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About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

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) gluten
• 🥛 250 ml lukewarm milk (1 cup / 8.5 fl oz) dairy
• 💧 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) egg
• 🧂 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) dairy
• 🧄 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) dairy
• 🥣 60 g thick yogurt or sour cream (¼ cup / 2.1 oz) dairy
• 🌿 10 g fresh dill or parsley, chopped (¼ cup / 0.35 oz)
• Finish ✨
• 🥚 1 egg yolk, 18 g (1 yolk / 0.6 oz) egg
• 🥛 15 ml milk (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz) dairy
• ⚪ 10 g sesame seeds (1 tbsp / 0.35 oz) sesame
• 🧈 20 g melted butter, for brushing after baking (1½ tbsp / 0.7 oz) dairy

Preparation

• 1 Activate the yeast 🦠 In a large bowl, mix lukewarm milk, water, sugar or honey, and yeast. Let it stand for 5 min until lightly foamy.
• 2 Make the dough 🌾 Add flour, egg, salt, and oil. Knead for 8–10 min until smooth, elastic, and soft. The dough should feel tender, not dry.
• 3 First rise 🛋 Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 h, until doubled and puffy.
• 4 Mix the garlic butter 🧄 In a small bowl, combine softened butter, grated garlic, parsley, and black pepper. Mix until creamy and fragrant.
• 5 Prepare the cheese 🧀 Mix crumbled white brined cheese with yogurt and herbs. Keep it thick, creamy, and slightly textured.
• 6 Shape the pull-apart layers ✨ 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.
• 7 Arrange in the pan 🫓 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.
• 8 Second rise 🛋 Cover and rest for 30 min, until visibly puffed and soft. Heat the oven to 185°C (365°F).
• 9 Brush and bake 🔥 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. 🔟 Butter finish ✨ 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.

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Estimated values per serving.

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