Simit according to Turkish recipe

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g wheat flour type 405
• ½ cube of fresh yeast
• 150 ml water, lukewarm
• 100 ml milk, lukewarm
• 100 ml sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp grape syrup (pekmez), alternatively sugar beet syrup
• 100 ml water
• 150 g sesame seeds

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

My Turkish host mother’s sesame rings

First, mix the oil, water, milk, sugar, salt, and yeast until the yeast, salt, and sugar have dissolved. Then gradually add the flour until the simit is soft but not sticky. Preheat the oven to 50°C, then turn it off. Cover the dough and place it in the oven for 30 minutes. Shape the dough into a snake and divide it into 10 pieces, each weighing about 90g. Let it rise for another 15 minutes. Don’t forget to cover. In the meantime, brown the sesame seeds in a dry pan and set aside. Be careful, it will pop like popcorn, but that’s okay. Mix the syrup with the water in a deep dish. Preheat the oven to 190°C (top/bottom heat). Shape the dough pieces into very thin snakes and tie them together. Press the ends of the string together and first bathe the simit in the syrup, then roll them in the sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, then wrap in a tea towel to cool to prevent them from becoming hard. They’re delicious with both sweet and savory toppings and can also be frozen.