Naturally Leavened Turkish Poğaça Recipes

HOME-STYLE TURKISH 'POğAçA'

Steps:

• First, prepare the filling. Crumble the feta or goat cheese with a fork. Add about 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley. If you're adding herbs to the dough, omit the parsley in the filling.
• In a large mixing bowl, starting with about 2 cups of flour, add the yogurt, melted butter, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Work the mixture together with your hands. Keep kneading the mixture and adding flour gradually until you have a smooth, firm dough about as firm as an earlobe.
• If you are using fresh herbs in the dough, knead them into the dough thoroughly. Decide what size you wish to make your rolls. For breakfast rolls, make balls of dough about the size of a small plum. For bite-sized poğaça, make the balls about the size of an apricot.
• Take a ball of dough and press it down on a lightly floured surface to flatten it. Put a small amount of your chosen filling in the center. Fold the circle in half over the filling so the edges come together and pinch them closed very gently. On a baking tray lined with grease-proof baking paper, place the poğaça seam side down and tuck the ends under gently as you go. Your roll should be an oval that is wider and rounder in the center and narrower at the ends. Repeat this with all the dough balls, leaving about 1 inch between each roll.
• With a pastry brush, coat the top of each roll with egg yolk. Sprinkle the sesame, poppy or black cumin seeds on top of each roll. Bake in a 350 F/175 C oven until the rolls puff up and the tops turn a golden brown.
• Serve the poğaça while still warm with fresh fruit preserves and honey.

NATURALLY LEAVENED TURKISH POğAçA

Steps:

• Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, and sourdough starter in a medium bowl.
• Add most of the flour, reserving a little in case it's not needed, and add the salt. Mix and knead the dough in the bowl until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add more flour as needed to get a soft but not sticky dough.
• Wash and chop the herbs, and prep (crumble, slice, shred) the cheese you've chosen to use. Then add them as well as the black pepper to the dough by folding and kneading.
• Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature for 4-6 hours. Then refrigerate the dough overnight.
• The next day, prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Flip the cold dough out of the bowl and shape it into a tube, about as thick as a baguette.
• Cut the tube on the diagonal about every 5 cm (2 inches), and place the pieces on the parchment paper smooth side up (as opposed to cut side up).
• Cover and let the dough rest and rise for an hour or longer, until it's puffy.
• Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F).
• Brush the dough with lightly beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

SOURDOUGH BOMBOLONI (DONUTS)

Steps:

• Starter/Levain (8-12 hours before you plan to mix the dough)
• Mix and then briefly knead the ingredients for the sweet stiff starter. Place the starter ball in a container with space for tripling and cover.
• Dough Mixing
• Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low-med speed for about 10 minutes using a dough hook. Scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically and check on the dough texture after about 5 minutes. The dough should be a little sticky, but shouldn't come apart on your fingertips. Add more flour in small increments (2 Tbsp/17 grams) to get to a lightly sticky feel.
• If you want to hand mix the dough, start by using a bowl and spatula, and then move to slapping and folding the dough on a clean work surface. This slapping and folding video shows the progress of a similar sticky dough.
• Bulk Fermentation
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled/buttered container and cover it. After about 30 minutes, give the dough a quick stretch and fold to confirm the gluten is developing nicely and the hydration is manageable.
• Let the dough rise for at least 4 hours in a warm place, low 80s if possible. You might place the dough in your oven with the light on, use a Raisenne hot pad, or a proofing box. The dough should have expanded by between 75% and 100% before you move onto the next step (see photos in the gallery below).
• Dividing and Shaping
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured work surface.
• Roll the dough into a tube and divide it into 16 pieces (about 70-80 grams each).
• Form the dough pieces into balls and place them on a heavily floured baking sheet with about 2 inches between each ball.
• Final Proof
• Cover the baking sheet and let the donuts rise 2-4 hours, until doubled (see photo gallery below). My tray of dough was in a cooler environment for this second rise, and the final proof took 3 hours.
• Frying
• In a cold 4-6 quart Dutch oven or heavy deep saucepan, add oil until its about 2 inches deep.
• Heat the oil, checking the temperature frequently. You may want to lower the heat on your stove when the oil reaches 350°F because the temperature of the oil may continue to rise too quickly if you don't.
• Begin frying the donuts when the oil reaches 355°F and if the oil climbs over 370°F, pause and let the oil cool down.
• If your oil temp is below the suggested range, the donuts will not form a skin and will absorb oil. And if your oil temp is above the suggested range, the donuts will burn on the outside while the inside remains uncooked.
• Using a metal spatula or dough scraper, transfer 3-4 dough balls, one at a time, from the baking sheet into the hot oil.
• Fry the donuts for 2-3 minutes per side, flipping with tongs or a slotted spoon. Use the tip of your thermometer to pop any air bubbles that form on the donut surface.
• When both sides of the donuts are golden in color, use a slotted spoon to remove the donuts from the oil and drain off the excess oil, then place them on paper towels.
• Topping, Filling and Storing
• As soon as the donuts are cool enough to handle, roll them in granulated sugar.
• If you're going to fill the donuts, let them cool completely beforehand. You can then make a cuts in the sides of the donuts with a knife or chopstick, and fill the holes via a pastry bag with a cream piping tip, or you can cut the donuts completely in half on the horizontal and spread filling throughout the center of the donuts, for more of a sandwich style donut.
• Store the donuts covered at room temperature for several days.
• For freezing info, see the blog post above.

TURKISH POGACA

Steps:

• Mix everything together except the egg yolk.
• Wait for 1 hour for batter to double.
• Make small rounds as big as half of your palm.
• Press it with your fingers to make it as big as your palm.
• Mix feta cheese and parsley.
• Put the mixture into these small rounds and close it and round it again.
• Place it on the oiled oven sheet.
• Brush all the batch with the egg yolk.
• Place it in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes in 350°F.
• Put poppyseed on the batch as desired.