Warm from the Oven: Açma, a soft Turkish Pastry

Açma is a soft, bagel-like, Turkish pastry. In lieu of going to the nearest Turkish bakery, it can be made right at home.

Three tricks of the trade:  wait until all of the ingredients are at room temperature, knead thoroughly, and allow the dough to rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes until it doubles in size.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup oil (corn, sunflower or olive oil)
• 50g soft butter
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• All-purpose flour (approx 4 and 1/2 cups)
• 2 eggs, whites and yolks separated
• (optional) Sesame seed & black sesame seed

Directions:

In  a medium mixing bowl, combine room-temperature milk, sugar, and yeast together. Stir oil, butter, salt, and egg whites into the milk mixture, and gradually add flour. Knead the dough evenly for 10 full minutes and let it rise for a few hours (30 minutes minimum) in a warm place for smooth, silky, fluffy dough.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take 2 golf-ball sized pieces of dough  at a time dough. Create a thin and long shape by rolling. Twist them together and stick the edges together to make them round like a ring. Beat the egg yolks and brush the bagels with that.

Sprinkle black and white sesame seeds if you like. Place the bagels on a lightly greased cookie sheet and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy warm.

Image and Recipe / Turkish Cusine /

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