SOFT POGACHA WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

This pogacha is my idea how should pogacha look and taste. I don't like doughs that are empty, with no filling, I never make kifli empty for example :) So I'm transferring that to everything I make. Soft as a soul, melts in the mouth, looks complicated at first look, but it's not! Just follow the instructions and prepare this amazing pogacha. From this dough, you can also make kifli.


Ingredients:

For the dough:
  • about 500 g flour
  • 1/2 cube (20 g) fresh yeast
  • 100 ml lukewarm milk
  • 150 ml yogurt
  • 70 ml oil
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
For filling:
  • 200 g ricotta
  • 200 g spinach
For coating:
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 50 g butter
  • sesame seed  for sprinkling
Preparation:
  1. Wash spinach and boil for about 3 minutes in salt water. Slice it and grind it. Mix with the feta crumbs and if necessary add salt.
  2. Mix the yeast with milk, sugar and a spoonful of flour and leave it to activate.
  3. Mix in flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast, yogurt, oil, eggs and then knead the soft dough. It is the best to mix with less flour and slowly add the required amount. The dough is nicer if you knead it longer.
  4. Let it grow about 30 minutes.
  5. Then knead again and split into three parts. Stretch each part in a circle larger than plate. Coat the baking pan with butter and put the first crust in the pan and coat with half the filling.
  6. Then align the other crust, add filling and add the third one on top.
  7. And now comes the interesting part of curling. Cut out the middle part with a donut cutter or larger glass. Then cut the whole pogacha in stripes like the Macedonian sun. Twist every stripe like a swirl. Make this fast because the dough will become softer as you wait more and harder to handle. In the end, take the circle in the middle and make a form as desired and return it. Of course, all decoration can be made according your desire and imagination.

  8. Then coat with a beaten egg yolk and place a little butter everywhere.Sprinkle sesame seeds if desired and leave to grow for about 40 minutes.
  9. Turn on the oven at 200 C degrees and bake for about 40 minutes. If it starts to burn on top, align the top with baking paper.
  10. Enjoy!