Peynirli Poğaça (Turkish Feta And Herb Filled Savoury Buns)

I feel the best part of blogging is you get introduced to a lot of new dishes / cuisines every day. When Aparna posted these Peynirli Poğaça (Turkish Feta and Herb Filled Savoury Buns) I made it the same day itself. Check out Aparna’s place as she has explained very well about “Poğaça” (pronounced POH-gah-cha). We love feta cheese and I already made these buns twice…. Try these if you like feta cheese and I don’t know if feta is available in India….I am sure these buns will equally taste good if you substitute feta cheese with paneer / Indian cottage cheese….

Peynirli Poğaça (Turkish Feta And Herb Filled Savoury Buns)

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup oil

For the filling:
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 tbsp dried parsley (or fresh, but less of it)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)

For the topping:
2 tbsp cream (or milk)
Poppy seeds, black or white sesame seeds, Nigella seeds or cumin seeds

Method:

• Mix together the warm milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl and stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
• In another larger bowl (or the bowl of your food processor) mix together the flour, salt, yogurt and oil. Now add the yeast-milk mixture and knead till you have soft and elastic dough which is not sticky. You can add a bit of flour or liquid, if needed, to get this consistency of dough.
• Roll the dough into a ball, cover and keep aside to rise for about 45 minutes to an hour.
• In the meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the filling. This filling should be enough to for 12 poğaçe.
• When the dough has risen, deflate it and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each piece in to a circle and put a spoonful of filling and bring the sides of the circle up and pinch together to form a filled bun. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Do not be tempted to over-fill the buns, because then the buns will spilt on baking with the filling spilling out!
• Place the poğaçe, the pinched side down, on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush them with cream (or milk) and sprinkle the topping of your choice. Lightly press the topping down with your fingers so they stick to the buns. Keep them at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes and then bake them at 180C (350F) for about 20 to 25 minutes till they’re golden brown on top.
• Let them cool a bit. Serve them warm.
• This recipe makes 12 poğaçe.