Poğaça With Feta Cheese Filling

This is a classical Turkish savoury pastry recipe. We call them "Poğaça" They can be filled with a cheese mixture, with meat and onion or with a potato mixture. They are either breakfast or tea-time treats. Easy to make and bake.They are absolutely delicious straight from the oven. Both adults and children adore them.

Ingredients:

• 1,5 cups yogurt
• 3,5 ounces butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple vinegar
• 1 /2 teaspoon salt and mahaleb
• 1 egg yolk
• 2,5 - 3 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 whole egg

For the topping:
1 egg, beaten

How To:

In a large bowl, put the yogurt, olive oil, butter, salt, mahaleb,  apple vinegar and egg yolk, stir. Add the flour slowly, kneading well with your hands for a few minutes, until the dough comes together. Soft and elastic. Shape the dough like a ball, place in the large bowl and cover with a cling film. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

In a medium size bowl, crumble the feta cheese. Stir in the egg yolk and chopped parsley and mix well. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a baking tray. Shape the dough into a thick sausage and
divide into equal pieces, each about a size of a small tangerine. Then flatten into a round flat circle in your palm with your fingertips.

Place a spoonful of the feta filling mixture in the middle of the circle dough, leaving unfilled dough margin near the edges. Fold the circle to cover the filling to form a half moon shape.  Seal the two ends of the dough, pressing well with your fingertips. Place them on the greased tray and repeat this procedure with the rest of the dough pieces.

Place the doughs side by side on the greased tray. Brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle with nigella and sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for about 25 ? 30 minutes, until they are golden brown at top and bottom. Serve warm or cold.

 Bon Apetit!

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