Simit (Traditional Turkish Bagel Recipe)

Simit is a crispy bagel with a soft interior and a little nutty, slightly sweet taste due to the bath of molasses and sesame seeds! They are easy to make with basic ingredients that can be changed, deepening in the desired variety. Best enjoyed warm on its own, for a quick snack with Turkish tea or to make a perfect Turkish breakfast  at home.

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What is Simit?

Also known as Turkish Bagel and one of the most popular Turkish street food, is a round bread often topped with sesame seeds that was first produced in Istanbul in the early 15th century during the Ottoman Empire. Unlike other types of bagels, Simit has a crisp, flakier exterior and a soft interior. The dough is made from simple ingredients including flour, yeast, sugar, salt and sometimes oil, then shaped into rings and dipped in molasses.

Traditionally, Turkish bagels are baked in traditional fire ovens and sold on the street on their own with Turkish tea or paired with chocolate, local cheese, etc, where vendors shout “taza simit, sucuk simit, taza taza”. There are many different varieties of turkish sesame bagel, where each province has developed its own, including Sokak Simidi, Kil Simit, and Izmir Gevrek.

Ingredients to make Simit Recipe

Simit ingredients include: bread flour, molasses, sesame, yeast, oil and other ingredients.

You’ll need a few simple ingredients to make this homemade Turkish simit bread recipe: bread flour is essential, Lukewarm water to combine the dough, instant yeast, sugar, salt and sunflower oil. For the bath, I use less than one cup of molasses and a cup of water, and of course toasted sesame seeds on the top of Turkish bread. However, you can substitute some of them: active or fresh yeast to substitute instant yeast ( see the FAQs section below for more information), water to replace sunflower oil when preparing the dough.

Related: Important ingredients in baking Bread

Tools to Bake Simit at Home

To make homemade simit, I use a few basic tools that you probably have in your hand: A Prepware Mixing bowl and spatulas to mix the dough and kitchen scale to weigh  the simit dough before shaping. For baking I use my oven’s baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Overview: How to make Turkish Bagel Recipe

simit dough
  1. make the simit dough: the simit dough should be dry. Continue below to learn more about how to prepare the dough.
  2. Cover the dough and let it rise. The Turkish bread dough rises in about 1 hours at room temperature
  3. Shape the Turkish bagel: Check out the section below to learn how to shape simit step-by-step with pictures.
  4. Prepare the molasses mixture and top your simit with it.
  5. Bake for15 minutes until golden brown. 
On the left, Simit before baking. On the right, Simit after baking

In Pictures: How to shape a Turkish Bagel? 

Step by step pictures guide to shape Turkish Bagel
  1. Shape the pieces of the dough into a ball.
  2. Shape each ball into a tube similar to a dog bun.
  3. Using your wrist, start rolling the tube back and forth and twist it to a length of about 22 inches (55 centimeters).
  4. Place one end of the dough and place it on the other end.
  5. Twist the ends of the dough in opposite directions to form a rope shape.
  6. Take the ends of the dough and kind of twist them around each other to seal them up.

Simit Molasses Bath

Molasses bath give traditional Turkish bread its beautiful golden color and adds an extra sweetness to it. Whisk 1/2 cup of molasses with a 1/2 cup of water. Dip the simit in the molasses mixture and give each side about 30 to 45 seconds to suck well. Distill the mixture from it and place it in the sesame seeds.

On the left: molasses bath. On the right, sesame seed dip

Simit variations

Simit has a significant place in Turkish cuisine, as it is produced and consumed in every province throughout Türkiye. Therefore, there are dozens of different types of traditional simit, each with its own texture and baking method. Some of the most popular varieties are:

  • Sokak simidi: A.k.a Istanbul bagel. Typically made from a dough like this recipe.
  • kel Simidi: To make it, follow the recipe below, just keep in mind to shape it into a regular circle without the coated sesame seeds, then boil it in water for less than one minute and wash with molasses before baking. 
  • Devrek simit: Made from the basic bread ingredients. After shaping the dough, it is boiled in molasses then baked in the oven.
  • Ankara simit: Known for its thinner texture, smaller size and darker color compared to other simit types. 
  • Pastane Simidi: Made with a dough rich in butter and milk, resulting in a less crispy on the outside and softer on the inside. 

More Bagels and Turkish Bread recipes

Homemade Bazlama Recipe

No-Knead Jerusalem Bagel Recipe

Simit

FAQs

How to store homemade Simit?

Let them cool completely and store the simit in an airtight container or a plastic bag at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, wrap each bagel in plastic wrap and then in a freezer bag, when ready to eat, thaw the simit at room temperature or using your oven, then preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and heat for 5-10 minutes until warm and renewing their crispness.

Can I make simit without Sesame seeds?

Yes, you can make it without sesame seeds as with Kal Simit. Just dip the bagels in the molasses mixture and then bake them. 

How to make Simit with Fresh Yeast?

When making Turkish bagel with fresh yeast, the recipe instructions below change slightly: After kneading, let the dough rest for about 15 minutes, then divide and shape it into a ball and let it rest for another 15 minutes, then shape and coat. Let it rise for 30-60 minutes before baking.

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Simit (Turkish Sesame Bagel Recipe)

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Learn how to make authentic Turkish simit at home with just a few simple ingredients! These sesame bagels are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and have a nutty sweetness from sesame seeds and molasses.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake Time 15 minutes
Rise time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course White bread, Yeast Bread
Cuisine Mediterranean, Turkish
Servings 6 simit

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups (450 grams) bread flour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) lukewarm water
  • ½ cup sunflower oil (optional)
  • ½ tbsp (about 6 grams) instant yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar

For Topping

  • 1 cup toasted sesame (or roasted sesame)
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup molasses

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, oil and instant yeast (keep yeast away from sugar and salt) and mix with a spatula or your hand. Gradually add lukewarm water and stir for 3 minutes until the dough comes together.
  • Knead the dough: Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with cling film and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until tripled in size.
  • Shape the Simit: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any bubbles of carbon dioxide. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. (4 ounces, 120 grams) Shape each piece into a ball.
  • Take a ball and roll it into a rope about 22 inches (55 centimeter). Take one end of the rope and place it on the other end. Using both hands, twist the two ends in opposite directions to form a "rope shape". Bring the ends together to form a circle and tighten them tightly. ( see the pictures above for a visual). Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  • Prepare the molasses mixture: Mix the molasses and water in a shallow bowl. Take another one and put it in the toasted sesame seeds.
  • Topping: Dip each ring in the molasses mixture and then roll in the sesame seeds until well coated. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Cover and allow to rise for about 10 minutes. (This step is optional, so you can skip it if you want less crumbs)
  • Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
  • Bake: Place the simit in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Flour: Turkish bread requires a high protein flour with 12-14% protein content. So bread flour is the only solution for this recipe.
Oil: I use sunflower oil when I make this recipe, but you can always remove it and add more lukewarm water or by using other types of oils.
Yeast: Both instant and active dry yeast work with this recipe. If using active dry yeast, the rise time may be longer. If you using fresh yeast, multiply the amount of yeast by 3. See the FAQs section for more information on how to make simit with fresh yeast.
Simit varieties: See blog post above to make other Turkish bagel. Note that the instructions and ingredients may change from variety to other. You can also use this simit recipe to make whole wheat bagels by substituting half of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried it before, so let me know if you do.

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