Kıymalı Poğaça | Crispy Turkish Minced Meat Yeast Buns

Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in lukewarm whole milk and let rest for 5 minutes. Separate the egg; set aside the egg white for the dough and cover the egg yolk to brush on later. Place the wheat flour with 4 g of table salt in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast milk, vegetable oil, room-temperature butter, and egg white. Knead everything for 8–10 minutes into a silky, soft dough. Cover and let rest in a warm place for approx. 45 minutes until doubled in volume.

Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Heat a little vegetable oil or 1 tsp of butter in a pan, and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the minced beef and fry over medium heat until crumbly. Stir in the tomato paste and roast briefly. Season generously with sweet paprika powder, cumin, chili flakes, black pepper, and the remaining table salt. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the finely chopped parsley, and let the filling cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C top/bottom heat and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Divide the risen dough into 8 equal portions on a lightly floured surface and shape them into balls. Flatten each ball (approx. 10–12 cm in diameter). Place 1–2 heaping tablespoons of the cooled minced meat filling in the center of each. Firmly pinch the dough edges together over the filling and place the buns seam-side down onto the prepared baking sheet.