Balkan Pogaca Pull Apart Bread with Garlic Butter 🫓✨

Description

Balkan Pogaca Pull Apart Bread is a soft, golden, tear-and-share bread brushed with garlic butter, layered with white brined cheese, herbs, and a glossy sesame finish. It is fluffy inside, lightly crisp on top, rich with warm bakery aroma, and perfect beside soups, stews, grilled meats, ajvar, kajmak, or any Balkan table that needs bread at the center. ✨

Hook ✨

Soft dough, melted garlic butter, salty cheese, herbs, and a golden pull-apart crust make this Balkan pogaca warm, fluffy, and impossible to stop tearing. 🫓

Ingredients

• Dough 🌾
• 🌾 550 g all-purpose flour or bread flour (4½ cups / 19.4 oz)
• 🥛 250 ml lukewarm milk (1 cup / 8.5 fl oz)
• 💧 80 ml lukewarm water (⅓ cup / 2.7 fl oz)
• 🦠 7 g instant yeast (2¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🍯 10 g sugar or honey (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🥚 1 large egg, 50 g (1 egg / 1.8 oz)
• 🧂 10 g fine sea salt (1¾ tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🫒 35 ml sunflower oil or olive oil (2 tbsp + 1 tsp / 1.2 fl oz)
• Garlic butter layers 🧄
• 🧈 90 g unsalted butter, softened (6 tbsp / 3.2 oz)
• 🧄 10 g garlic, finely grated (3 cloves / 0.35 oz)
• 🌿 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped (½ cup / 0.5 oz)
• ⚫ 1 g black pepper (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• Cheese filling 🧀
• 🧀 220 g white brined cheese or feta, crumbled (1¾ cups / 7.8 oz)
• 🥣 60 g thick yogurt or sour cream (¼ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🌿 10 g fresh dill or parsley, chopped (¼ cup / 0.35 oz)
• Finish ✨
• 🥚 1 egg yolk, 18 g (1 yolk / 0.6 oz)
• 🥛 15 ml milk (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• ⚪ 10 g sesame seeds (1 tbsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🧈 20 g melted butter, for brushing after baking (1½ tbsp / 0.7 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Activate the yeast 🦠
2. In a large bowl, mix lukewarm milk, water, sugar or honey, and yeast. Let it stand for 5 min until lightly foamy.
3. 2️⃣ Make the dough 🌾
4. Add flour, egg, salt, and oil. Knead for 8–10 min until smooth, elastic, and soft. The dough should feel tender, not dry.
5. 3️⃣ First rise 🛋
6. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 h, until doubled and puffy.
7. 4️⃣ Mix the garlic butter 🧄
8. In a small bowl, combine softened butter, grated garlic, parsley, and black pepper. Mix until creamy and fragrant.
9. 5️⃣ Prepare the cheese 🧀
10. Mix crumbled white brined cheese with yogurt and herbs. Keep it thick, creamy, and slightly textured.
11. 6️⃣ Shape the pull-apart layers ✨
12. Roll the dough into a large rectangle about 40 × 30 cm (16 × 12 in). Spread the garlic butter over the dough, then scatter the cheese filling evenly. Cut into 10–12 squares or strips.
13. 7️⃣ Arrange in the pan 🫓
14. Stack the dough pieces loosely and place them upright or slightly overlapping in a buttered 24 cm (9½ in) round pan or loaf pan. Do not pack too tightly, because the dough needs space to rise.
15. 8️⃣ Second rise 🛋
16. Cover and rest for 30 min, until visibly puffed and soft. Heat the oven to 185°C (365°F).
17. 9️⃣ Brush and bake 🔥
18. Whisk egg yolk with milk. Brush the top of the pogaca and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 32–35 min until golden, risen, and fragrant.
19. 🔟 Butter finish ✨
20. Brush the hot pogaca with melted butter. Rest for 10 min, then tear apart while warm so the soft layers, cheese, and garlic butter show beautifully.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 35 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 35 min
🛋 Rest: 1 h 40 min
⏰ Total: 2 h 50 min

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