Simit (also known as Turkish Sesame Bagel), is a sesame-crusted circular bread that is usually served for breakfast. Same as Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns), simit bread is one of the most popular street foods in Turkey and you can easily buy them from cafes, bakeries, or small food carts.
Learn how to make homemade Turkish Simit with this step-by-step tutorial and video.
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In Turkey, nobody would bother making this delicious simit bread at home as they are widely available and they are so good&cheap. But if you live abroad like me, it is almost impossible to find a good one to buy. I had this simple recipe for many years but only started making them since I moved to the U.K.
What is Simit?
Simit is a circular-shaped Turkish bread traditionally sold by street vendors on the streets of Turkey. It is mainly served for breakfast along with Kuymak (Mihlama) or Menemen - Turkish Scrambled Eggs and some cheese, olives, tomatoes, and a cup of Turkish tea.
Simit is also known as Turkish Bagel or Gevrek and is typically coated with molasses and covered with sesame seeds before baking.
Difference Between Simit and Bagel
Simit is crustier than a bagel on the outside and softer, light and delicate on the inside.
Bagel has a thick crust and dense, chewy interior.
Simit has more flavor than a bagel thanks to loads of sesame seeds and grape molasses.
Bagel is boiled before the baking process, Simit is dipped in molasses&water mixture and covered with sesame seeds before baking.
Why This Recipe Works
- This delicious breakfast bread is crunchy and nutty on the outside, soft and a little chewy on the inside.
- You can prepare the simit dough in advance and store it for up to 2 days.
- They freeze beautifully, you can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- All you need is 5 ingredients (including the salt) to make this popular Turkish street food!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Flour - The best flour to make simit is a high-protein flour of at least 12% protein. They are usually labeled as "strong flour" or "strong bread flour". You can also use plain or all-purpose flour but you won't be able to achieve the chewy texture that a traditional simit has.
- Yeast - I use fast-actioned dry yeast as it doesn't need the activation process but you can use fresh or dry yeast instead. You will need 7 grams of dry yeast or 15 grams of fresh yeast for this amount of dough.
- Salt - It is necessary for flavor as well as balancing the rising action of the dough.
- Water - Use lukewarm water, make sure it's not too hot as it would kill the yeast.
- Grape Molasses - It is known as "pekmez" in Turkey and it is a crucial ingredient for simit. It makes the sesame seeds stick to the dough as well as gives simit its characteristic flavor and golden brown color. You can buy them online on Amazon or from Turkish/Mediterranean shops.
- Sesame seeds - The other crucial ingredient for Turkish simit is the sesame seeds. Use toasted sesame seeds for a good simit taste. If you can’t find them toasted in the shops, toast them yourself as described in the recipe card.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Although it takes a little time to make this iconic Turkish street food, it is very easy to make them with step-by-step instructions, pictures, and a short video tutorial:
Prepare the Dough
Place the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and then add the water gradually. Mix them with your hand to form a dough. Knead it for a few minutes, until you get a smooth and elastic dough and it doesn't stick to your hand anymore. (You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step).
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or cling film and let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. The rising time depends on the temperature of the room.
Prepare The Dipping For Simit
If you don't have toasted sesame seeds, you can toast them while the dough is rising. Simply place them in a large non-stick pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, and toast until they turn golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
When cooled down, place the toasted sesame seeds on a separate large plate, set them aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the molasses and water, and set it aside.
Shape The Simit
After an hour, check the dough and transfer it to a floured surface if it doubled the size. Shape it into a log, cut it into 12 equal pieces and turn them into balls.
Grab two dough balls and roll them into a cylinder length of 40cm/16". Put them parallel to each other and stick the ends by pinching.
Twist them in opposite directions to make a braid.
Shape it into a circle and dip it into the molasses mixture making sure it's covered on both sides.
Put the simit circle into the sesame seed plate, making sure it is fully coated. Transfer it onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and repeat the same with the remaining dough balls.
