3-¼ cups flour
2 teaspoon dry instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
10-1/4 fl oz warm water
For The Coating:
½ cup molasses (grape or date)
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon flour
1-1/2 cups toasted sesame seeds
Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. Gradually pour in the water and mix it with your hand. Knead it for 5 minutes or until you get a smooth and non-sticky, elastic dough. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step. Cover it and let it rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size. Prepare the coating: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the molasses, water and flour. Set it aside. Put the sesame seeds in another bowl. Put it aside. If the sesame seeds are raw, toast them in a pan beforehand. Shape the simit dough: When the dough doubles in size after 1 hour, punch it down and transfer on a floured surface. Shape it into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. And then cut each piece into two. You will have 12 pieces in total. Grab two pieces and roll them into a rope, 20 inches/50cm in length. Put these side by side and stick the ends by pinching. Twist in opposite directions to make a braid. Combine the two ends by pinching them together and make a ring. Repeat this for the remaining dough balls. Coat the simit dough and bake: Soak the simit ring into the molasses mixture first and then put it into the sesame seed bowl. Transfer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden.