Scrumptious pogacas, savory pastry with cheese, olives and various fillings, displayed at a bakery in Istanbul
- Delicious pogacas and pastries; a favorite Turkish breakfast or tea time treat
These delicious cheesy pogacas (poh-ah-cha) are a favorite breakfast or tea time treat in Turkey and we love them. They are easy to make at home; make your kitchen smell heavenly and they are very popular with children, as well as adults. Bakeries, street stalls sell freshly baked pogacas (plain, with cheese, olives or with potato & cheese filling) in Turkey and with a glass of cay aside, they make a delicious and affordable breakfast or tea time treat.
My homemade peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with feta and parsley; easy to make and delicious
My children adore pogaca and we made our peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with feta cheese together; they loved getting involved. My pogacas are rather chunky, like the ones you would get in bakeries in Turkey and one is enough per person. You can make smaller ones if you like. They are absolutely delicious straight from the oven, but they also keep well for a few days. The next day (if any left!), you can microwave them for 10 seconds or gently heat under the grill, so delicious. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
- Peynirli pogaca; Turkish savory treat with feta; great for breakfast or as a snack.
Makes 11 pogacas
Preparation time: 20 min (+1 hour for dough to rise) Cooking time: 25- 30 minutes
For the dough:
7gr dry yeast (1 sachet)
3 ¼ cups all-purpose plain flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup plain (whole milk) yoghurt
1 egg, beaten
½ cup mild olive oil or sunflower oil
½ cup warm milk
For the filling:
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the topping:
1 egg, beaten
Sesame seeds and nigella seeds to decorate
Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F
Combine the warm milk and dry yeast in a small bowl and mix well. Let it stand for 5 minutes so that it gets foamy.
- Let the dough to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes
In a large bowl, stir in the flour and salt and make a well in the middle. Add the yoghurt, mild olive oil (or sunflower oil) and the beaten egg to the flour mixture, in the middle. Stir in the foamy yeast mixture and knead well with your hands for a few minutes, until the dough comes together. Shape the dough like a ball, place in the large bowl and cover with a cling film. Let it rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
Crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley make a delicious filling
While the dough is rising, prepare your filling. In a medium size bowl, stir in the crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F and grease a baking tray.
Once the dough has risen, punch down and divide into 11 equal pieces, each about a size of a small tangerine. Roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten into a round flat circle with your fingertips, about 10 cm, 4” in diameter (you can make them smaller if you prefer). Place a spoonful of the filling mixture (take care not to overfill) at one side of the circle dough, leaving a little unfilled dough margin near the edges. Fold the circle to cover the filling to form a half moon shape. Make sure the dough covers the filling and meet the other end. Seal the two ends of the dough, pressing with your fingertips well. Place the stuffed dough on the greased tray and repeat this procedure with the rest of the dough pieces.
Pogacas, decorated with sesame & nigella seeds, ready to bake!
Place the prepared pogacas, stuffed dough pieces side by side on a greased tray. Brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle with nigella and sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for about 25 – 30 minutes, until they are golden brown at top.
Peynirli pogaca, Turkish savory pastry with feta & parsley, ready to eat!
Serve warm; glass of Cay, Turkish tea goes really well with these delicious pogacas.
My homemade peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with feta and parsley; easy to make and delicious
Afiyet olsun,
Ozlem
Asure – Noah’s Dessert
Asure or Ashura, Noah’s Ark dessert; a special dessert of grains, pulses, dried fruit & pomegranate seeds
This delicious dessert of grains, pulses and dried fruit, referred as Asure or Ashura – Noah’s Dessert-, is most probably one of Turkey’s most famous dessert. According to legend, Noah made this dessert on the ark by combining whatever ingredients were left on the ark. Asure or Ahsura is also the traditional dessert that is served on the 10th day of the Muslim month Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is always made in large quantities and shared with friends and neighbors.
Though the ingredients list is pretty rich, I believe whatever grains, pulses and dried fruit you have in your pantry will do. And if you are short of time, why not using good quality pre-cooked chickpeas and beans in cans; I am all up for it if it helps making this wonderful dessert. Adding the pomegranate seeds over the top give a festive touch and make the dessert refreshing too. Here is the link for my Asure recipe, hope you enjoy it.
Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem