Simit is the most famous street food in Turkey. It is crunchy and nutty on the outside and soft and a little chewy on the inside. Sesame seed coated simits make the best breakfast in this world when accompanied by cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and a cup of tea.
Simit is one of our favorite Turkish bread recipes. We’ve shared several other breads so far. If you love baking breads, check out our pide bread recipe, lavash recipe and country-style flatbread bazlama!
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What Is Simit?
Simit is a type of Turkish bread mostly eaten as a breakfast food. It is known as the meal of the busy people or poor people because it is the cheapest street food in Turkey. We pair it with a glass of Turkish tea for breakfast and with the yogurt drink named ayran for lunch.
As for the meaning; the Turkish word simit got an entry in Oxford dictionary in 2019 and is described as follows: A type of ring-shaped bread roll originating in Turkey, typically coated with molasses and encrusted with sesame seeds before baking.
Oh and if you don't have a single idea about how to make simit, look for a store called Simit Sarayı around you. It is a chain store selling various types of simit all around the world. If you can't find it, then you have to give this simit recipe a try at home!
Bread For Breakfast
Simit bread is the best grab-and-go breakfast for many working people and students during weekdays in Turkey. They mostly buy simit and cheese together either on the way to work/school or at their workplace/school. There is always a simit vendor you can find nearby. They sell fresh sesame simits and small packages of cream cheese together in their small carts. And you buy a simit and a cheese together for the quickest breakfast ever.
Simits are also a staple for a traditional Turkish breakfast. Make the world-famous breakfast dish menemen or Turkish eggs çilbir and serve with some crispy simits. You will feel in heaven!
More Turkish Savory Pastries
- Cheese Borek
- Pogacha Recipe
- Sigara Borek Recipe
- Kusbasili Pide Recipe Homemade
- Turkish Sesame Pepper Bread
Ingredients
You need a simple dough and a sweet nutty coating for a tasty simit recipe.
For the Dough:
- 500g (3 + ¼ cup) flour
- 2 tablespoon dry instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300ml warm water
For The Coating:
- ½ cup molasses (grape or date)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 300g (about 1 and ½ cups) toasted sesame seeds
Pro Tip: The amount of protein in flour is 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!
How To Make
The recipe has 4 folds.
First, make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. Gradually pour in the water and mix it with your hand.
Knead it for 5 minutes or until you get a smooth and non-sticky, elastic dough. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step.
Cover it and let it rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size.
Second, prepare the simit coating. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the molasses, water and flour. Set it aside. Put the sesame seeds in another bowl. Put it aside. If the sesame seeds are raw, toast them in a pan beforehand.
Third, shape the simit dough. When the dough doubles in size after 1 hour, punch it down and transfer on a floured surface. Shape it into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. And then cut each piece into two. You will have 12 pieces in total.
Grab two pieces and roll them into a rope, 20 inches/50cm in length. Put these side by side and stick the ends by pinching.
Twist in opposite directions to make a braid. Combine the two ends by pinching them together and make a ring. Repeat this for the remaining dough balls.
Fourth, coat the simit dough and bake. Soak the simit ring into the molasses mixture first and then put it into the sesame seed bowl. Transfer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven(425F/220C) for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
Note: You can use whole wheat flour in this simit recipe as we have done before. Please see the images below. They turn out a bit harder and crunchier but still tastes good.
Tips & Tricks
- Use toasted sesame seeds for a good simit taste. If you can’t find them toasted at the market, toast them yourself beforehand. To do this, heat a non-stick pan and toast the sesame seeds by stirring occasionally until light brown and you feel that nutty flavor.
- In the coating mixture, don’t leave the flour out. It gives a consistency and helps the mixture stick on the dough ring.
- For a crunchier result, just like we do when baking bread, spray some water into the oven right after you put the prepared dough rings in the oven.
How To Eat
You can eat simits in several ways:
- Eat them as they are, just pairing with a drink like tea or ayran.
- You can prepare a sandwich. Cut it into two lengthwise. Place cheese, tomatoes and lettuce leaves in between. Or you can even make a chocolate sandwich with it. Just spread some nutella between two halves and enjoy!
- You can use chopped simit as a topping on your soup. You can even make croutons. Just heat simit pieces in a pan over the stove or in a baking sheet in the oven until crunchy. Sprinkle some on your soup, you will love it.
- Just like crackers or tortilla chips, you can eat simit with your dips. Get a piece and dip it into spicy acuka sauce, hummus or cheese dips! YUM!
Frequently Asked Questions
It tastes nutty with a subtle sweetness, so it is considered as a savory food and mostly paired with other savory foods.
Yes they are. No eggs or dairy products are used in the recipe. Never.
