Turkish Style Cheesy Pastries Pogaca Recipes

TURKISH POGAçA

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup water, vegetable oil, salt, and yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment; knead until pliable and not too sticky. Add a little flour if too soft, or warm water if too hard. Cover with a wet cloth and let sit at room temperature for 45 to 50 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking tray with butter.
• Mix feta cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and chili powder together in a bowl until well combined.
• Knead dough for 2 minutes. Divide it into 12 equal portions, and roll each one into a ball. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a 2- to 3-inch circle. Add a spoon of cheese filling in the middles and fold the edges upward like a bundle, pressing to secure. Place on the prepared baking try, folded-sides down. Brush with milk and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
• Bake on the top rack of the preheated oven until golden, 30 to 32 minutes.

TURKISH STYLE CHEESY PASTRIES: POGACA

Steps:

• 1. Mix milk, sugar and yeast. Wait for 15 mins to proof the yeast. Milk should rise by at least 50%. 2. Mix 2 egg whites and one yolk, yogurt, oil, yeast-milk mixture and salt. Slowly add flour - until you have a dough a little softer than your earlobe, but does not stick to your hands (most likely to be around 6.5 cups of flour). Knead the dough well and then cover with a clean towel. 3. Keep the dough in a warm place for about an hour or until it rises to twice the original size. (I turn the oven on to Warm - or lowest temparature- with the door open and keep the dough on the oven tray that is slightly pulled out.) After it is doubled in size, the dough should be fluffy and soft. 4. When the dough rises, make the filling. Mix feta cheese crumbles with finely chopped parsley. 5. Pre-heat oven to 350 fahrenheit. Lightly oil your hands and the surface that you'll use to make the pastries. Take a piece of dough (the size of a big egg). Flatten it into a thick disc using your palms. Put some filling in the middle and then close the sides of the disc pressing the edges well (or they may break during cooking). You can try round or slim shapes but what matters is that the closure line should be left underneath while cooking. 6. Brush the pogacas well with egg yolk. Spread some sesame and cumin seeds on top. Bake at the middle section of oven for ~20 mins or till top of the pogacas turn gold. 7. Once you take it out of the oven, cover with a kitchen towel for 10 mins, and then serve while they're still warm.

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.

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.