Turkish Poğaça / Savory Pastry with Black Olives

Poğaça (poe-ah-CHA) is a traditional delightful little savory pastry in Turkey also very common in Hungary and Albania. Every country and even every home has its own style. Cheese, olives, potatoes, minced beef, roasted red peppers or whatever you prefer, you can cook your poğaças with different fillings and shapes, depending on your filling you can choose to garnish them either with nigella seeds or sesame seeds. 

Bakeries all over the country prepare fresh poğaça daily for breakfast eaters on the go. Many home cooks also have their own recipes to serve at more leisurely family breakfasts, early snacks and afternoon tea gatherings.

If you need to prepare them days before your party or if you have more poğaça than you can eat, after you bake them, just keep them in the freezer. You can either unfreeze them an hour before you serve or heat them up at 100 degrees Celsius for 8-10 min and serve as fresh.

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tbsp / 10gr (or 1 sachet) instant dry yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp nigella seeds
• 1/4 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 egg (separate white from the yolk. White is for dough, yolk is for brushing)

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

• Chopped black olives

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SURFACE

• separated egg yolk
• ½ tbsp vegetable oil
• sesame seeds to sprinkle

METHOD

1. Combine flour, instant dry yeast, salt, nigella seeds and sugar in a bowl and stir well.
2. Add vegetable oil and milk slowly and gradually while kneading the dough until you get the perfect softness, neither too soft nor sticky nor too stiff.
3. Cover the bowl with cling film or a moist kitchen towel and let it rest until the dough rises to double its size. (Around 1 hour)
4. Take a small piece from the dough (I used ⅛ cup to measure) and flatten it with your hands. You can do this on the counter. 
5. Place a tablespoon (or desired amount) of filling in the center of dough and close up like a half-moon. Make sure the edges are tightly pinched so no filling escapes during the baking process. Do the same for the rest of the dough. You can use a fork to close the edges decoratively.
6. Place a parchment paper in a baking tray and place the poğaças on it.
7. Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius.
8. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks thoroughly then add vegetable oil. Stir until combined. Brush the egg wash onto the surface of poğaças then sprinkle sesame seeds to decorate.
9. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.