Crispy Sesame Tea Rings with Mahleb – Kandil Simit

Crispy Sesame Tea Rings 

This receipe comes from "Classical Turkish Cooking : Traditional Turkish Food for the American" cookbook by Ayla E. Algar

This batch will produce 20 delicious sesame rings. Here is the recipe:

Dough:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup warm water
3 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sale
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
½ lbs (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature divided into small pieces
2 teaspoons pulverized mahleb
About ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water

Topping:
2 eggs lightly beaten
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand in warm place for 10 minutes until frothy. Sift the flour and salt onto the work surface. Make a well in the center and put in the egg, sugar, butter, yeast mixture, and mahleb; mix with your fingertips. Gradually work in the dough. Knead on the work surface just until smooth (do not overwork dough), put in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough into 20 walnut-size pieces, roll each piece into a rope ¼ inch thick, and shape it into a ring, pressing the overlapping ends together. Then dip each ribg first in the egg, then in sesame seeds, making sure that they’re well coated with seeds on both sides. Bake on greased cookie sheet 15 minutes, until they’re golden brown.