Pogaca

Pogača is popular all over the Balkans….it’s made in different shapes and sizes! The dough is soft and the filling simple. Great served as an appetizer or on your breakfast table.

It took me a few times to get the dough perfect….I like soft dough sometimes pogaca can be dry depending on who makes it, and I don’t like dry bread! Once I got the measurements correct I wrote it down right away! The problem is I am used to measuring with North American measurements when baking, where as in Turkey for example a cup is actually a Turkish glass teacup. I cannot tell you how many times I made something and mixed up the measuring cups.

I measured how much liquid will fit in a glass teacup and it comes to 1/2 cup in a standard measuring cup. I used a  glass teacup for the liquid parts of this recipe.  If you happen to have Turkish tea glasses then follow recipe as is….if not use 1/2 cup in a standard measuring cup.

 

What you will need:

• 1 Turkish glass teacup yogurt  (or 1/2 cup in a standard measuring cup)
• 1 Turkish glass teacup warm milk  (or 1/2 cup in a standard measuring cup)
• 1 Turkish glass teacup olive oil  (or 1/2 cup in a standard measuring cup)
• 1 egg
• 3 regular cups of flour (standard measuring cup)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve sugar in warm milk, add yeast, let foam rise takes about 3 minutes. Add the yogurt, olive oil and egg to the yeast mixture. Whisk together till blended. Pour in the flour with salt and start to knead till forms soft dough. Grease the bowl that the dough is in and cover with cling wrap and kitchen towel.  The dough will be a bit cold because of the cold ingredients, what I do to warm it up and help it rise is; fill a pot with hot tap water and add the bowl with the dough in it, it will rise in about an hour.

Filling:

• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 1 cup crumbled up feta

Rinse and dry parsley, chop finely and combine with feta cheese.

Garnish:

• 1-2 egg yolks
• Sesame seeds or black seeds

Once dough has risen, pull into little balls and shape as desired on a floured surface. You can make braids, balls, rolls, half moons what ever you like! I like making a variety.

To make balls; roll into a circle, fill in with a teaspoon of filling and fold in the edges and pinching on the bottom making a ball.

For a braid; roll out into a small rectangle and cut slits about 7 on each side fill the middle, and braid.

For half moons; Roll into a circle fill with a teaspoon of filling, fold over and using your finger tips close edges.

Brush tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with black seeds or sesame seeds if desired.

Place a on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400 until golden, takes about 11 minutes.

If your pogacas are not as golden on top as you would like, put them under the broiler for a minute…that should do the trick!