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Homemade Pogaca; Turkish savory pastry with cheese and parsley

Scrumptious pogacas, savory pastry with cheese, olives and vavious fillings, displayed at a bakery in Istanbul

Scrumptious pogacas, savory pastry with cheese, olives and various fillings, displayed at a bakery in Istanbul

Delicious pogacas and pastries; a favorite Turkish breakfast or tea time treat

Delicious pogacas and pastries; a favorite Turkish breakfast or tea time treat

These delicious cheesy pogacas (poh-ah-cha) are a favorite breakfast or tea time treat in Turkey and we love them. They are easy to make at home; make your kitchen smell heavenly and they are very popular with children, as well as adults. Bakeries, street stalls sell freshly baked pogacas (plain, with white cheese, olives or with potato & cheese filling) in Turkey and with a glass of cay aside, they make a delicious and affordable breakfast or tea time treat.

My homemade peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with feta and parsley; easy to make and delicious

My homemade peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with cheese and parsley; easy to make and delicious

My children adore pogaca and we made our peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with feta cheese together; they loved getting involved. My pogacas are rather chunky, like the ones you would get in bakeries in Turkey and one is enough per person. You can make smaller ones if you like. They are absolutely delicious straight from the oven, but they also keep well for a few days. The next day (if any left!), you can microwave them for 10 seconds or gently heat under the grill, so delicious. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

 Peynirli pogaca; Turkish savory treat with feta; great for breakfast or as a snack.

Here’s also my YouTube video on how to make pogaca:

Peynirli pogaca; Turkish savory treat with white cheese and parsley; great for breakfast or as a snack.I love the savoury pastries in Turkish cuisine and living abroad, greatly miss them; so pogacas, boreks, pide, gozleme frequently turns up at our table. You can find all these savoury Turkish pastries and many more at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland,  Signed copies now 25 % off at this link, delivered worldwide, including the US.

 

Makes 11 pogacas

Preparation time: 20 min (+1 hour for dough to rise)                  Cooking time: 25- 30 minutes

For the dough:

7gr dry yeast (1 sachet)

425 gr / 3 ¼ cups all-purpose plain flour

5 ml / 1 tsp. salt

3 oz./ 1/3 cup plain (whole milk) yoghurt

1 egg, beaten

4 fl. oz. / ½ cup mild olive oil or sunflower oil

4 fl. oz . / ½ cup warm milk

For the filling:

5.3 oz./ 1 cup Turkish white cheese (or Greek feta cheese, if Turkish white cheese is not available) crumbled

15 gr/ 0.4 oz./½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

For the topping:

1 egg, beaten

Sesame seeds and nigella seeds to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F

 

Combine the warm milk and dry yeast in a small bowl and mix well. Let it stand for 5 minutes so that it gets foamy.

Let the dough to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes

Let the dough to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes

In a large bowl, stir in the flour and salt and make a well in the middle. Add the yoghurt, mild olive oil (or sunflower oil) and the beaten egg to the flour mixture, in the middle. Stir in the foamy yeast mixture and knead well with your hands for a few minutes, until the dough comes together. Shape the dough like a ball, place in the large bowl and cover with a cling film. Let it rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley make a delicious filling

Crumbled Turkish white cheese or Greek feta cheese and fresh parsley make a delicious filling

While the dough is rising, prepare your filling. In a medium size bowl, stir in the crumbled Turkish white cheese or Greek feta cheese and chopped parsley and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F and grease a baking tray.

Once the dough has risen, punch down and divide into 11 equal pieces, each about a size of a small tangerine. Roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten into a round flat circle with your fingertips, about 10 cm, 4” in diameter (you can make them smaller if you prefer). Place a spoonful of the filling mixture (take care not to overfill) at one side of the circle dough, leaving a little unfilled dough margin near the edges. Fold the circle to cover the filling to form a half moon shape. Make sure the dough covers the filling and meet the other end. Seal the two ends of the dough, pressing with your fingertips well. Place the stuffed dough on the greased tray and repeat this procedure with the rest of the dough pieces.

Pogacas, decorated with sesame & nigella seeds, ready to bake!

Pogacas, decorated with sesame & nigella seeds, ready to bake!

Place the prepared pogacas, stuffed dough pieces side by side on a 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.

Peynirli pogaca, Turkish savory pastry with feta & parsley, ready to eat!

Peynirli pogaca, Turkish savory pastry with cheese & parsley, ready to eat!

Serve warm; glass of Cay, Turkish tea goes really well with these delicious pogacas.

