Story
Parmak Çöreği ("finger bread") is an additive-free, skill-intensive pastry bread unique to Sorgun district in Yozgat. It is baked in a wood-fired stone oven, cooked purely by the oven's radiant heat rather than direct contact with flame. In addition to flour, water, salt, and commercial yeast, the dough incorporates a sourdough starter set aside from the previous day, which gives the bread its distinctive flavor and crisp crust. To prepare it, all ingredients are kneaded in a mixer for 30-40 minutes, then rested for about 30 minutes. The rested dough is divided into 320-gram portions, each split into four pieces that are elongated and joined together with oval-shaped ends to resemble fingers — hence the bread's name. The surface is brushed with a flour-water mixture to retain moisture, rested another 20 minutes, glazed with egg yolk and white, and baked at 220-230°C in the stone oven for 15-20 minutes over wood fire. Made by the same skilled hands in Sorgun for generations, parmak çöreği is one of the region's most beloved breakfast breads.