You can hear the words on the title from millions of people in mornings in Turkey. This is the best breakfast for many working people and students. They buy simit and cheese either on the way to work/school or at their workplace/school. I’m a breakfast person (you know it already!), so I never leave home without having breakfast. However, I can’t take my eyes from the counter of the school canteen. We sometimes go to school with my officemate, Erkin and he buys his breakfast from the canteen everyday saying “1 simit and 1 cheese please!” They are selling small package of cream cheese and it’s one of the best companions of simit. He’s not the only one asking for these two, it’s always very crowded in front of the counter of the canteen. Some people even ask for 2 cheesees if they are not satisfied with just one. The third companion of these two is a cup of Turkish tea, and he always makes it in the office with our little kettle. Fortunately he offers me some and I can hardly refuse this small breakfast. Although I have a great breakfast at home, I break off a small piece of his simit (my god! How crunchy and fresh it is!) and spread a little cheese on it. Mouthwatering, isn’t it?
Simit is not only a quick breakfast for us in Turkey, we also have it for large breakfast when we have enough time. We combine it with various cheeses, sliced tomato and cucumbers this time, and of course have these with black tea.
It is sold everywhere here, people don’t prefer making it at home, it’s always easier to buy it prepared. We do love difficult things though! It was Yusuf’s idea to make it at home, and we tried the recipe we learnt from our local bakery today! Simit at bakeries is made with white flour, but we used whole wheat flour, so ours are more brown than regular Turkish simit.
The amount of protein in flour is very important to have the right flavor in simit, it must be 13 or more. We searched for the right flour at the market, but it wasn’t very easy, so we had to visit a few markets and finally found one with 14. Check out its label before buying if you try simit at home!
You don’t need many ingredients for a tasty simit! Some molasses will give its color and sesame seeds will enhance its flavor!
Start with preparing dough. The mixture of flour, water and yeast will never go wrong!
Love kneading! I always make with hands!
Time to sleep for 20 minutes!
After 20-minute sleeping, it becomes bigger and softer.
Make a log from your dough and cut it into 14 pieces to make 7 simits.
Did you use to play with dough as a kid? It’s fun, isn’t it? You can involve your kids in this step.
Make them in equal length.
Hello little caterpillar! Twist them around each other firmly.
Seal their edges very well with your fingers so that it doesn’t lose its circular shape.
Shower time now! Dip each into molasses mixture very well so that it is completely coated.
A little make up after shower! Coat them very well with sesame seeds. If sesame seeds are half roasted, it’s better.
Place them in an oven tray. They are tempting even unbaked, aren’t they?
Enjoy it at breakfast with typical Turkish breakfast foods and tea.
Here is how to make homemade simit:
1 Simit 1 Cheese Please
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 7
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp dry instant yeast
- 1 ¼ cup warm water
- Coating:
- 1 cup grape molasses
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 cups sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix dry yeast with warm water and pour it on flour.
- Add salt and knead it until smooth and non-sticky.
- If it’s too tough, we your hands and keep kneading.
- Cover it with a piece of wet cloth and wait about 20 minutes.
- Roll it and make a log from it.
- Cut it into 14 pieces to make 7 simits.
- Roll two balls one by one and give them a thin and long sausage shape.
- Twist them around each other and seal their edges to make a circle.
- Repeat it for all dough balls.
- Mix water, grape molasses and flour.
- Heat oven at 230C.
- Dip each simit dough first into molasses mixture and then sesame seeds.
- Place a baking paper on a tray.
- Put simit doughs on it and bake them about 20 minutes.
- Serve them with cheese, sliced tomato and cucumber.
Notes
Note: These ingredients make 7 simits.
Hello! These look so yummy! Could I substitute grape molasses with regular molasses?
Hi Hana,
I don’t know what regular molasses is, we have grape molasses here, which has a dark brown color and sweet flavor. We use it in this recipe especially for its color and quite little sweetness. If your regular molasses is the same, you can use it.
Hi Zerrin..thanks for your reply! Over here in Malaysia we don’t produce molasses so i believe what we import are sugarcane molasses from the US. I think i will mak e more research on this hehe. Thanks!
Hi Zerrin,
The recipe is missing from the bottom of the page!
I’ve still never managed to find grape molasses here, only “regular” (sugarcane) molasses, and now I can get carob or pomegranate molasses…but no grape. 🙁
Thank you Stamatia for warning! I fixed it and now the recipe must be displayed.
As carob molasses has the same color and similar sweetness, I guess it works fine for this recipe, so you can use it.
I’m glad my usual breakfast has inspired you to cook it at home. I would ask you to cook and bring me some for a breakfast, but simit is delicious only if it is fresh, so I and Utku(he loves simit) will call on for a five o’clock tea on a Saturday.
Another important tip about simit: Simit+cheese+tea makes a breakfast, simit+ayran makes a lunch.
Enjoy it!
Erkin, we can make it for you and sweet Utku any time you want. Just call us before coming and your simit will be ready right when you come.
Thanks for additional info about simit+ayran.
Interesting what you mention about the protein content of the flour. Here in the US flour has a much higher protein content than European flours, and I had a hard time figuring out why my German rolls didn’t turn out right (with a fluffy, pull-out crumb, instead of a chewy, baguette like one).
When I was in Hamburg last time, I looked for permez, but couldn’t find it. Here in the US there is (sadly) not much Turkish food, anyway.
Happy Baking!
Do you think I could make these the night before up until the molasses and sesame seeds and then bake in the morning?
Never tried it that way Liz, but I think it’s ok to make the dough overnight. I sometimes make such yeast dough pastries the night before and fill it with something and bake the following day.
Such a wonderful recepie! By the way, the amount of salt is missing in the ingredients list! 😉