Mayasız Dereotlu Poğaça
Turkish·(mah-yah-SUHZ deh-reh-oht-LOO poh-AH-chah)
Chapter 1: Hafta Sonu Kahvaltısı (The Weekend Breakfast Ritual)
Walk past any Turkish bakery at dawn and the warm, buttery pull of fresh poğaça is undeniable. For the weekend breakfast table, these yeast-free, dill-flecked pastries are a domestic miracle, bypassing hours of proofing for immediate gratification. The secret lies in a sharp hit of vinegar and yogurt, a chemical reaction that achieves what local grandmothers call kıyır kıyır—a crumb that shatters delicately before melting away. Hiding a molten pocket of salty feta, it’s an honest, unpretentious bake that goes from bowl to oven in minutes, the undeniable anchor of a proper Sunday morning.
Before you start
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure an easy cleanup.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter softened1/2 cup
- Neutral oil or light olive oil1/2 cup
- Plain full fat yogurt1/2 cup
- Large eggs2
- Apple cider or white wine vinegar1 tablespoon
- Granulated sugar1 teaspoon
- Fine sea salt1 teaspoon
- Ground mahlep optional1 teaspoon
- Fresh dill finely chopped1/2 bunch
- Baking powder2 teaspoons
- All purpose flour3.5 to 4 cups
- Feta cheese crumbled1 cup
- Sesame or nigella seeds1 tablespoon
Method
- 01
Emulsify the wet ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk the softened butter, oil, yogurt, vinegar, one whole egg, and one egg white until mostly uniform, taking care to reserve the remaining yolk in a small bowl for later.
- 02
Build the flavor base.
Stir the sugar, salt, optional mahlep, and fresh dill into the wet mixture to allow the herb's essential oils to bloom and disperse evenly through the fat.
- 03
Incorporate the dry ingredients gently.
Mix in the baking powder, then add the flour one cup at a time, kneading gently until the dough reaches the softness of an earlobe and stops sticking to your fingers.
- 04
Shape the dough and add the filling.
Pinch off walnut-sized pieces, flatten them into three-inch circles between your palms, place a generous teaspoon of feta in the center, and fold them over to pinch and seal into half-moons.
- 05
Glaze and garnish the pastries.
Arrange the shaped pastries on the prepared baking sheet with an inch of space between them, paint generously with the reserved egg yolk, and sprinkle with seeds.
- 06
Bake until puffed and golden.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is shiny and browned, then force yourself to let them rest on the pan for ten minutes so the crumb structure sets perfectly.
Notes
Respect the earlobe rule.
Turkish cooks rely on the tactile milestone of kulak memesi kıvamı, meaning dough as soft as an earlobe. Overwork it, and you activate the gluten, trading a tender, crumbly pastry for dense bread.
Embrace the freezer.
The dill permeates the fats even more deeply overnight, making these a brilliant make-ahead option that can be fully baked, frozen, and revived beautifully in a 300°F oven.
From The Anatolian Table.