Açma (soft Turkish breakfast rolls)
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Açma
Buttery, cotton-soft twisted ring rolls glazed with egg, sold by Turkish bakeries and simit sellers for breakfast. Lightly sweet, very tender and good plain or with cheese.
Açma (soft Turkish breakfast rolls) is a Turkish bread from Türkiye, ready in about 2 hours 32 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and butter. It serves 12 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Rest
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h 32 min
- Serves
- 12
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 265
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, sugar (opens in a new tab) and yeast. Add the milk (opens in a new tab), egg (opens in a new tab) and oil and knead 5 minutes. Add the salt and butter (opens in a new tab) a little at a time and knead 8–10 minutes more until silky and elastic; the dough is soft but should not stick to clean hands.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Cover and leave until doubled, about 1 hour.
- 60 min
Step 3
Divide into 12 pieces (about 80 g). Roll each into a 30 cm rope, fold in half and twist the two strands together, then join the ends into a ring and pinch to seal. Place on lined trays.
Step 4
Cover loosely and proof 30 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C.
- 30 min
- 180°C
Step 5
Brush with yolk beaten with milk (opens in a new tab), sprinkle with seeds if using, and bake 18–22 minutes until evenly golden. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Türkiye · Well documentedMore food from Türkiye
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Fermented
- Taste
- buttery, sweet, mild
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Butter · Milk · Egg · Sugar · Instant yeast
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg, egg yolk
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains, can be adapted: Sesamefrom sesame seeds
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
265 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 80 g · recipe makes 12
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 9%
- Carbohydrate 55%
- Fat 36%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 265 kcal | 331 kcal |
| Protein | 5.9 g | 7.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 36.3 g | 45.4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 35.1 g | 43.8 g |
| Sugars | 4.4 g | 5.5 g |
| Added sugars | 3.3 g | 4.2 g |
| Fibre | 1.3 g | 1.6 g |
| Fat | 10.5 g | 13.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.7 g | 4.6 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg | 54 mg |
| Sodium | 306 mg | 383 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 83 mg
- Calcium
- 33 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 55 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 140 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: sesame seeds, nigella seeds.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Oil the counter, not flour it, when rolling the ropes — they grip and roll more evenly.
Common mistakes
- Adding extra flour to a soft dough makes the rolls bready rather than tender.
Serve with
- Serve warm with white cheese, olives and tea, or split and fill with jam.
Storage
- Airtight for 2 days; freeze up to 1 month.
Reheating
- Warm at 160 °C for 5 minutes.
Variations
- Filled açma: Roll the rope around a line of olive paste or chocolate before twisting.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 40 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 30 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 22 min at 180 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 2 h 32 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 206 g | 41.2% |
| Butter | Fat | 60 g | 12% |
| Sunflower oil | Fat | 55 g | 11% |
| Egg | Egg | 50 g | 10% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 40 g | 8% |
| Salt | Salt | 8 g | 1.6% |
| Instant yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.4% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 43.3%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 1.6% — normal for bread.
- Fat 23% — a rich, tender dough.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
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