No it isn’t. Although they look similar in shape, the taste is different because of two reasons. 1)Simits are not boiled like bagels, they are only baked in a very hot oven. 2)Unlike bagels, simits are coated with a generous amount of toasted sesame seeds. This is what makes them unique.
You can reheat them either in the oven or in a pan over medium low heat.
Yes, you can freeze simits for several months and reheat them whenever you want to eat.
More Bread Recipes
More Turkish Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Turkish Simit
Simit is a crunchy, ring shaped, braided street bread with an amazing nutty flavor of toasted sesame seeds.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 500g (3 + ¼ cup) flour
- 2 teaspoon dry instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300ml warm water
For The Coating:
-
½ cup molasses (grape or date)
-
¼ cup water
-
1 tablespoon flour
-
300g (about 1 and ½ cups) toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt.
- Gradually pour in the water and mix it with your hand. Knead it for 5 minutes or until you get a smooth and non-sticky, elastic dough.
- Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step.
- Cover it and let it rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size.
Prepare the coating:
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the molasses, water and flour. Set it aside.
- Put the sesame seeds in another bowl. Put it aside. If the sesame seeds are raw, toast them in a pan beforehand.
Shape the simit dough:
- When the dough doubles in size after 1 hour, punch it down and transfer on a floured surface. Shape it into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. And then cut each piece into two. You will have 12 pieces in total.
- Grab two pieces and roll them into a rope, 20 inches/50cm in length.
- Put these side by side and stick the ends by pinching.
- Twist in opposite directions to make a braid.
- Combine the two ends by pinching them together and make a ring.
- Repeat this for the remaining dough balls.
Coat the simit dough and bake:
- Preheat the oven at 425C/220C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put it aside.
- Soak the simit ring into the molasses mixture first and then put it into the sesame seed bowl. Transfer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
Notes
- The amount of protein in flour is 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!
- Use toasted sesame seeds for a good simit taste. If you can’t find them toasted at the market, toast them yourself beforehand. To do this, heat a non-stick pan and toast the sesame seeds by stirring occasionally until light brown and you feel that nutty flavor.
- In the coating mixture, don’t leave the flour out. It gives a consistency and helps the mixture stick on the dough ring.For a crunchier result, just like we do when baking bread, spray some water into the oven right after you put the prepared dough rings in the oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 21.4 g
- Sodium: 465.4 mg
- Fat: 25.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 97.8 g
- Protein: 18.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: simit, simit recipe, turkish simit, how to make simit
Tara says
Are you suppose to use bread flour or all purpose? If you say either do you have to adjust the amount of salt?
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Tara,
You can use either but bread flour is much better as the amount of protein in it is higher than all purpose flour. No need to adjust the amount of salt in the recipe. Hope this helps.
Andrew says
Hello! I am new to baking and I am a bit confused on what you mean by "at least 13 flour". Does this mean 13%, 13 grams per serving, or something else? Thank you!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Andrew, it is the amount of protein in flour. You can read the label on the package and see the amount of protein in the flour brand you are using.
It is recommended that the protein is 13 or above for the best texture. But if you can't find a high protein flour, use any bread flour or all purpose flour you find. Your simit will still taste so good. Hope this helps.
Grace says
Turned out delicious! Recipe was so easy and straightforward. I had to use pomegranate molasses as I couldn't get date or grape molasses but nevertheless it turned out delicious! I can't post photos here but they look stunning too! Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
★★★★★
Grace Choi says
Merhaba Zerrin and Yusuf. Thanks for this amazing recipe . I am actually waiting for my dough to rise as I write this. As I don't have grape or date molasses (not as easily found dough in general gocery stores in Australia)I am using pomegranate. I will let you know how it turns out. Love that this is oil free and dairy free! Will update very soon.
★★★★★
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Grace,
So happy to hear that you are making simit, our favorite snack! Never used pomegranate molasses for simit. Is it sweet or sour? What we call pomegranate molasses is sour, that's why we are asking. As long as it gives a nice color and subtle sweetness, it must be okay. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the result!
Grace Choi says
Hello again!
So I made it with the pomegranate molasses and it is slightly Sour but overall sweet so I'm very happy with the result.
The simit is so soft inside inside nutty on the outside. They also look so beautiful!
I love your recipe and I'll be sure to make it again as it was so easy.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Grace,
Glad you are happy with the result. So pomegranate molasses worked for you. Great! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Enjoy your simits!
Ruby says
Hello can we use pomegranate molasses? Thank you
Yusuf says
Hi Ruby,
The pomegranate molasses we use in Turkish cuisine is quite tangy unlike date molasses or grape molasses. So we never use it when making simit. It is a salad dressing for us. However, if the one you have is as sweet as date/grape molasses, you can use it. Hope this helps.