My homemade peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with feta and parsley; easy to make and delicious

My homemade peynirli pogaca, savory pastry with cheese and parsley; easy to make and delicious

Afiyet olsun,

Ozlem

 

 

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63 Responses to Homemade Pogaca; Turkish savory pastry with cheese and parsley

  1. Joy (My Traveling Joys) November 4, 2013 at 4:54 pm #

    Mmmm…looks super delicious as always, Ozlem! Thanks for sharing!

    • Ozlem Warren November 4, 2013 at 8:11 pm #

      Thank you for stopping by Joy, hope these pogacas brought some delicious memories of Istanbul!:)

    • Andrew Webster November 15, 2021 at 10:53 am #

      Teşekkürler Ozlem. I made these with white cheese and onions. They were so good I tried again with a chicken, bacon, and leek filling. So easy and so good!

      • Ozlem Warren November 15, 2021 at 11:45 am #

        Merhaba Andrew,

        Thank you so much for your note – so happy to hear you enjoyed making pogaca : ) lovely variations of fillings too, Afiyet Olsun,
        Ozlem

  2. Peri November 5, 2013 at 4:14 am #

    Love the baked pastry goodness of these pogacas:) and how adorable that the kids helped make them, they really do enjoy being in the kitchen, making great food and amazing memories:) xxPeri.

    • Ozlem Warren November 5, 2013 at 9:57 am #

      Hi Peri, they really do, don’t they? And food helps us to re-connect with our roots, and this is especially important for children – they were happy to make their own pogaca : ) thank you so much for stopping by, Ozlem xx

  3. seniordogsabroad November 5, 2013 at 5:04 am #

    [Marked as spam by Antispam Bee | Spam reason: Server IP]
    Özlem, One of the reasons I love your blog is that you reveal the secrets in the most common of Turkish dishes (poğaça is one of our favorite breakfast treats) but at the same dishes that I’d never have the nerve to try myself. Now I see that yes, I think I can do this.

    Aşure is a dish I associate with our first moving into our building after we had just arrived in Turkey and our neighbor’s daughter came with a tray of dishes of it for the whole building. What a warm and delicious welcome. Thanks for reminding us!

    • Ozlem Warren November 5, 2013 at 9:56 am #

      Merhaba Jolee, I can not tell you how much your kind words means to me, thank you very much. Food help us make and share special memories, so happy if Asure brings happy memories back – and so glad if they inspire 🙂 Cok tesekkurler, selamlar, Ozlem

  4. Tracy Lee Karner November 5, 2013 at 1:33 pm #

    I love reading your blog–the recipes are inspiring. I plan on making these very soon and will let you know how they turn out.

    • Ozlem Warren November 5, 2013 at 2:15 pm #

      Hi Tracy, very kind of you – thank you 🙂 I’d be delighted if the recipes inspire, so glad to hear it – hope you enjoy the pogacas 🙂

      • Tracy Lee Karner November 9, 2013 at 4:48 am #

        They turned out fabulously. Shared with friends, and they were loved them, too. Thanks!

        • Ozlem Warren November 9, 2013 at 3:45 pm #

          Hi Tracy, so delighted to hear it, so glad you all enjoyed the pogacas, afiyet olsun!:)

  5. Turkey's For Life November 6, 2013 at 8:49 am #

    [Marked as spam by Antispam Bee | Spam reason: Server IP]
    Ohhh, might have to have a try at making our own poğaça – the ones we buy never have enough filling in for us so the ones I make will probably burst everywhere! 😉 As for aşure, no doubt our neighbours will be knocking on the door with some soon enough…
    Julia

    • Ozlem Warren November 6, 2013 at 11:50 am #

      Merhaba Julia, it’s really satisfactory to make your own pogacas, and as you say, you may indulge on the filling! there’s a danger of bursting them out though, as you say; mind you I love seeing the filling oozing out from a pastry, in moderation 🙂 glad you may have a go! Enjoy neighbours’ asure 🙂 Ozlem

  6. Alan November 6, 2013 at 5:34 pm #

    aşure is a big favourite of ours here in the village – every year there are great cook-ins with huge cauldrons over fires in the gardens as this wonderful pudding is ‘brewed’. Then come the invites and we go the rounds and do the social bit. Before we leave we are loaded with jars and pots full to the brim – wonderful!

    • Ozlem Warren November 6, 2013 at 8:27 pm #

      Ah, how wonderful Alan, Asure brings folks together true to its spirit, I loved hearing your Asure ritural in Okcular – how I wished to join you all! Such a delicious and bountiful dish and a joy to share, enjoy yours and thank you for this wonderful note!

  7. Phil in the Kitchen November 7, 2013 at 10:22 pm #

    I love the look of those pogacas – very, very appetising. And thanks for the advice on how to pronounce the name – I would definitely have got that wrong.

