Glutton Cat

Poğaça

I adapted the dough recipe from one of the Turkish savory bun recipes I found in the internet.

The pastry is soft, and rich in flavor.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of flour
• 1 cup of warm milk
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup of cooking oil
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter (at room temperature)
• 1 egg (separated)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Filling

• 1/2 lb feta cheese
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tbsp dry parsley)
• Herbs and spices (optional)

1. Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in warm milk. Put it aside for 15 minutes.
2. Sift the flour in a large bowl, and make a pool in the center of the flour, and add cooking oil, warm water, egg white, salt and frothed milk mixture.
3. Make a soft non-sticky dough.
4. Cover the dough with a moist dough towel (I use paper towel) and let it rise until the dough doubles it’s original size.
5. In another bowl, mix feta cheese and chopped parsley, make a curd. Add any spice or herb you like.
6. When the dough is ready, make orange size balls.
7. Open one of the dough balls with a roller pin until the thickness is about 1/4″ (approximately 0.5cm).
8. Using a circular pastry cutter (or a water glass) make small full moon shapes.
9. Brush top of the small moons with butter.
10. Place the filling on one side of the dough -about a teaspoon full of filling for a moon shape dough with a 1.5″ (approximately 3cm) diameter-.
11. Cover the filled side of the dough with the other side and make a half moon. Press the open sides together, so there will be no opening.
12. Place the dough on a baking sheet having approximately 1.5″ (approximately 3cm) distance between the doughs.
13. Let the pastry rise for another 1.5 hour.
14. Preheat the oven to 350F-175C. Fill an oven safe dish with water, and put it into the oven.
15. Beat the egg yolk in a small dish.
16. Brush the surface of the pastry with egg yolk. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
17. Bake the pastry for 25 minutes or the surface become golden brown.