Rest The Simits and Bake
Preheat the oven to 230 °C (450° F) and let the dough rings rest for another 20 minutes.
Place the baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 210 °C (410° F) and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden brown, fully baked, and crispy.
Top Tips From the Chef
- When making the simit dough, make sure the water is not too hot, it should be warm to touch.
- You can make the dough the night before and store it in the fridge overnight to bake the next day fresh for breakfast. Before using the dough, remove it from the fridge, bring it to room temperature and let it rise.
Recipe FAQs
You can keep them at room temperature wrapped in a plastic bag or a clean kitchen towel for up to 2 days. I would strongly advise warming it up in a hot oven for 5 minutes to refresh it and crisp it up again.
If you want to keep them longer, wrap them in cling film and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Simit is usually served for breakfast with feta cheese, olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes accompanied by a glass of Turkish tea. They are great for dipping in Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs or Shakshuka!
I sometimes cut it in half and bake it in the oven with some sucuk (spicy Turkish sausages) and kasar cheese on top for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. You can also have it as a snack with a cold drink, usually Ayran or a soda drink.
Although it is not traditional, you can use fig or pomegranate molasses instead of pekmez - grape molasses. In this case, add a teaspoon of brown sugar into the pomegranate molasses and dissolve it over low heat before using.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Turkish bread&bakery recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these Turkish sesame bagels as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Simit (Turkish Sesame Bagel)
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Dough
- 500 g white strong flour
- 3 g fast-action dried yeast
- 7 g salt
- 310 ml tepid water
For Dipping
- 150 g grape molasses
- 50 ml water
- 150 g sesame seeds (toasted )
Instructions
- Place the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and then add the water gradually. Mix them together with your hand to form a dough.
- Knead it for a few minutes, until you get a smooth and elastic dough and it doesn't stick to your hand anymore. (You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step).
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or cling film and let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. The rising time depends on the temperature of the room.
- If you don't have toasted sesame seeds, you can toast them while the dough is rising. Simply place them in a large non-stick pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, and toast until they turn golden brown, 20-25 minutes. When cooled down, place the toasted sesame seeds on a separate large plate, and set them aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the molasses and water, and set it aside.
- After an hour, check the dough and transfer it to a floured surface if it doubled the size.
- Shape it into a log, cut it into 12 equal pieces and turn them into balls.
- Grab two dough balls and roll them into a cylinder length of 40cm/16".
- Put them parallel to each other and stick the ends by pinching.
- Twist them in opposite directions to make a braid and shape it into a circle.
- Dip the simit ring into the molasses mixture making sure it's covered on both sides and then put it into the sesame seed plate. Make sure it is fully coated.
- Transfer it onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and repeat the same with the remaining dough balls.
- Preheat the oven to 230° C (450° F) and let the dough rings rest for another 20 minutes.
- Place the baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Lower the heat to 210° C (410° F) and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden brown, fully baked, and crispy.
Video
Notes
- You can make the dough the night before and store it in the fridge overnight to bake the next day fresh for breakfast. Before using the dough, remove it from the fridge, bring it to room temperature and let it rise.
- All you need is 5 ingredients (including the salt) to make this popular Turkish street food!
- When making the simit dough, make sure the water is not too hot, it should be warm to touch.
- The rising time for simit dough depends on the temperature of the room.
- If you don't have grape molasses (pekmez), add a teaspoon of brown sugar into the pomegranate molasses and dissolve it over low heat before using.
- You can keep the leftover simit at room temperature wrapped in a plastic bag or a clean kitchen towel for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
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Daphne
My simit turned out delicious and crispy, same as on the pictures! Thank you for this great recipe.
Shadi
We really enjoyed these delicious pastries with our Mother’s Day brunch last weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Ayla Clulee
Hi, Shadi! It is my pleasure. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Best wishes
Ayla x
Nazine
We really enjoyed these pastries with our brunch last weekend. Thanks for the recipe.
Ida
Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!! Absolutely loved it!