Every Turkish person knows that on a cold winter morning when everyone is rushing to school or work, there is nothing more tempting than stepping into a nearby bakery to buy a freshly made and warm “poğaça” with a cup of black tea.

Poğaça are small, oven-baked stuff breads popular in the Balkan area. Quality of the poğaça can be determined by the bakers’ mastery of the “leavening” method. It is traditionally made with white flour, although wheat flour and gluten-free versions can be made.

Just to give you an idea of its cultural presence, let’s look at its different names in different cultures mostly in the Balkans: pogačice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro; pogácsa in Hungary; bougatsa in Greece; pogatschen in Austria and poğaça in my home country, Turkey.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
8 tbsp. butter (1 stick)
2 1/2 cups flour
Feta cheese, to taste
Parsley

Directions

Preparing the dough

1. Melt the butter and mix it with the yogurt and 2 eggs.

2. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Mix until the dough is very soft but no longer sticks to your fingers. Feel free to add more flour until it is no longer sticky.

Assembly

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Take a handful of dough and flatten the piece with your fingertips into a circle the size of your palm.

3. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese and parsley in desired amounts, so long as it is no more than half of the dough circle. Fold the circle to cover the stuffing and form a half-moon.

4. Seal by pressing the edges with your fingers.

5. Once you prepare everything and place them on a plate, crack the remaining egg in a different bowl, mix it and spread it on top of each Poğaça. You can use your hands for this! Feel free to sprinkle the tops with sesame or other seeds.

6. Bake on the middle rack until golden, or 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with some tea!