    • Ozlem Warren November 8, 2013 at 2:21 pm #

      You are very welcome Phil, glad you enjoyed the pogaca post 🙂

  8. rakyv March 25, 2014 at 11:04 pm #

    hello Ozlem,
    it’s been a while i’m doing some kind of turkish bread filled with feta cheese with spinach, and it’s always a success for me. Yesterday, i made again, but changing the fillings and i put the zucchini and feta cheese. With this recipe, i would like to try filling it up with minced meat and parsley… I would surely try this one too.
    thanks a lot for sharing and you know i’m always here to follow you.

    • Ozlem Warren March 26, 2014 at 2:09 pm #

      Merhaba Raky, many thanks for your kind words, really happy to hear you enjoy the recipes, so kind of you to let me know. Minced meat, onions and parsley makes a delicious filling, another one I think you’d enjoy very much. My best wishes, ozlem

  9. sheniz December 3, 2014 at 10:11 pm #

    Thank you Ozlem for sharing your recipes the pogacas I made where delicious.

    • Ozlem Warren December 5, 2014 at 4:52 pm #

      Merhaba Sheniz, so glad to hear you enjoyed making pogacas, many thanks for sharing!

  10. Cali January 5, 2015 at 11:41 am #

    Merhaba Ozlem and happy New Year! What is the best way to store these? How long do they keep?

    Thanks!

    • Ozlem Warren January 5, 2015 at 2:55 pm #

      Merhaba Cali, happy new year to you too! Pogaca is great, you can keep them covered in a container in room temp for 3-4 days – though they dissappear much quickly!- hope you enjoy them.

      • Cali September 6, 2015 at 11:34 pm #

        Hi Ozlem im about to make these yummy breads again. Do they freeze well?

        • Ozlem Warren September 7, 2015 at 7:13 pm #

          Merhaba Cali, they do freeze well; I would place them on a greased non stick baking tray and reheat at 180 C/ 350 F for about 10 minutes or so, enjoy!

          • Cali September 8, 2015 at 2:26 am #

            Thanks Ozlem!!!

  11. Sophia Terra-Ziva August 12, 2015 at 12:17 am #

    Hi Ozlem! They look so fluffy and irresistible! I have the bad habit of measuring everything with kitchen scales as most of the measure caps have different proportions – Australian ones are different than European or US.
    Can you help me find the right conversion?
    And do you think this dough is suitable for baking çiçek poğaça?
    Wishing you a wonderful day,
    Sophia

    • Ozlem Warren August 12, 2015 at 12:58 pm #

      Dear Sophia, many thanks for your note, you may use this measurement chart if you like, hope it helps. I haven’t made cicek pogaca yet I am afraid, happy to share once I make it : ) best wishes, http://dish.allrecipes.com/cup-to-gram-conversions/

      • Khia February 15, 2016 at 9:28 pm #

        Hi, I made çiçek poğaça using this recipe today and they turned out beautifully first time round! 🙂

        Thank you for this recipe. I attend a German course in Switzerland and a woman brought some çiçek poğaça for us and since she cooks by sight rather than measurements I couldn’t really get a full recipe from her. This one is so easy, and they looked and tasted fantastic. My partner and his family are rather good cooks and usually have comments and “improvements” for my bakes, but this got a full round of approval…for the first time ever! Incidentally, there is now only one left!

        • Ozlem Warren February 15, 2016 at 9:40 pm #

          Merhaba Khia, most kind, many thanks for your wonderful note – so glad, delighted that you enjoyed my pogaca recipe and got the approval from the family, no better compliment!:) My best wishes, Ozlem

  12. Olga March 24, 2016 at 9:11 pm #

    After nar eksisi poğaça is the second recipe or yours that I follow. I have no words again… tebrikler! Olga from Greece

    • Ozlem Warren March 25, 2016 at 3:19 pm #

      Merhaba Olga, many thanks for your kind note; really delighted to hear you’re enjoying the recipes, cok tesekkurler!:)

  13. Kulsoom Ahmad July 1, 2016 at 4:38 am #

    Hello Ozlem! My condolences to you and all the citizens of Turkey, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
    I tried the lovely Gul Manti which turned out wonderful and tried this recipe however my Pogaca were not soft And fluffy but were harder. I think I made a mistake with the dough, maybe let it sit too long as it got oily and very elastic- any tips to make my next batch better?
    Thank you

    • Ozlem Warren July 1, 2016 at 11:22 am #

      Merhaba Kulsoom, many thanks for your kind note; it is very heartbreaking indeed, my heart goes for home and all the innocent souls too, wishing for peace all around the world.. Very glad you enjoyed Gul Manti; re pogaca, my version is not the really soft and fluffy one, they have a nice crunch and bite to it. I would let the dough rise for about 1 hour in a warm spot, near an oven or in airing cupboard, hope this helps and you enjoy making pogaca. Afiyet olsun, Ozlem

  14. Andrea February 25, 2017 at 3:24 am #

    Yes! I am so happy to have found this! We hosted a German-Turkish exchange student a couple years ago and she made this for us all the time! But, she couldn’t figure out how to translate the recipe to leave us and only ever called it “cheesy-bready thing”. We’re going to make this for breakfast tomorrow.

