Koulouria Thessalonikis — The Sesame Breads That Tastes Like Home

Some foods taste like a place. For me, koulouria Thessalonikis will always remind me of Thessaloniki.

When I was studying there, koulouri was part of everyday life: a warm, sesame-covered ring grabbed on the way to university, work, shopping, between classes, or with a coffee. It has been a beloved staple of Thessaloniki for generations. No wonder why, it was in my bucket list of ToDo recipes and finally came the moment.

This homemade version brings a little of that memory back to the kitchen.

Ingredients

Makes 12 koulouria

• 9 g baker's yeast
• 300 ml lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200 ml water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 150–200 g roasted sesame seeds 
  

Instructions

1. 
   Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water.
2. Mix the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead until you have a smooth, soft dough.
3. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. In my steam oven's rising setting, this takes only 35–40 minutes, otherwise it can take 1-2 hours depending of the season.
4. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Flatten each piece, then roll into a rope about 40 cm long. Bring the ends together and seal to form a ring.
5. Mix the 200 ml water with the honey in one bowl. Put the roasted sesame in another.
6. Dip each koulouri first into the honey-water, then generously into the sesame seeds.
7. Place on a lined baking tray and bake at 200°C for 15–20 minutes, until golden and crisp.

✨ Tips

• The water should be lukewarm, not hot.
• Toast your sesame briefly in a dry pan if it's not already roasted—it makes the koulouri much more aromatic.
• Seal the rings well so they don't open while baking.
• Serve fresh and slightly warm, ideally with Greek coffee, any coffee or tea. They're also delicious with cheese, yogurt or a little honey (we tried with delicious homemade hoummous today as a starter and with Nutella for breakfast).
• Once completely cool, store them in an airtight container or bread bag for up to 2 days.
• To bring back the crispness, warm them for a few minutes in a 180°C oven (or equivalent air fryer, toaster etc).
• They also freeze well. Freeze once cooled, then reheat directly from frozen in the oven until warm and crisp.

To all the best memories from Thessaloniki. 🇬🇷❤️