Turkish baked simit with a mezze platter

All across Turkey you will be treated to the same breakfast - freshly baked sesame-coated simit bread rounds, a fruit jam and white cheese, a mezze platter of olives, tomatoes, cucumber and boiled eggs and, depending on the season, fresh or dried figs and dates, all washed down with a strong black sweetened tea (cay).
Often termed Turkish bagels, simit is freshly baked and sold by street peddlers, off carts or most often from trays held aloft on street corners. The coating of grape orpomegranate molasses imbedded with sesame seed makes for a crunchy outside and chewy inner which is great with a cherry or berry jam, torn off in chewable hunks. You will need to be up early to get these in time for breakfast!

Ingredients

¼ tsp	Sugar
1 Tbsp	Active dried yeast
¼ cup	Water, warm
2 cups	High grade flour
1 tsp	Salt
¾ cup	Water, warm
½ cup	Water
1 cup	Molasses, fruit
1 dessert spoon	Berry jam

To serve (optional)

1 to serve	Berry jam
1 to serve	Feta
1 to serve	Tomato, sliced
1 to serve	Cucumber, sliced
1 to serve	Eggs, boiled
1 to serve	Dates
1 to serve	Figs
1 to serve	Olives

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in ¼ cup warm water and leave to stand until frothy, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in ¾ cup warm water and yeast mixture. Knead into a stiff dough. This should take 10-15 minutes.
3. Place in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
4. Knead again and divide and roll into 8 balls and leave to rise again for 30 minutes.
5. Roll each ball into a 30cm log, twist and press together into a circle.
6. Dissolve the molasses in the ½ cup water and place the sesame seeds on a flat plate. Dip the bread rounds in the molasses water and then in the sesame seeds. Place on baking trays lined with baking paper and rest a further 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 200C and then bake simit for 15-20 minutes until bread is baked and sesame is toasted.
8. Serve warm with berry jam, feta cheese and a platter of sliced tomatoes, cucumber, boiled eggs, dates, figs and olives.