
Acma, home made Turkish style soft bagels
Acma, Turkish style soft bagels have always been one of the Turkish style breakfast treats at home for us. It is also a delicious snack you can enjoy with cup of tea, Turkish cay, all day long. I had a chance to recreate these delicious bagels at home recently, everyone enjoyed them.
We have been pleased with the result; they turned out softer inside and a little crispy outside (this home made version is a little crispier than the Acma you get in Turkey but still very delicious and satisfying).
You can enjoy Acma, sliced in half, and buttered with jam or honey. They are also delicious with a cheese of your choice, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes aside.

Acma; home made, Turkish style soft bagels
I hope you enjoy making Acma; Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
- 7 gr (1 pack) of instant dried yeast
- 4 fl. oz. / ½ cup luke warm milk
- 2 fl. oz. / ¼ cup luke warm water
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp. sugar
- 4 fl. oz. / ½ cup light olive oil
- 238 gr/ 2 cups / 8 oz. + 1 tbsp. all-purpose plain flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- To finish / glaze:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp. Sesame seeds – optional -
- Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F
- Combine the yeast with warm water in a bowl, stir well and let the yeast dissolve for a few minutes.
- Add the sugar, warm milk and the olive oil to the mixture, stir for the sugar to dissolve.
- Sift the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture.
- Combine and knead the dough for a few minutes; you will get lovely, soft dough. Cover the dough with a cling film and tea towel and leave to rise at a warm spot (near an oven or in a warm airing cupboard works well) for 2 hours. The dough will double in size.
- Once doubled in size, divide the dough into 6 balls. One at a time, roll each dough ball between your palms to make it about 16 cm / 6 inches long. Then swirl and roll and seal the two ends together. Repeat this with the rest of the dough balls.
- Place the Acma rolls on a baking paper on a tray, making sure there are minimum 1 inch / 2.5 cm. between each Acma roll, as they will expand while baking. Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top if you’d like.
- Bake in the preheated oven (200 C/ 400 F) for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 190 C / 375 F and bake for another 10 minutes or until the Acma has a rich, golden color.
- Serve warm, afiyet olsun!
Turkish cookery class at Blid & Hatton Gatherings (The Food Studio), Medicine Garden, Cobham
Wednesday, July 13th, 10 am – 2 pm

Kisir: Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with Pomegranate Molasses
I am delighted to share my next Turkish cookery class on Wednesday, July 13th, 10 am – 2 pm at the Blid&Hatton Gatherings (The Food Studio) at Medicine Garden, Cobham, England. We have a feast of a class featuring wholesome and delicious spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, Kisir, ever-popular stuffed aubergines with minced meat and vegetables, Karniyarik, savory filo pastry with spinach & feta, Ispanakli Borek, stuffed baked dried apricots, Kayisi Tatlisi and more.

Spinach and feta filo pastry pie; Ispanakli Borek
Here’s the details and booking information, booking will be through the Blid & Hatton Gatherings, the Food Studio at this link. Early booking is advised and the participation is limited.
Hope you can join us!
Ozlem
these look so good, i have to make them. so they are not boiled like a regular bagel?
Hi, Jaz, glad you enjoyed it, no these are not boiled; at least not my version – would love to see how you guys make the bagels though, will look into that. Cheers, Ozlem
Özlem’ciğim, You will be happy to know that Mark has used your simit recipe to great acclaim (by myself). We froze the dough in three separate batches and took them out Sunday mornings. Very yummy. I loved them. Now, I’m going to have to get him to try an açma. Thanks! Sevgilerimle, çok öptüm xoxo Jolee
Merhaba Jolee’cigim, how wonderful that you have a fine baker in the house – so glad you enjoyed Simit : ) I like your idea of freezing the dough, they make such a wonderful weekend treat. Hope Mark enjoys making Acma too : ) cok sevgilerimle, Ozlem xxx
These bagels look golden delicious, Ozlem…makes me want to pull out my ingredients right away:) good luck for the upcoming cooking class- my all time Turkish favorites in one place. xxPeri.
Thank you dear Peri, come over!!:) I am hoping we may share these treats this summer, if we’re lucky? Even the thought makes me happy; hope you enjoy making them. Much love, Ozlem xx
Why no second rise for these bagels
Hi Cathy, this is a home style recipe that works for us without the second rise, hope you enjoy it, Ozlem
just the nicest thing anytime!
Cok tesekkurler, Alan!:)
Our local baker has started sneaking margarine into his açma so here is a good excuse to follow your recipe.
Merhaba Back to Bodrum, many thanks – we live on olive oil in our home, nothing like it; cok sevgilerimle : ) Ozlem xx
Sounds like an excellent breakfast (or anytime) treat to me. They sound like less trouble to make than classic bagels too and I definitely like an easy baking life.
Thank you for your kind note Phil, they are indeed easy to make and bring lots of smiles, hope you enjoy them too.
Mmmm, love açma. As with many of your recipes, we’ll say we’ve never made our own at home. Guess it’s just too easy in Turkey to grab one from a cupboard at a market as we amble along. 🙂 We’ll try one day… 🙂
Julia
Merhaba Julia, thank you so much for stopping by : ) Indeed, you have the real thing available every where in Turkey so I can’t blame you : ) In case you fancy a home made version sometime, this one made us happy : ) Cok Sevgiler, Ozlem
fyi. Seems like this recipe is being used at https://turkishcuisine.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/acma/
thank you for letting me know Linze, looks like a bit of a variation on the ingredients/measurements, looks good!
Merhaba Ozlem, followed four of your recipes this morning as an introduction to Turkish breakfast for my housemates. They all turned out delicious and housemates were amazed. Will definitely be making again! Cok tesekkurler 🙂
Merhaba, absolutely delighted to get your note – so glad you enjoyed my Turkish breakfast recipes – my favourite meal of the day : ) – Adfiyet olsun and thank you for your kind note, Ozlem