Gjevrek

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gstrong white flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 10 gsalt
• 1 tbspsugar
• 2 tbspsunflower oil
• 300 mlwarm water

Dipping water

• 1.5 litreswater
• 2 tbspsugar or 1 tbsp molasses

Coating

• 200 gsesame seeds

To serve

• kiselo mlako, or white brined cheese

Directions

1. Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl, keeping the salt from the yeast at first. Add the oil and most of the water and bring it into a rough dough.
2. Knead it for ten minutes on a lightly floured surface. It should be smooth, firm and elastic rather than soft and slack. Cover it and let it rise until doubled, which takes about an hour. Divide the risen dough into eight pieces and roll each into a ball.
3. Roll each ball out into a rope about fifty-five centimetres long. Let the ropes rest for two minutes if they fight back as you roll. Fold each rope in half and twist the two halves together along their length. Bring the ends round into a ring and press the join together hard. Roll the join under your palm so it merges into the twist.
4. Set the rings on a floured tray and prove them for twenty-five minutes. Heat the oven to 220C with a heavy baking tray inside. Warm the water with the sugar or molasses until it dissolves. Take it off the heat and let it cool to lukewarm. It should be warm, not boiling, since this is a dip rather than a boil.
5. Spread the sesame seeds in a wide tray. Now coating, which is done one ring at a time. Lift a proved ring and lower it into the sweetened water. Turn it once so both sides are thoroughly wetted.
6. Lift it out and let the excess run off for a second or two. Lay it straight into the sesame and press it down firmly. Turn it and press the other side, and press the sides in too. The coating should be dense enough that the dough barely shows through.
7. Lay the coated rings on the preheated tray with space between them. Bake them for eighteen to twenty minutes until deep golden brown. The sesame should be toasted through and smell strongly nutty. Serve them warm, torn rather than cut, with cold yoghurt. They are a morning bread and go stale within a few hours, which is why they are baked in batches all morning.

Technique

• The dip should be lukewarm sweetened water, not a bagel-style boil.
• Press the sesame on hard, since a thin coating is the mark of a poor gjevrek.
• Bake hot at 220C so the crust sets before the crumb dries out.

Substitutions

• Molasses in the dipping water, which some bakers use.
• Instant yeast in place of fresh, at a third of the weight.

Variations

• Split and filled with white cheese.
• With a mix of black and white sesame.
• Made small, as ring-shaped snacks for children.

History

The Macedonian simit, eaten for breakfast with yoghurt or white cheese in Skopje and Bitola.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gjevrek?

Gjevrek is a street food from North Macedonia: sesame-crusted bread ring sold hot from morning street carts. The Macedonian simit, eaten for breakfast with yoghurt or white cheese in Skopje and Bitola.

How long does Gjevrek take to make?

Gjevrek takes 30 min plus 90 min rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 rings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Gjevrek?

Yes, within limits. Molasses in the dipping water, which some bakers use. Instant yeast in place of fresh, at a third of the weight.

What is the most important thing to get right in Gjevrek?

Knead it for ten minutes on a lightly floured surface. It should be smooth, firm and elastic rather than soft and slack. Cover it and let it rise until doubled, which takes about an hour. Divide the risen dough into eight pieces and roll each into a ball.