How to shape beautiful traditional balkan bread (pogaca) like art 15

Описание: Soft & fluffy brioche bread recipe…

Dough Ingredients:
300 g plain yogurt
300 ml water
3 eggs (2 of the yolks are for brushing)
60 ml vegetable oil
15 g salt
10 g sugar
10 ml vinegar (preferable apple)
½ cube of fresh yeast (approx. 21 g)
1 kg flour (preferable bread flour or any type with more gluten & protein than 12%) / (+/- 100 g for kneading)

Perfect for a 30 cm (12-inch) round baking pan.

Dough Preparation Tips:
1. All ingredients should be at room temperature.
2. Activate the yeast with lukewarm (not hot because it will kill the living cells in it) water, sugar, and a tablespoon of flour. Wait until a foam forms on top.
3. Always sift your flour, and never add it all at once to the wet ingredients.

How I Prepare the Dough:
I use a stand mixer.
Add the eggs (without the 2 yolks), yogurt, salt, oil, and water (save 50 ml of water for activating the yeast) to the mixer bowl and mix well.
Add the activated yeast and mix.
Gradually incorporate the sifted flour. After the first portion of flour, add the vinegar. Knead by hand a little bit with the last 100 g of flour and put it back in the mixer bowl to let it prove.

Let the dough rise until it doubles in size (the time for this process depends from the temperature in the room, usually in room with temperature 21-22°C it takes up to 1 hour). Shape as desired, let it rise again, then brush with the two beaten egg yolks mixed with a drop of milk and oil.

Baking:
Bake in a preheated oven at 150-160°C (302-320°F) on the lowest rack.
I bake without using the fan.
Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes.
If the top starts browning too quickly, cover with foil to prevent burning.
Bake for about 1 hour ±10 minutes, and always check for doneness with a toothpick or skewer.
Once out of the oven, brush with butter.

Filling / Shaping Options:
When shaping, I often use butter with cheese, or butter blended with herbs.

Herb Butter Filling:
80–100 g softened butter
2–3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pinches savory
A pinch each of oregano, chives, and salt

Blend everything together and spread onto the dough layers.

This is my personal version after a lot of experimentation. Everyone is welcome to create their own!

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