Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns)

Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns) is one of the most popular savory pastries in Turkey. They are perfect as a quick breakfast on the go, tasty snack when you feel peckish, or a great addition to your kids' lunch box. These delicious & cute feta dumplings are very similar to Bulgarian Pitka Bread (Koledna Pitka) and pair perfectly with a cup of Turkish tea.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Related Recipes
• Top Tip From the Chef
• Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns)

These delicious pastries are commonly sold in bakeries and they come all in different flavors, shapes, and textures. While some have a more crumbly texture like scones, others have a more soft and fluffy texture to them. If you've never tried to make your own at home, try this simple yet delicious pogaca recipe.

The most popular version of Pogaca is the soft, fluffy ones with feta cheese and herbs. The other filling options are generally minced beef, olives, or potatoes but the plain ones are equally yummy. I sometimes make a few plain ones to eat with butter and jam when they are warm out of the oven. The only downside is that they are unbelievably addictive so you lose track of how many you've eaten!

Why This Recipe Works?

• They freeze beautifully. After baking them, let them cool down before putting them in the freezer. They keep frozen for up to 3 months.

• It is very easy to make these Turkish cheese pastries with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

• You don't need to rise the dough twice, simply make the dough, shape them, let them rise and bake until golden.

• You can fill them with any of your favourite toppings to make your homemade version! The limit is your imagination.

• This recipe explains 2 popular ways of shaping these savoury cheesy buns.

• It is a crowd-pleaser, this pogaca recipe will make 20 to 22 medium-size buns.

• Your kids will love these buns, they are perfect for their lunch boxes.

Ingredients and Substitutes

• Plain flour - It is also known as all-purpose flour. It is perfect for making cakes, cookies, pastries and thickening sauces.

• Milk - I use semi-skimmed milk in this recipe but full-fat milk would work as well. It gives the Pogaca buns a soft texture. You can replace the milk with mineral water to make these pastries dairy-free!

• Water - Use lukewarm tap water.

• Vegetable oil - Use fresh vegetable oil that doesn’t have any off-flavors. Substitute it with melted butter, sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.

• Egg - The egg white adds flavour to the cheese filling while the yolk is used for egg-washing the buns.

• Yeast - I use fast action dry yeast for this recipe. The recipe also works with standard active/dry yeast or fresh yeast. Although you don't normally need to dissolve the fast action yeast in warm water then leave it to become foamy, the pogaca dough becomes fluffier if dissolved in warm water first. 

• Sugar - I use caster sugar or granulated sugar. It feeds the yeast and helps the dough rise.

• Salt - It increases the strength of the dough as well as the flavour.

• Feta cheese - I use creamy feta cheese for this recipe. You can substitute it with kashar cheese, mozzarella, halloumi or cheddar as well as using a mixture of a few type of cheeses.

• Parsley - It is one of my favourite herbs and I use it with almost everything. You can use dill, mint, chives, basil or oregano.

• Sesame or nigella seeds - They give extra crunch to borek and pastries. They are commonly used in sweet or savoury Turkish bakeries.

• Mahleb - Mahleb is the secret ingredient of the pogaca recipe which gives it the unique aromatic fragrance. It is an aromatic spice made from the stones of the St Lucie Cherries and it has been widely used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for centuries in baking. Mahleb has a sweet and fruity smell and when you're baking with Mahleb, the entire house smells like heaven (or more like a bakery, which is the same to me).

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making pogaca is very easy and straight forward and there are a few easy steps that you need to follow to achieve the best results:

• Prepare the filling - Crumble the cheese into small pieces. Add chopped parsley and the egg white. Mix all until combined.

• Get the dough consistency right - The amount of flour in this recipe depends on the type of ingredients or the humidity of the weather. You should always add the flour gradually until you have the right consistency. We are after an “ear lobe” texture for nice and soft pastries. Mix sugar, warm milk, warm water, vegetable oil, and yeast in a large bowl and then combine them. Add the flour, mahleb (optional), and salt and combine to form a nice, soft dough. Adjust the amount of the flour if needed. Knead until smooth and it doesn't stick to your hands anymore.

• Shaping the buns - When the dough is ready, shape them straight away without waiting for the proofing. To shape the buns, divide the dough into egg-sized balls - you should have around 22 balls. Take one ball and then flatten it on a lightly oiled work surface into a circle with your fingertips. If you want to make round shaped buns, put a spoonful of cheese mixture in the middle of the pastry. Fold the dough over the mixture to meet in the centre and gently pinch the edges with your fingertips to seal.

Repeat the same for the rest of the balls and place them on a baking tray a few centimeters apart from each other. Make sure there is enough space between the buns for proofing.

If you want to make half-moon-shaped buns, put a spoonful of cheese mixture on one side of the pastry. Fold the other side on top and then gently press the edges to make sure they stick to each other. Repeat the same for the rest of the balls.

• Proofing the buns - Place the buns on a baking tray a few centimetres apart from each other so that there is enough space for proofing. Egg wash the buns with some egg yolk then sprinkle with sesame seeds or nigella seeds on and leave them to prove.

The proofing time varies depending on the temperature of the room so it always takes longer in the winter. You can use your oven to proof the buns if you want to shorten the process. To use your oven for proofing, heat the oven just enough to have a warm feeling and then turn it off. Put the pastries in and then turn the oven lights on. If you want to proof the buns at room temperature, cover the tray with a damp kitchen cloth and then leave them in a warm place until they double in size.

• Baking the buns - When the buns double in size, turn the oven on to 180 °C (fan oven). Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Related Recipes

For other delicious Turkish savory pastries why not try:

• Cheese Borek

• Borek with Meat and Spinach

• Kiymali Borek (Meat Borek)

• Potato Borek

• Spinach and Feta Borek

• Gozleme (Turkish Pancakes)

• Turkish Rolls (Sigara Boregi)

• Minced Beef Pie

• Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek)

• Simit (Turkish Sesame Bagel)

Top Tip From the Chef

Make sure you lightly warm the milk and water up before adding the sugar and the yeast.

I hope you enjoy the process of making these delicious homemade cheese buns as much as you enjoy eating them!🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

FOOD SAFETY

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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