Peynirli Poğaça: Soft & cheesy Turkish pastries you’ll love

When it comes to Turkish cuisine, few things are as comforting as poğaça. Soft & fluffy pastries filled with cheese and herbs. Known across Türkiye, these little buns are a staple at breakfast tables, bakeries and tea times (çay + poğaça is a match made in heaven). Interestingly, variations of this pastry exist across the Balkans and Mediterranean, which shows how connected food cultures have been for centuries. Today, I’m sharing a classic Turkish-style peynirli poğaça recipe with a fun twist: pumpkin-shaped buns alongside the traditional round ones.

Ingredients

✿ 1 egg white (reserve the yolk for brushing)

✿ 200 grams yogurt

✿ 100 ml milk

✿ 100 ml vegetable oil

✿ 400 grams flour

✿ 1 teaspoon salt

✿ 10 grams baking powder

✿ White cheese (beyaz peynir or feta)

✿ Parsley

✿ 1 egg yolk

✿ Black seeds (optional, for topping)

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough:

   Separate the egg white from one egg & set the yolk aside. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, milk, and vegetable oil, and mix until smooth

2. Add dry ingredients:

   Add the flour and mix lightly. Then stir in the salt & baking powder. Keep mixing until the dough starts coming together. If it’s sticky, add a little extra flour

3. Make the filling:

   Traditionally, beyaz peynir (white cheese) is used, but I used feta because that's what I had at home (a great substitute btw!). Break it into small pieces, wash and roughly chop the parsley & mix together. That’s your filling!

4. Shape the dough:

   Divide the dough into smaller pieces. Flatten each piece, add plenty of filling, fold over, and shape into a small ball

   • Pumpkin-shaped poğaça: Wrap the twine around the dough ball, like forming a belt around a pumpkin. Repeat in a crisscross pattern to make several “sections” on the dough, just like the ridges on a real pumpkin. Typically, 4–6 sections work well

   • Classic poğaça: Flatten the dough, place the filling in the center, then fold it over. Pinch the edges tightly to seal the filling inside, brush with egg yolk, sprinkle seeds on top, and it’s ready for baking

5. Add egg wash and toppings:

   Brush the pastries with the reserved egg yolk. Sprinkle black seeds on top of the classic poğaça if you want

6. Bake:

   Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F) & bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown

7. Serve and enjoy:

   Let them cool slightly and enjoy fresh from the oven. The pumpkin-shaped poğaças turned out adorable & the cheesy filling is perfectly soft and flavourful!