Traditional cheese pogaçe — the soft Balkan breakfast bread

INGREDIENTS (for about 12 pogaçe):

• 500 g flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 7 g dry yeast (one sachet)
• 250 ml lukewarm milk
• 100 ml olive oil or sunflower oil
• 1 egg (for the dough)
• 200 g crumbled white cheese (or kashkaval)
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
• sesame seeds for the top (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt, sugar and dry yeast.
2. Add the lukewarm milk, the oil and the egg; mix until a soft, elastic dough forms.
3. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes, cover it with a cloth and leave it to rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
4. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls; roll each one out a little with your hands, place a spoonful of crumbled cheese in the middle and seal it well, shaping it into a round.
5. Arrange the pogaçe on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let them rest for another 15 minutes.
6. Brush the tops with egg beaten with a little milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 18–20 minutes, until golden.

Preparation time: about 25 minutes (plus 60 minutes rising). Baking time: 18–20 minutes. Makes: about 12 pogaçe.