Pogaca filled with Cheese

 

Pogaca is a kind of pastry Eastern European people adore and is eaten in Bosna, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, etc,.. Pogaca is made out of dough.In Serbia, Croatia and some other Balkan countries called this as Farmers’ bread. A Turkish version of pogaca is called Peynirli Pogaca (naming depends on  for filling which may be potato, black olives, eggplant etc)are typically filled with feta cheese and parsley.These Pogaca are small palm sized soft and fluffy savory buns, topped with nigella/ sesame seeds and eaten for breakfast or as a snack with tea.

Let's move into the kitchen part. But first take a look for 

İngredients

For dough

    1 egg (yolk separated)

    ½ cup  butter  softened

    ½ cup vegetable oil

    ¼ cup yogurt

    2 tbsps of milk, lukewarm

    7 g dry yeast

    1 tsp salt to taste

    3 cups flour (approx)

    1 tbsp nigella seeds (optional)

For filling

  Anything! This time mine had:   1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

    2 tbsp fresh parsley/dill, chopped finely

    grounded black pepper(for me)

- Ideas for possible fillings: Boiled-peeled-mashed potato, spices. Vegetables stir fried but not cooked and spices.Combination of veggies, cheese and spices. What else... These for now. Oh yeah, meat can go in too. Just nothing sweet. This is meant to be a salty pastry.

Finishing

    1 egg yolk

    1 tbsp of milk

    Nigella seeds, sesame seeds

Preparation

Place the lukewarm milk into a bowl. Stir well to dissolve the yeast.

In a deep bowl, put the flour, make a well and add all the other ingredients. knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic but not sticky. Place a plastic wrap over the dough. 

Cover and let rest for about 15 min. or let it rest for 1 hour or till it rises up to double its shape. Both ways are ok.

In a small plate, mix the filling ingredients. 

Divide the dough into egg size balls. At this stage, you may flatten them with a rolling pin or with your hands. Place one tablespoon of filling in the middle and close it up. Press the edges with your fingers to seal. That will give you a sort of “chaussons”. 

The other way is to seal it from the bottom and have a round-shape.

Place the pogacas in a greased baking tray or covered with parchment paper. Glaze with egg yolk and sprinkle with nigella seeds or sesame seeds. Let it rest for about 20 min, at room temperature.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C until nicely coloured (about 30 min). let cool on a wire rack or covered with a kitchen cloth for a soft pogaca.

Serve warm or at room temperature.