Turkish simit: the recipe for donuts with sesame bread

THE simulate they are turkish bread donuts covered with sesame and semi-sweet taste, a bread invented about 500 years ago in the Ottoman Empire then spread to the Balkans. In Turkey they are sold as typical street food by street vendors, who circulate with trays filled with scented simit placed on their heads or on red carts. Dough turkish simit reminiscent of German pretzels, made from water, brewer’s yeast, flour, extra virgin olive oil, sugar and salt. After the lifting phase, just weave the donuts, pass them through the molasses made with honey and water and cover them with i Sesame seeds, before baking. When ready, the Turkish simit will be chewy on the inside and with a delicious crispy, cracked crust on the outside. You can enjoy them with sweet fillings, especially jam or jelly and served with black tea, or with savory fillings, like sheep cheese, olives and cold cuts.

To halve the preparation time, you can use 5 grams of instant yeast: in this case let the dough rest for 30 minutes only.

How to make simit or turkish donuts

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Put the flour, sugar, water (1) in a bowl and mix. Also add oil and salt, then knead until you obtain a smooth dough. Brush with oil, cover the bowl with a cloth or cling film and let stand 40 minutes at room temperature (2). After the necessary time, divide the dough into 6 parts (3), brush each stick with oil, cover with cling film and let rise for another 20 minutes. Turn on the oven to 250 ° C and insert the baking sheet with parchment paper inside, so it will be hot when you place the simits.

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Mix the honey with the water in a bowl, until it forms a sort of molasses. Make strings with each piece of dough. Fold the cord back on itself to form a U, join the ends and intertwine them by turning them in two opposite directions and closing them in a loop by sealing them well (4). Pass the simits in the molasses then in the sesame seeds and cook at 250 ° C for 15 minutes (5). Then lower the temperature to 220 ° C and cook for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Your Turkish simit is ready to be tasted (6).

storage

You can store Turkish simits in a food bag for 1-2 days or until they lose their scent.