Simit

SIMIT

I really love this bread.  The recipe is from Leanne Kitchen's book Turkey.  The texture is great, but not everyone in  my house was a fan of the outside flavoring.  I remade it, leaving it plain and also dipping into into an egg wash and sesame seeds.  (Egg wash and sesame seeds was definitely the winner).  The possibilities are endless.  I have substituted some of the white for whole wheat to give it a little extra nutritional boost.  It can be coated in any seed (or seeds can be added to the dough).  It seems like you vary the recipe just like you would a bagel recipe.

Combine 1 pinch of sugar with 1/4 cup lukewarm water.  Sprinkle 3 tsp dried yeast onto and let sit aside until foamy (about 8 minutes).

Combine 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour (or any substitutions you would like up to half the volume of the flour) and 1 1/2 tsp salt.  Stir.  Add yeast mixture and about a cup of warm water and stir until you have a coarse dough.  Knead for 6-7 minutes.  ( I used my kitchenaid for this with a dough hook).  Shape into a ball and put in an oiled bowl and cover loosely.  Let rise until doubled, about an hour.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Punch dough and divide into 10 pieces.    Roll into a 22 inch long rope.  Fold in half, then twist it into a rope.  Join the edges together to seal.  Repeat with other 9 pieces.

Now comes for the dipping.  The recipe calls for mixing 2/3 pekmez with 1/3 cup water.  Dip bread ring into it, then dip in 1 1/2 cups of sesame seeds.  This was just too sweet for us.  We preferred dipping into an egg wash and dipping into the sesame seeds.

Let rise for another 20 minutes.  Then bake for 15-18 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.