Simit (Turkish Sesame Bread Rings)

Ingredients

• 400 g wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 4 dl water, lukewarm — 250 ml for the dough and 150 ml for the molasses dip
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp molasses
• 150 g sesame seeds

Method

1. 1.

   Proof the yeast — Whisk the yeast and sugar into 250 ml of the lukewarm water and leave it for 10 minutes, until a foamy cap forms across the surface. If nothing happens, the yeast is dead and no amount of kneading will rescue the dough.

2. 2.

   Knead a firm dough — Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, pour in the yeast water and the olive oil and bring it together into a shaggy dough. Turn it out and knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth, tight and springing back when you press it — simit dough should be noticeably firmer than pizza dough.

3. 3.

   Prove until doubled — Put the dough back in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it and leave to prove somewhere warm for about an hour, until doubled in size and domed on top.

4. 4.

   Twist the rings — Knock the dough back and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each one into a rope about 60 cm long, fold it in half, twist the two strands tightly around each other, then bring the ends together and pinch them firmly to close the ring.

5. 5.

   Dip in molasses and sesame — Whisk the molasses into the remaining 150 ml of warm water in a shallow bowl and spread the sesame seeds thickly in another. Dip each ring in the molasses water, let it drip for a second, then press both sides firmly into the sesame until the seeds sit in a dense, even coat.

6. 6.

   Rest before baking — Set the rings well apart on two lined baking trays and let them rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 220 °C. They will puff a little but should not double again.

7. 7.

   Bake until chestnut brown — Bake for 18-20 minutes, until deep chestnut brown all over and hollow-sounding when you tap the underside. Cool on a rack for a few minutes only — simit is at its best warm, while the crust still crackles and the crumb is properly chewy.