Savory Sesame Gruyère Pastries
When I made my Savory Sesame Gruyère Pastries, I was transported to my summer days in Turkey. Sipping hot tea by the seaside is one of the things I miss most about Turkey. Turks love their hot tea like us Southerners love our Sweet Iced Tea. In Turkey, you can just stop by a bakery and pick up both sweet and savory pastries to go with your tea. They are delicious and inexpensive. Since I don’t have a Turkish bakery around the corner, I decided to come up with my own version of Tuzlu Kurabiye (Salty Cookies).
Ooey, Gooey, Cheesy Goodness!
These Savory Sesame Gruyère Pastries sure hit the spot with my tea. They also go well with Sweet Southern Iced Tea or a Dr. Pepper. While I made mine to go with my tea, you could definitely serve these as appetizers or as a light breakfast. Hope you try out my recipe. I think you will like them. If you have any left, place them in a plastic storage bag like these Propack Storage Bags, Original Twist-Tie, One Gallon, 100ct(Pack of 2). These bags are must have items in my kitchen. The cheese pastries will stay fresh for a few days. Also, feel free to substitute the cheeses. Next time, I am going to use Feta aka White Cheese in Turkish. I was just out of it so I used what I had on hand. Afiyet Olsun!
- 2 eggs, reserve 1 for making egg wash
- 3 Cups All-purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Milk
- 2¼ Teaspoons Yeast
- ⅓ Cup Butter, melted
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- Warm Water, about ½ - ¾ Cups
- For the Filling:
- 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
- 3 ounces Shredded Italian 5-Cheese Blend (or any good cheese you like)
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley, finely chopped
- Sesame seeds for topping the pastries
- First, melt the butter and allow to cool down.
- Place the cream cheese in a bowl to soften to room temperature.
- Next, combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the center
- Then pour in the cooled melted butter, egg, yeast and milk and use your hand to stir it around. I used my Danish Dough Hook.
- Slowly, add in the warm water just until the dough is no longer sticky. It should have the feel of your earlobe.
- Meanwhile, cover the dough with a towel and let rest.
- Next, grate the Gruyère and place in the bowl with the cream cheese.
- Then add in the Italian 5-Cheese Blend and the parsley.
- Mix well.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Next, line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
- Pour some sesame seeds on a small plate.
- Take enough dough to make a one-inch ball and flatten it out in your hand.
- Then place about a teaspoon of filling in the center and form into a ball.
- Next, roll the ball in the egg. Let the excess egg drip off. Then roll the ball in the sesame seeds.
- Place the balls seam-side down on the baking sheet.
- Continue with the rest of the dough placing the balls 1 inch apart.
- Finally, bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.