Eggless Greek Simiti / Koulouri /Sesame Crusted Bread Rolls

Simiti / koulouri is a circular bread with sesame seeds on top . They are very common in Greece and  Turkey  . Simiti's size , chewiness / crunchiness ,  texture varies in each region . They are also called as Turkish Bagel  in USA . These little cuties makes a good filling breakfast .  As soon as i took it out from the oven , i had some cream cheese applied on the middle and ate it ASAP . Homemade warm breads are the best and this was out of the world. 

The outer part of the bread was crunchy and inside chewy . The flavor and taste of  roasted sesame and along with the slight sweetness from honey was out of the world.  

Are you getting tempted . I bet ,you will never regret baking these . 

For this months challenge on Baking Eggless group , +Priya Suresh from Priyas Versatile Recipes had suggested this recipe .  Congrats +Gayathri Kumar and each and every one from the group for entering the third year of successful eggless baking .

Recipe source - My Expat Kitchen 
Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 Cups
Yeast - 2  TSP
Sugar - 1 1/2 TBLS
Salt - 1 TSP
Warm Milk   +/-  1 Cup
Olive oil - 1 1/2 TBLS

For topping :

Honey - 3 TBLS

Water - 1/4 Cup

Roasted Sesame Seeds -  1/2 Cup

Instructions :

• Mix all the dry ingredients separately and mix all wet ingredients ( use only 1 TBLS ) separately . 
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients .
• Using a dough hook mix it for  7- 10 minutes .
• When all the ingredients are mixed well and formed a dough , place it in the counter top.
• Oil your hands knead the dough for couple of minutes .Sprinkle some flour over it and knead really well .
• Place the dough in a greased bowl , Cover it with cling wrap. Keep it in a warm place . Allow it to proof for an hour .
• Meanwhile Roast the sesame seeds till they are golden in color and allow it to cool completely.
• Punch the dough and release the air.  Divide the dough and make equal portions.
• Divide one portion of dough into two . Roll it out to form  2 ropes. Combine the edges and twist the dough to form a braided bread . Bring the ends together ,  pinch it and seal . 
• Place the bread in the baking tray .
• Pre- heat the oven at 350F. 
• Mix the honey and water , generously brush it over the bread . (  I had little honey so i brushed it , original recipe ask to dip the bread in the liquid  mixture ) .
• Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the bread .
• And now its time to bake the simities . Bake the bread for  20 - 25 minutes till they turn golden brown.
• Remove from oven , Allow it to cool . 
• Serve it warm .

Notes -

• This is my way of doing the bread . I know the yeast i use is still active . In case if you are not sure about the yeast you use ,  Replace half a cup of milk to warm water . Mix the sugar in warm water and sprinkle the yeast over it . Once the yeast mixture becomes frothy add it to the bread and proceed with the instructions .
• Keeping the dough in a warm place is necessary . It helps the bread to proof . I kept it inside the microwave as it is so cold over here .
• Original recipe called for grape juice . As i didn't have it i replaced it to honey .
• Usually this breads needs to be dipped in the grape juice , I brushed it with honey as i was going out of honey .
• This breads do not need second time proofing .

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