Turkish bagel simit
«To the Turks, simit – what baguette is to the French. It's not just a bread. It's a way of life. They start their morning with simit, they eat simit at noon and get a good energy boost... Crunchy sesame, slightly sweet browned crust, incredibly tender «creamy» crumb – for the sake of simit, it is worth it to mess with the dough! Especially since the process is not very long and complicated.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera at hand during the cooking, but folding the simits – is an important process, so I still took photos on my phone (I apologize for their quality).
The bagels are delicious immediately after baking: the crispy crust melts into the tender crumb, so they're best eaten the day they're made. The beauty is that the dough is virtually sugar-free, but the bagel is so delicious that kids and adults alike enjoy them with cocoa, milk, or just plain.
Constituents (for 4-6 pieces):
Dough:
- flour - 250 gr.
- water – 150 gr.
- plant oil - 1 tbsp.
- salt - 4 gr.
- fresh yeast – 10 gr.
- sugar - 1 tsp.
decoration:
- cunjut - 100 gr.
- pekmez (molasses and water 1:1) - 100 gr.
Cooking Turkish simit:
Sift the flour into the bowl of a food processor. Crumble the fresh yeast into the flour and lightly rub it into the flour. Pour in the salt and sugar, water, vegetable oil and knead into a smooth, elastic dough. In a food processor this process took me about 8 minutes, with hands you will need to knead a little longer – about 10-12 minutes. Form into a ball and leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.
In the meantime, lightly toast the sesame seeds in a pan and allow to cool.
Prepare the «pekmez». For this, mix molasses and water in a ratio of 1:1. The molasses can be replaced with dark honey or brown sugar. The color of the bagel crust will depend on this mixture. The most saturated color is obtained when using the so-called molasses. With honey and sugar it will be slightly lighter.
When the dough has risen, start shaping the bagels. To do this, place the dough on the table, and, flatten slightly to form a rectangle. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the dough into 4-6 long narrow rectangle-strips. Take one to work and cover the rest with a towel. Roll the strip into a bundle with a diameter of about 1 cm. Fold the resulting bundle in half and weave it into a spiral.
Connect one end to the other by threading the ends through the resulting loop and pinch thoroughly. If the attachment point is thick, roll it lightly on a surface and place it in the palm of your hand like a bracelet.
If the dough feels wet and sticks, dust the work surface lightly with flour, but don't overdo it.
Dip the bagels first in the prepared molasses and water mixture, then dip generously in the sesame seeds. Place the simitos on a parchment-lined baking tray and let rise in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes.
Place the bagels on a baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated 180-190 degree oven until golden, 15-20 minutes.
Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve.
Have a nice appetite!
