Turkish Pogaca with cheese filling

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 packet of fresh yeast
• 200 ml water, lukewarm
• 80 ml milk, lukewarm
• 200 g natural yogurt
• 1 tbsp, heaped sugar
• 700 g flour, up to 850 g
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 100 ml vegetable oil, neutral
• 1 tbsp, leveled salt
• 200 g feta cheese
• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp milk
• sesame
• Black cumin

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 50 minutes

These delicious Turkish dumplings are simply irresistible thanks to their delicious feta cheese filling. Makes 12-14 dumplings.

First, dissolve the yeast (dry yeast works too) in the lukewarm water. Then add the lukewarm milk, natural yogurt, and sugar, and mix well with the liquid. Mix the flour with the baking powder and gradually add it to the liquid, kneading well. You can do this by hand or with a food processor. When about half the flour has been incorporated, add the oil and salt. Then knead in the remaining flour. Once you have a smooth, slightly sticky yeast dough, cover it with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for 1.5 hours, until it has increased in volume significantly. During this time, you can prepare the filling. Grate the feta cheese, roughly chop the flat-leaf parsley, and then mix the two together. After the rising time, form the dough into equal-sized balls, roughly the size of a small orange. Tip: Since the dough is a bit sticky, it’s helpful to lightly grease your hands with oil while shaping. The dough balls should then rest for another 15 minutes. This will allow the dough to relax and make them easier to roll out. They should also be covered here so they don’t dry out. Cling film is best for this. After the resting time, the dough balls are rolled out into an oval shape and cut a line across the middle. This is best seen in the video. The uncut side is filled and then the dough parcel can be rolled up. You can shape the pogaca either like a croissant or like a snail – it’s up to you. Finally, they are placed on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, brushed with the egg yolk and milk mixture and sprinkled with sesame and black cumin seeds. The pogaca are then baked in a preheated oven at 165°C (top/bottom heat) for 20-22 minutes until golden brown. Immediately after baking, they are slightly crispy on the outside. However, after about 10 minutes of cooling, the pogaca become nice and soft, just as they should be. Makes 12-14 pieces.