    • Ozlem Warren February 25, 2017 at 6:22 pm #

      Merhaba Andrea, lovely to get your note – do hope you enjoy making pogaca, a favorite with us too – afiyet olsun! Ozlem

  15. Pat curley December 16, 2017 at 9:17 pm #

    These sound exactly like a pyroski my grandmother used to make she was Czech even the cheese stuffing is the same I wonder if there is a Turkish connection some where or all over the world we have similier foods they are delicious!!!!

    • Ozlem Warren December 18, 2017 at 2:48 pm #

      Merhaba dear Pat; you are absolutely right and I am sure we have a connection there; when the Ottoman Empire ruled, there were lots of ethnic groups withnin the Empire and lots of culinary treasures exchanged. For instance also Kapuska, Russian for cabbage and we have a meal called kapuska with chopped cabbage, minced meat, rice or bulgur – I love seeing this shared variation of food we have, my best wishes, Ozlem

  16. Davut January 29, 2018 at 2:10 am #

    Merhaba Özlem hanım, could I prepare the dough a day in advance and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator? Çok teşekkürler!

    • Ozlem Warren February 1, 2018 at 9:43 pm #

      Merhaba Davut, thank you for stopping by – I haven’t tried this way but worth a try – you will need to bring the dough to room temp and it may help rise too – would love to hear how you get on! Selamlar, ozlem

  17. Hatice June 3, 2018 at 3:17 pm #

    Im sorry but this recipe tastes nothing like the buttery delicious poğaça made here in turkey… I was so excited because they look great but the taste is nothing like how they are here. Fortunately i didnt make a large batch.

    • Ozlem Warren June 5, 2018 at 8:55 am #

      Merhaba dear Hatice, many thanks for stopping by and your kind note; I am sorry this recipe didn’t deliver for you; you are right it is not as buttery as the ones at home – purposefully too, as we try to cut back on butter in my household for health reasons-. How lucky you are that you can enjoy fresh pogaca in Turkey. I live abroad and this version of pogaca certainly delivers for us, especially for my children and many folks. Many thanks again for your time and my best wishes, Ozlem

  18. Amanda Mehmet June 28, 2019 at 9:01 am #

    Thanks for this recipe, I always come back to it when I make pogaca! I lived in Istanbul for three years and miss it every day. It’s small comforts like this that help me feel less “homesick” for Istanbul. Much love to you.

    • Ozlem Warren June 30, 2019 at 3:46 pm #

      Merhaba dear Amanda, thank you so much for your kind note; glad you enjoyed pogaca and it brings happy memories of Istanbul – living abroad, I know what you mean.

      Just to let you know, my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table is now available on amazon (kindle for US) , and signed hardback copies available at this link and delivered worldwide, if interested – with over 90 authentic recipes, stunning photos and stories from my homeland :

      https://www.gbpublishing.co.uk/ozlemsturkishtable

      thank you for your kind note again, best wishes, cok sevgiler, Ozlem

  19. Charlotte December 4, 2019 at 3:27 am #

    My boyfriend is from Istanbul and I have been returning to your site over and over to recreate some of the foods he grew up with, so thank you for giving me a tool to connect with his family and childhood!

    • Ozlem Warren December 5, 2019 at 4:24 pm #

      So delighted to hear it Charlotte, elinize saglik! I am sure your efforts is greatly appreciated, Afiyet Olsun, Ozlem

  20. Jason February 12, 2022 at 3:22 pm #

    Merhaba Ozlem, these pogaca are delicious.. I’m in the uk and my partner is Turkish from Istanbul.
    She tells me I could have been Turkish in a previous life as I make these better than her
    I love your website, full of delicious recipes. Keep up the good work, love from the uk

    • Ozlem Warren February 28, 2022 at 11:54 am #

      Merhaba Jason, thank you so much for your kind note, so delighted you are enjoying my recipes – and bravo to you, elinize saglik!

      Afiyet Olsun, Ozlem

  21. Ozlem Warren December 4, 2013 at 5:38 pm #

    Many thanks for the link to my pogaca recipe, glad you enjoyed it!:)

  22. Ozlem Warren March 20, 2014 at 9:35 am #

    Many thanks for the link, your piroshki looks great!

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