Simit: The Turkish Bagel You Don’t Want To Miss!

Every culture has its unique take on bread, and every single one is great. But one of Turkey’s most famous street foods might be a bread you have never heard about. It’s called Simit, and it is incredible! Simit is used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes.

Simit reminds me a lot of the street bread made where I grew up called Kaak, a sizeable ring-shaped bread like a bagel but with softer dough inside. Like Kaak, simit is technically not a bagel. Simit has a nutty flavoring, a crunchy outer shell coated with sesame seeds, and a soft inside. It will become one of your bread favorites in no time!

How Turkish Simit is Different From Bagels

Although some refer to simit as a Turkish bagel, the two foods differ. A bagel is boiled in the water while a simit is baked under high heat in an oven.

A bagel may have a more rigid exterior like a simit and can be coated with poppy or sesame seeds, but bagels have a chewier center. This Turkish delicacy has a crunchy outer shell and a light, fluffy center.

Simit is used for breakfast sandwiches and spreads and is one of the most popular foods in Turkey!

Tips For Perfectly Shaping Simit into a Ring

Shaping the simit into a perfect ring might be challenging, but it only improves with practice. First, you want to take two lumps of your dough and roll them into long snake-like strips. Then, place the two strips parallel next to each other, ensuring the ends line up. Next, intertwine the two ropes by twisting them together – think of how a hair braid would look.

Once the ropes are intertwined, make a circle by creasing the two ends together and make sure the ends are combined and won’t fall apart. This will give you a smooth rotation! To smooth out the crease, stick your hand in the hole of the process and gently roll the ruffle out of the ring on a flat surface. 

How Long Can You Store This Bread?

You can store it in your freezer for a few months to prevent the bread from becoming stale. Then, anytime you want to eat a piece, you can place it in the oven or a pan over medium to low heat.

Yes! It’s a straightforward bread with minimal ingredients making it a healthy option. This dish uses no animal byproducts in the bread, so it is vegan.

Simit is one of Turkey’s most famous breakfast foods. It resembles a bagel with a crunchy and nutty outside covered in sesame seeds and a soft and fluffy inside. It’s the perfect bread for dipping into hummus, eaten with soup, like our chicken noodle soup, and with our turkey chili or even used sandwich bread! You can freeze this bread to help it last for months.