Simit
Vegetarian
Twisted bread rings dipped in grape molasses and thickly coated in sesame seeds, baked until deep brown and crunchy outside with a soft, chewy crumb.
Simit is a Turkish bread from Türkiye, ready in about 2 hours 18 minutes and made with molasses and sesame seeds. It serves 8 and is rated advanced to cook.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Rest
- 1 h 20 min
- Total
- 2 h 18 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Advanced
- Calories
- 344
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt, add the warm water and oil and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and fairly firm. Cover and rise until doubled.
- 12 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Divide into 8 pieces, then halve each. Roll each half into a 50 cm rope, twist two ropes together and join the ends into a ring, pinching firmly.
- 15 min
Step 3
Mix the molasses (opens in a new tab) with the water in a wide bowl and spread the sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) on a plate. Dip each ring in the molasses, let excess drip off, then press into the sesame on all sides.
- 10 min
Step 4
Set the rings on lined trays, stretch them gently to about 15 cm across and leave to puff while the oven (opens in a new tab) heats to 220 °C.
- 1 min
- 220°C
- Baking tray / sheet (opens in a new tab)
About this dish
- Origin
- Türkiye · Commonly attributedStrongly associated with Istanbul street vendors; similar sesame rings (koulouri, ka'ak) are sold across the region.Also popular in GreeceMore food from Türkiye
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Street food
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked
- Taste
- nutty, sweet & savoury, mild
- Diet
- Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Portable / lunchbox · Street food · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Molasses · Sesame seeds · All-purpose flour · Dried yeast · Sugar
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: 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
344 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 138 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 10%
- Carbohydrate 67%
- Fat 22%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 344 kcal | 250 kcal |
| Protein | 9 g | 6.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 58 g | 42.1 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 54.7 g | 39.6 g |
| Sugars | 7.3 g | 5.3 g |
| Added sugars | 7.1 g | 5.1 g |
| Fibre | 3.4 g | 2.5 g |
| Fat | 8.6 g | 6.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.2 g | 0.9 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 444 mg | 322 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.1 g | 0.8 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 262 mg
- Calcium
- 155 mg
- Iron
- 5.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 80 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 214 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” 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
- Toasting the sesame seeds lightly before coating gives a more pronounced nutty flavour.
Common mistakes
- Pale simit lack flavour — bake until really dark; the molasses colours them quickly.
Serve with
- With Turkish tea, white cheese, olives and tomatoes for breakfast.
Storage
- Best the day they are made; freeze for up to a month.
Reheating
- Refresh in a 180 °C oven for 5 minutes.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
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 20 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 18 min at 220 °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 18 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% |
| Water | Water | 400 g | 80% |
| Olive oil | Fat | 14 g | 2.7% |
| Salt | Salt | 9 g | 1.8% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.4% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 4 g | 0.8% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- 80%
- With milk, eggs…
- 80%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Wet dough (over 75%) — sticky; use wet hands and folds instead of kneading. Ciabatta, focaccia and open sourdough.
- Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.
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
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
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
Reviews & corrections
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