Simit Recipe-Make Street Style Crispy Simit at Home

This Turkish Simit Recipe will help you make the best Simit with crispy crust and soft crumb inside.

Simit is a delicious sesame crusted bread that you can have for breakfast and street food staple in Istanbul and much of Turkey.

Another Turkish recipe that you can enjoy! You may have seen earlier in our blog ; how to make Turkish Village style Bazlama and Ramadan Pidesi in the simplest way.Now it’s time for one of the most favorite Turkish recipes out there: Simit bread.

Simit bread is one of my favorite breads since I visited Istambul a few years back.You will see those street vendors rolling up their carts through the streets to sell this beautiful and delicious sesame ring bread.

What is simit

Simit is a sesame crusted, circular bread from Turkey.This crusty bread or Turkish bagel,is probably the most common bread in Turkey. It’s dunked in molasses and encrusted with sesame seeds.

This is found across cuisine of the former Ottoman Empire and the Middle East.

Simit is also known as Gevrek,Bokeh or Koulori.The size of the bread, it’s crunch, chewiness and other characteristics vary slightly by region.

How Does a Simit Taste Like

Though simit is an yeast bread ,the smell, flavor and taste is so unique.

Crunchy and chewy, satisfyingly savory with a touch of malty sweetness, nutty from the sesame seeds dotting the ring of bread; these are the tastes of a simit, the ultimate Turkish street snack.

The street food version is typically fairly thin and compact, much like a twirled bagel. In bakeries, they’re usually fluffier and more similar to a white loaf in texture.

Turkish Simit Ingredients

In this Turkish simit recipe we use the minimal ingredients to make the best homemade simit.

For the Turkish simit bread dough

• Flour :325g or approximately 2 and 1/2 cups loosely packed
• Water:195 ml or 3/4 cup +1 tbsp
• Salt :1 tsp
• Sugar :1 tbsp
• Instant Yeast :1 tsp or 1 and 1/4 tsp if using active dry yeast

For the topping of simit bread

• 100 ml grape molasses (üzüm pekmezi) 
• 60 ml water 1/4 cup
• 150 g roasted sesame seeds approximately 1 cup

How to make Turkish Bagel ;Simit

In this Simit Recipe, we are making Turkish Simit Bread like the one that we get from the streets of Istambul.

These Simit breads are crispy on the out side with softer inside.

1.Prepare the Turkish simit bread dough

Into a bowl add in the water which is around 90F or lukewarm and then add in the sugar, salt and yeast.

Stir and dissolve all the ingredients.

Add the flour and combine them all together.

This Simit Bread dough is not a very sticky dough;It is more of a dry dough than many bread recipes.

We need to get a tight dough just like how we made our panini bread dough.

Knead the dough for six minutes or until we get a soft dough.

The surface may not look smooth..don’t worry that’s the way it should be.

2.Divide the simit bread dough into 4 equal parts

Divide the dough into four equal parts and then roll in to cylindrical shape of approximately 12 cm in length.

3.Rest the simit bread dough for 10 minutes

Cover and let them sit and rest.

4.Pre shape the dough

After 10 minutes,Divide each of the portion into 2 equal parts.

Then Roll and elongate each one into a dough strand of 30-32 cm in length.

Take two dough strands and place them alongside one another.

Roll the ends in opposite directions, causing both strands to braid and intertwine.

Squeeze the two ends together to form a ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough strips.

5.Coat the shaped simit with molasses and sesame seeds

Dip the simits into the grape molasses mixture until covered all over. Cover with sesame seeds.

Place the simits on a baking sheet.

6.Final proofing for 30 minutes

Cover and let them sit and rise in a warm environment for 30 minutes.

7.Final Shaping

After 30 minutes of proofing the simit rolls will be slightly puffed up.

Stretch the dough a little as you do this to ensure the simit is as even as possible. Place the ready simits on a baking tray.

8.Bake the simit

Bake them in a 450 F or 230C preheated oven for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 400 F or 200 C and Bake for another 8-10 minutes.

After Baking we will get beautiful sesame ring breads or simit rings which are golden brown in color.

They are crispy on the out side and soft inside.

How to eat simit or what do you eat with simit bread

We can have them for breakfast with some feta cheese and olives or with some evening tea.

It also goes pretty well with any of your fruit jams or chocolate spread or even with some plain butter.

Why we need to use Grape molasses while making simit

• It imparts a unique flavor to our simit
• Molasses help the sesame seeds to stick on the dough
• It also gives a nice golden color to our simit bread

What can be used instead of grape molasses while making a homemade simit

• We can use other molasses like pomogranate molasses(This is a bit more sour than grape molasses and so use more sugar as needed)
• Honey
• Brown sugar or white sugar.(preferably brown sugar)
• Sweet syrups like date syrup

Is Simit and Bagels same

No,even though both of them are circular in shape they are made in a different method.

Making:Simit is not boiled like bagels before baking

Texture :Simits are crispy on the outside, and the inside is light and fluffy, in contrast with the denser, chewier bagel.

Flavor :Comparing a simit to a sesame bagel, simits have more flavor as they contain roasted sesame seeds diced in molasses adhered to it.

How to store Simit bread

Bring simit to room temperature, place in a plastic bag, remove the air out as much as you can, and store at room temperature. It should be fresh for up to 2 days. You can toast it for a few minutes before serving.

How to freeze Simit

Bring simit to room temperature, place in a freezer bag, remove the air out as much as you can, and store in freezer.

When ready to serve, let it thaw for 10 minutes on the counter, and then heat it in a preheated 300 F degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

You may also like this Tiger Bread Recipe which has a crunchy crust and soft bread inside.

If you love Turkish Bread Recipes You might like,

Soft Village Style Turkish Flat bread Bazlama

Easy Turkish Ramadan Pidesi Bread

Turkish Simit Recipe :Step by step Video