About this Dish
A crisp, sesame-crusted ring bread, sold fresh from street carts each morning.
History & Origin
Simit has been documented in Istanbul since the 16th century, traditionally sold by vendors balancing towers of rings on their heads through city streets.
IngredientsServes 3
🌾Strong white bread flour, 500g
🧂Salt, 1 tsp
🍬Caster sugar, 1 tsp
🫧Instant dried yeast, 7g (1 sachet)
💧Warm water, 300ml
🫒Sunflower oil, 2 tbsp
🍇Grape molasses (pekmez), 3 tbsp (or pomegranate molasses)
🌰White sesame seeds, 200g
Method
1
Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together in a large bowl. Add the warm water and oil, then bring everything together into a dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.2
Punch down the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 50cm long. Fold the rope in half and twist the two strands around each other, then bring the ends together to form a ring, pinching the ends firmly to seal.3
Mix the molasses with 3 tablespoons of warm water in a shallow bowl and spread the sesame seeds out on a flat tray. Dip each ring first into the molasses mixture, coating it all over, then press it generously into the sesame seeds on both sides so they stick well.4
Place the coated rings onto baking trays lined with parchment paper, spacing them slightly apart. Cover loosely and let them rest for 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 230°C (210°C fan).5
Bake for 15–18 minutes until deep golden brown and the sesame seeds are toasted and fragrant. Simit should feel firm and sound hollow when tapped on the base. They are best eaten fresh and warm on the day they are made.6
Bake for 20–25 minutes until deep golden brown and the sesame crust is crisp and fragrant. They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Eat warm on the day they are made — just like from the cart.User Reviews
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