Freedom to just spontaneously leave home and go enjoy an afternoon at the beach/park/countryside might be something we took for granted in previous years and is something most of us are looking forward to (with fingers crossed) in the coming weeks and months.
Gathering with friends for a picnic/breakfast should we get the chance or after-school bites at the park poğaça, light bread rolls with a simple cheese & herb stuffing are a welcome addition to olives, salads and fruits and a little time out of the house.
Ingredients
180 ml Milk
1/2 Fresh block yeast (21grams) or 1 Packet of dried active yeast (Aktif Kuru Maya)
1 Teaspoon Sugar
60 ml Olive oil
2.5 cups Flour plus extra for dusting
2 Eggs (One separated)
1 Teaspoon salt
250 gr lor, white cheese or feta.
2-3 Spring onions, chopped very fine.
2 Tablespoons (heaped) Chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon (heaped) Chopped fresh dill
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Black pepper
Method:
Gently warm the milk in a small saucepan; it only needs to be lukewarm.
Add in the sugar and crumbled yeast and leave to rest for 15 minutes. The yeast will activate and become frothy on top.
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Sieve the flour into a mixer / large mixing bowl and add olive oil, salt, one whole egg, plus one white of the second egg.
(The remaining yolk will be used for egg wash).
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Add the yeast/milk mixture and start the mixer on the slowest setting.
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When the mixture is combined, increase the speed to medium and as the dough forms, higher.
Mix for around 8-10 minutes or until the mixture feels elastic.
* If mixing by hand once the mixture has combined, you can knead it on a clean, cool surface such as a marble worktop.
This takes a good twenty minutes.
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Oil a large clean bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside it, cover with clingfilm and a tea towel, and leave to prove for around an hour.
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While the dough is prooving, you can prepare and refrigerate your filling: Simply mix all the ingredients into a bowl and combine until well distributed.
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After around an hour, remove the covers – the dough should have doubled in size. If so, gently press your fist into it to cause it to fold down.
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Flour the worktop/work area.
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Divide the dough repeatedly in half until you have 12 parts for large pogaça or 18 for small.
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Take a piece of dough and stretch it from the centre outward until you have made a small ball.
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Place the ball on the worktop, and using your palm above it, roll the ball to stretch and smooth it out.
Repeat for all the balls.
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Take one ball, and with your hand or a small rolling pin, stretch it out to a thin oval shape around the size of your palm.
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Heap around a teaspoon or two of mixture onto the dough oval.
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Take the side furthest away from you and fold it over to create a shape that resembles a cornish pastry.
Press together the sides to seal.
Roll the parcel so that it sits on top of its seal line.
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Place on a lined baking tray.
Repeat for each of the dough balls.
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Preheat the oven to 185 degrees.
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Place a tea towel over the oven tray/s and leave in a warm place to prove for a second time (Around 30 minutes)
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Uncover the poğaça and pinch out the ends to create small points.
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Beat the remaining egg yolk with two tablespoons of cold water and brush over the poçaça.
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Place in the oven and bake for around 20-25 minutes at 185oC.
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Remove from the oven, and for a soft crust, wet a tea towel and ring out so that it is just damp.
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Cover and leave to cool.
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Serve alongside olives, cheese, fresh tomatoes & cucumbers, or simply pack up for an easy on the go breakfast or snack.
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Afiyet Olsun
