Poğaça (Soft Turkish Cheese Buns)
پوآچا (نرم ترکی پنیر والے بن)
Every Turkish bakery has a tray of poğaça in the morning: soft, golden buns, often filled with white cheese, potato or olives, sprinkled with sesame and black nigella seeds. They're eaten with tea for breakfast, packed into school bags and bought by the bagful for picnics. This version uses yogurt and a little butter for a tender, pillowy crumb, with a simple cheese and parsley filling.
- ⏱ Total: 55 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 12
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the yogurt, warm milk, oil, melted butter and egg white and knead for 5–6 minutes into a very soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and leave for 1 hour until doubled.
Mix the cheese with the parsley. Heat the oven to 190°C and line a tray.
Divide the dough into 12. Flatten each piece into a small round, add a spoon of filling, fold over into a half-moon and press the edges to seal.
Brush with egg yolk mixed with a spoon of milk, sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds, and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden.
Serve warm with tea.
Kitchen notes
The dough should be softer than bread dough. Resist adding too much flour; oil your hands instead.
Other fillings: mashed potato with pul biber, chopped olives, or plain (sade poğaça).
Freeze baked poğaça and warm them in the oven for 8 minutes for an instant breakfast.
The everyday bun
Poğaça is one of the quiet staples of Turkish life. It isn’t fancy, but it’s everywhere: on the counter of every fırın (bakery) and pastane (pastry shop), on the breakfast table at weekends, and in lunchboxes. Every family has its favourite version, from flaky, layered ones to soft, cake-like buns made with yogurt.
Why yogurt
Yogurt makes the dough tender and slightly tangy and helps the buns stay soft for longer. A little butter adds richness, and oil keeps the crumb light. The dough is meant to be very soft; that’s what gives poğaça its melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Cheese and seeds
The classic filling is crumbled white cheese with parsley or dill. Outside Turkey, feta is the best match. Black nigella seeds (çörek otu), known as kalonji in South Asia, are the traditional topping alongside sesame.
Serving
Serve warm with Turkish tea, olives and fresh tomatoes for breakfast, or pack them for a picnic with a flask of tea and some fruit.
Questions people ask
Which cheese is best?
Turkish beyaz peynir (white brined cheese). Feta is the closest outside Turkey; crumbled paneer with a little salt also works.
Can I make the dough the night before?
Yes. Let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight, then shape and bake in the morning.
Can I make them without yeast?
Yes, a quick version uses 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead. It's crumblier, more like a scone.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 230
- Protein
- 7 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
