Stuffed Savory Pastry (Pogaca)

Ingredients:

5 cups of flour
1 cup of warm milk
2 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup of cooking oil
1 cup of warm water
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp butter (at room temperature)
1 egg (separated)
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Filling
1/2 lb feta cheese
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tbsp dry parsley)
Herbs and spices (optional)

1. Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in warm milk. Put it aside for 15 minutes.

2. Sift the flour in a large bowl, and make a pool in the center of the flour, and add cooking oil, warm water, egg white, salt and frothed milk mixture.

3. Make a soft non-sticky dough.

4. Cover the dough with a moist dough towel (I use paper towel) and let it rise until the dough doubles it's original size.

5. In another bowl, mix feta cheese and chopped parsley, make a curd. Add any spice or herb you like.

6. When the dough is ready, make orange size balls.

7. Open one of the dough balls with a roller pin until the thickness is about 1/4" (approximately 0.5cm).

8. Using a circular pastry cutter (or a water glass) make small full moon shapes.

9. Brush top of the small moons with butter.

10. Place the filling on one side of the dough -about a teaspoon full of filling for a moon shape dough with a 1.5" (approximately 3cm) diameter-.

11. Cover the filled side of the dough with the other side and make a half moon. Press the open sides together, so there will be no opening.

12. Place the dough on a baking sheet having approximately 1.5" (approximately 3cm) distance between the doughs.

13. Let the pastry rise for another 1.5 hour.

14. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Fill an oven safe dish with water, and put it into the oven.

15. Beat the egg yolk in a small dish.

16. Brush the surface of the pastry with egg yolk. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

17. Bake the pastry for 25 minutes or the surface become golden brown.