 20 to 30 minutes. while you continue to shape the rest of the dough for the second baking sheet. 
13. See note two regarding using a baking stone and setting up a steam oven. 
14. Bake the first baking sheet for about 18 minutes. Repeat with the second baking sheet. 
15. Transfer the simit to a wire rack to cool. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2019/03/simit-turkish-sesame-bagels.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Created using The Recipes Generator

This recipe was adapted from the book, Turkey: More than 100 Recipes with Tales from the Road.