Acma | Soft Turkish Bagel Recipe - My Cooking Journey (2024)

Acma, the Turkish bagel, is close to the American bagel in shape, but texture wise it is very soft and can be classified as a roll. Acma is typically eaten for breakfast or as a snack, either on its own or with cheese, honey, or other toppings.

I am doing European cuisine this week and I chose to bake these Acma from Turkish Cuisine in specific. I love Turkish cuisine for the main reason that there are many vegetarian recipes to choose from. One of the countries that I am really looking forward to visiting is Turkey.

I have always had an affinity for Turkish food and make quite a few dessert recipes very often. Baklava is one that we all love and I have become quite an expert in making them.

Taking my affinity for the cuisine to the next level, I decided to try out some breakfast and savory dishes this time. The first one I chose is this delicious breakfast bread/roll that need not essentially be eaten only for breakfast.

I made Acma late afternoon to eat for breakfast the next day, but it was so delicious that we almost finished it before dinner.

What is Acma -

Acma is close to the American bagel in shape, but texture wise it is very soft and can be classified as a roll. I have made bagels before and it is quite a process. This Turkish Bagel recipe is very easy when compared to bagels and can be made with many different fillings (sweet and savory) or can be kept plain.

I decided to go the butter and jam way and filled half with just butter and another half with some mango jam that was in my pantry too long and needed to be used.

You can also use olive paste or chopped olives inside the acmas. Whatever you choose, make sure that they are not too loose in consistency as they might seep out when baking.

There are many recipes out there that use eggs. I made it eggless by using yogurt in the dough and butter and milk to brush on top. You can sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame, or nigella seeds on top of the acma or leave them plain. I used black and white sesame seeds in mine.

Preparation time – 15 minutes plus 2 to 3 hours of rising time
Cooking time/baking time – about 20 minutes per batch
Difficulty level – medium

Ingredients to make Turkish Bagel – Makes 12

For the Acma Dough -

• All-purpose flour – 2 ½ cups to 3 cups
• Warm milk – ¼ cup
• Warm water – ¼ cup
• Active dry years – 1 ½ tsp
• Yogurt – ¼ cup
• Sugar – 2 tsp
• Salt – ½ tsp
• Oil – ¼ cup (olive oil)

For the filling –

• Butter – 4 tablespoon (softened)
• Jam – 4 tbsp

For brushing the bagels –

• Butter – 1 teaspoon (melted)
• Milk – 3 tbsp
• Sesame seeds – black and white for sprinkling

Procedure to make Turkish Bagel –

Making the Acma dough –

• I made the dough in my stand mixer. Add the warm water, sugar, and yeast to a large bowl or your mixer's bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. You will see the mixture become frothy in about 5 to 10 minutes.
  
• Now add the warm milk, oil, yogurt, salt, and flour to the yeast mixture. Start with 2 ½ cups of flour and begin kneading. We can add more flour if needed. I needed just a sprinkle more of flour to come to the right consistency.
  
• Knead the dough until it is soft and elastic. Coat the dough with oil and place in a greased bowl to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. It could take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how warm the kitchen is.

Shaping the Acma –

• Once the dough has risen, divide them equally into 12 portions. Roll each piece into a ball.

• On a greased surface, spread the ball into a rectangle (about 4 inches in length and 2 inches in width).
  
• Spread a small amount of softened butter in the center of the rectangle. If using jam, spread a little jam over the butter. I made 6 acmas with just butter and 6 with butter and jam.
  
• Fold either side of the rectangle to the center over the spread and pinch to seal. Now twist the roll and shape into a circle and tuck the ends to close. I referred to this video here to help me shape it.
  
• Lay the shaped acmas on a parchment-lined baking tray.
  
• Cover them loosely with a kitchen cloth and let it rise again for about 45 minutes or until slightly puffed up.

Baking the Acma –

• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  
• Combine the milk and melted butter in a small bowl and brush it over the risen dough.
  
• Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.

• Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the bread as you don’t want to burn the bottom. If the bottom seems to be browning too quickly, double the baking tray to provide a layer of insulation.
  
• Cool on a rack and enjoy Acma as breakfast or a snack.

Other Baking Ideas

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