Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns)

Pogaca are soft, pillowy Turkish buns filled with feta cheese and parsley, baked until golden on top. If you've never had one, think of a cross between a dinner roll and a savory scone: tender and a little rich, with a salty, herby filling tucked inside. In Turkey, they're a breakfast staple and a bakery counter regular, usually eaten warm with a glass of Turkish Tea-Çay.

The dough comes together nicely with milk, oil, and yeast, so it's soft rather than crusty, and you shape it straight after mixing; no need to let it rise before filling and folding. That one shortcut is what makes this recipe realistic for a weekday morning instead of an all-day project.

Jump to:

• What is Pogaca?
• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Pogaca
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Recipe Variations
• Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns)

New to yeast dough? Don't worry, this one is forgiving. It's soft and a little sticky rather than delicate, and there's no shaping technique here that takes practice to get right.

What is Pogaca?

Pogaca (spelled poğaça in Turkish) is a savory baked pastry popular across Turkey and the Balkans. It's sold everywhere from big city bakeries to small village shops, usually next to simit (Turkish sesame bagels) and other breakfast pastries.

Some pogaca is made with yeast, giving it a soft, bread-like texture, like the version in this recipe. Other versions use baking powder instead (see Recipe Variations below for how that differs). Either way, they're filled with something savory, most often feta and herbs, though potato, olives, and ground meat are all common too.

Why This Recipe Works

• No double rise. Mix the dough, shape it, let it rise once, then bake. Most yeast dough recipes ask for two.

• Freezes well. Bake a big batch and freeze half for later, they thaw and reheat well.

• Two shapes, one dough. This recipe shows you both the round, sealed bun and the half-moon fold, so you can pick whichever is easier for you.

• Big batch. Makes 22 buns, enough for a crowd, a week of breakfasts, or the freezer.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Flour - All-purpose (plain) flour works well for this recipe.

• Milk - I use 2% milk, but whole milk works too, and gives a slightly softer bun. For a dairy-free version, swap the milk for water.

• Vegetable oil - Any neutral oil works. Melted butter, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all fine substitutes.

• Egg - The white goes into the cheese filling, and the yolk is used for the egg wash on top.

• Yeast - I use fast-action (instant) dry yeast. Standard active dry yeast or fresh yeast both work too; just double the amount if using fresh.

• Feta cheese - A creamy, crumbly feta is classic here. Kashar, mozzarella, halloumi, or cheddar all work as substitutes, or use a mix.

• Parsley - Dill, mint, chives, or oregano all work in place of parsley if that's what you have on hand.

• Mahleb (optional) - It is a fragrant spice ground from the stones of St. Lucie cherries, used across Middle Eastern and Mediterranean baking. It gives pogaca its distinctive sweet, slightly fruity smell. Look for it at Middle Eastern grocery stores, spice shops, or online. Skip it if you can't find it; the buns will still be good.

• Nigella seeds - Small black seeds with a mild, peppery flavor once baked, sold at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. Sesame seeds are a fine substitute if you can't find them.

How to Make Pogaca

Prepare the Filling

Crumble the feta into small pieces, then mix in the chopped parsley and egg white until combined. Set aside.

Make the Dough

Mix the sugar, warm milk, warm water, vegetable oil, and yeast together in a large bowl.

Add the flour, mahleb (if using), and salt, and mix until a soft dough forms. Add a little extra flour if the dough feels too sticky to handle, but keep it soft, a firmer dough makes tougher buns. Knead until smooth and no longer sticking to your hands.

Shape the Buns

Divide the dough into 22 equal pieces, about 70 g (2 ½ oz) each, roughly egg-sized. Flatten one piece on a lightly oiled surface into a circle using your fingertips.

For round buns: place a spoonful of the cheese filling in the center. Bring the edges of the dough up to meet in the middle, then pinch to seal. Place seam-side down on a lined baking sheet, spacing the buns about 2 inches (5 cm) apart so they have room to proof.

For half-moon buns: place a spoonful of filling on one half of the circle only. Fold the other half over the top and press the edges together to seal.

Feeling decorative? Some bakers snip four slits around the edge of the filled circle and fold each section over the filling to make a flower shape instead. It's a nice touch for a brunch table, but purely optional, the round and half-moon shapes above are the classic, everyday versions.

Proof the Buns

Brush each bun with egg yolk, then sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds.

Proofing time depends on the room temperature and takes longer in winter. To speed it up, warm your oven just until it feels warm to the touch, turn it off, then place the baking sheet inside with the oven light on.

To proof at room temperature instead, cover the baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm spot until the buns roughly double in size, 45 minutes to an hour.

Bake the Pogaca

Bake at 360°F (180°C) in a fan (convection) oven. If your oven doesn't have a fan/convection setting, which is the case for most standard US ovens, set it to about 390°F (200°C) instead, since food bakes more slowly in a conventional oven at the same temperature. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• Warm the milk and water gently before adding the sugar and yeast. Too hot, and it can kill the yeast.

• Add flour gradually. How much you need shifts a bit with humidity and the type of flour, so add it a little at a time until the dough is soft but no longer sticky, what bakers call an "earlobe" texture.

• Don't skip the proof after shaping. It's what gives the buns their soft, pillowy texture.

• If your kitchen is cold, use the oven-light trick above rather than waiting it out. Cold rooms can double or triple the proofing time.

• Check for doneness by color, not just time. Ovens vary, so start checking a few minutes before the recipe says they should be ready.

• Trim off any excess dough at the seam once you've sealed a bun. A thick seam bakes up dry, while a thin, well-pinched seal bakes evenly with the rest of the bun.

Recipe Variations

• Potato filling: boil and mash 2 medium potatoes, then sauté a finely chopped small onion in a little olive oil. Stir in the mashed potato, a tablespoon of tomato paste, a teaspoon of paprika, a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (pul biber if you have it), and a handful of chopped parsley. Let the filling cool completely before using it the same way as the cheese filling. This makes a good dairy-free alternative.

• Baking powder version: if you don't want to wait for yeast dough to rise, some pogaca recipes use baking powder instead, along with butter and yogurt for richness. It bakes up more crumbly, closer to a scone than a soft bun, and the whole process takes under an hour since there's no proofing time. It's a different texture from this recipe, not a shortcut version of it, but worth trying if you want something quicker.

• Other fillings: ground beef, olives, or a mix of cheeses all work in place of the feta and parsley here.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

Pogaca is best eaten the same day it's baked, both for texture (it's a yeast dough) and for food safety, since the filling contains feta and egg and the tops are brushed with egg yolk. Don't leave leftovers out at room temperature for days. If you won't finish them same day, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for longer storage and reheat straight from frozen.

To freeze baked buns, let them cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or thaw at room temperature first and warm for 5 minutes.

You can also freeze the buns unbaked. Shape and fill them as usual, arrange them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid before transferring to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, let them thaw and proof at room temperature, covered, for about an hour before baking as directed.

Want to plan ahead without freezing? You can make the dough the night before: mix and knead it as directed, then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours instead of letting it rise at room temperature. Let it sit out for about 40 minutes to come back to room temperature before you shape and fill the buns.

Serving Suggestions

Pogaca is traditionally served as part of a Turkish breakfast spread, alongside Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs, Menemen - Turkish Scrambled Eggs, olives, and cheese, with a glass of Turkish tea on the side.

They also make a great lunchbox snack or grab-and-go breakfast, similar to how you'd serve Cranberry Orange Muffins or Raspberry Muffins with Yogurt.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For other delicious Turkish savory pastries why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making these delicious Turkish savory pastries called "Pogaca" as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