How to Make Simit at Home

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20267 min read

Simit, the sesame-coated bread ring of the Turkish street, looks like the work of a specialist, but it is surprisingly achievable in a home kitchen. The dough is simple, the shaping is forgiving, and the magic lies in two things you can easily control: the molasses glaze that gives the crust its color and sweetness, and the generous coat of sesame that gives it its crunch. This guide takes you through the authentic method step by step, so you can bake your own golden rings and bring a little of Turkey to your table.

The Ingredients

The shopping list for simit is short and honest. You need strong bread flour, water, fresh yeast or instant yeast, a little salt, a little sugar to feed the yeast, and the two stars of the show: grape molasses and sesame seeds.

Grape molasses, known as pekmez in Turkey, is the traditional glaze ingredient. It gives the crust its deep amber color, its gentle sweetness, and its grip on the sesame. If pekmez is hard to find, honey or maple syrup mixed with water is a workable substitute, though the flavor will shift slightly.

Sesame seeds should be raw and untoasted, because the oven will do the toasting. Buy them in bulk if you can, since you will use a generous amount, and keep the rest in the freezer, where they stay fresh for months.

The Dough

Simit dough is a plain bread dough, and it asks for a strong flour that can build a good chew. Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and a little sugar in a bowl, then add warm water and mix until a rough dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, until it is smooth, elastic, and springs back when pressed. This is the same work you do for any good bread, and the gluten you develop here gives the simit its characteristic pull.

The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it clings to your hands, add a little flour; if it feels stiff and dry, add a splash of water. A well-kneaded dough is the foundation of a simit that is crisp outside and tender within. Some home bakers add a small spoonful of yogurt to the dough, a trick borrowed from the Aegean bakeries that gives the crumb a little extra tenderness, though the classic street simit relies on flour, water, yeast, and salt alone.

Simit, Turkey — Photo by falco on Pixabay

The First Rise

Once the dough is smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise until it has doubled in size. In a warm kitchen this takes about an hour, and in a cooler room it may take longer.

The rise is where the dough develops its flavor as well as its volume. Do not rush it; a patient rise produces a more flavorful crumb, and the simit benefits from the extra hour the way all good breads do.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down gently and divide it into pieces. The size is your choice: smaller pieces make small, snackable rings, while larger pieces make the substantial rings that are sold on the streets of Istanbul.

Shaping the Rings

Shaping simit is easier than it looks. Roll each piece of dough into a long, even rope, about two fingers thick, and then join the two ends to form a ring, pressing them together firmly so they do not separate during the rise and bake.

The Turkish bakers often twist the rope before joining it, which gives the simit its braided look and a slightly different texture at the twist. You can twist or not, as you prefer; both versions are authentic.

As you shape each ring, lay it on a floured tray and cover it with a cloth, because the dough will rise again quickly. The rings should rest for twenty to thirty minutes, until they are puffy and light to the touch.

The Molasses Glaze

The glaze is the secret of the simit’s color and sweetness. In a wide, shallow bowl, mix the grape molasses with an equal amount of water, and stir until the mixture is a thin, even syrup.

The molasses mixture does two jobs. It tints the dough a deep amber, which deepens further in the oven, and it gives the sesame something to cling to, since dry dough will shed most of its seeds.

Work with one ring at a time. Dip the ring into the molasses mixture, turning it so every surface is coated, then lift it and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Every bare patch of dough will show in the finished simit, so be thorough.

Coating with Sesame

Now comes the most satisfying step. Pour a generous layer of sesame seeds into a wide dish, and press the glazed ring into the seeds, turning and pressing so the seeds cling to the whole surface.

The sesame should coat the ring thickly, because the seeds are what make a simit a simit. Lift the ring, shake off the loose seeds, and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment.

Do not worry about perfection. The first ring you shape will wobble and the last one will be round, and that is exactly the point, because the bread is made to be eaten, not exhibited. The rings will not look uniform, and they should not, because the handmade character is part of the charm. A heavy, uneven coat of sesame is closer to the street simit than a neat, tidy one.

Baking

Simit bakes in a hot oven, and the heat is what turns the pale, seeded rings into golden bread. Preheat your oven as hot as it will go, and if you have a baking stone or a heavy tray, heat that too.

Place the rings in the oven and bake for about fifteen to twenty minutes, watching closely near the end. The simit is ready when the crust is deep amber and the sesame has toasted to a golden brown, and the kitchen will smell of nuts and caramel, which is the surest sign that the batch is nearly ready. Let the baked rings cool for a few minutes on a rack before you eat them, because the crust needs a moment to settle into its crackle, and then break one open to check the crumb before you serve the rest.

For a closer imitation of the wood-fired oven, add a small pan of water to the base of your oven to create steam in the first minutes of baking. The steam helps the crust develop its characteristic crackle before the heat dries it out.

The Gevrek Secret

If you want to make the Izmir version of simit, known as gevrek, you need one small change: make the rings thinner and bake them a little longer. The thinner dough dries out more, and the result is a crisp, brittle ring with a sharper crackle.

The gevrek is also slightly sweeter in its glaze, so you can tip the molasses mixture a little richer if that is your aim. The Izmir bakers know their ring by its snap, and you can hear the difference when you break it.

The Istanbul simit, by contrast, is plumper and softer, with more chew and a less brittle crust. Bake a batch of each and you will understand why the two cities argue so happily about which is the true ring.

Serving and Storing

Simit is best eaten the day it is baked, while the crust still crackles and the interior is soft and warm. Serve it as the Turks do: with white cheese, black olives, and a glass of strong black tea.

The rings keep reasonably well for a day or two in a paper bag, but they will lose their crispness, and no amount of reheating fully restores the fresh-baked crackle. Toast them briefly if you must, and eat them quickly.

If you have more simit than you can eat, the dough itself freezes well. Shape the rings, let them rise, and freeze them unbaked; then glaze, seed, and bake straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time.

Troubleshooting

If your simit looks pale, the glaze was too weak or the oven was too cool, so strengthen the molasses mixture and turn up the heat. If the sesame falls off, the glaze was too thin, so let it cling a little longer before seeding.

If the rings are tough, the dough was over-kneaded or baked too long; reduce the baking time and handle the dough a little less. If the rings are flat, the second rise was too short, so give the shaped rings more time to puff before they go into the oven.

Every batch teaches you something, and simit rewards practice quickly. By your third attempt you will be shaping rings without thinking, and by your fifth you will understand why the bakers of Turkey guard their recipes so proudly.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need grape molasses to make simit?

Grape molasses, pekmez, is the traditional glaze and gives simit its authentic color and sweetness. If you cannot find it, a mixture of honey or maple syrup with water works as a substitute, though the flavor and depth will be slightly different.

Can I make simit without a wood-fired oven?

Yes. A regular home oven works well if it reaches a high temperature. Preheat it fully, use a baking stone or heavy tray if you have one, and add steam in the first minutes to help the crust crackle.

Why does my sesame keep falling off?

The sesame falls off when the glaze is too thin or the ring is not fully coated. Mix the molasses with less water, dip each ring thoroughly, and press it firmly into the seeds so the coating adheres before baking.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.