Prepare an area to work on. I use paper to turn the dough out onto, and to divide the dough up. A second piece of paper I dust with flour and use to place the divided dough while I work on one at a time. Even in a short time, the dough will have increased in size - see comparison Photo 4 below.
Your next step is to 'knock the dough back'. See Photo 5 below, where I have used my knuckles to punch the dough, all over the surface, making it deflate. This helps the yeast to activate again on the second prove and on baking. Not doing this, can be a possible reason for rolls/breads that don't rise enough once baked.
Release the dough onto the floured paper, using your hands or a scraper to help you. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and on your hands, before forming into a ball or rectangular shape, so you can cut in half as evenly as possible. Place one half of the dough back in the bowl, and form the second half of dough into a ball then flatten by hand into a circle. Use a floured knife and divide the dough into 6 pieces like a pizza. (See Photo 6 below). Place these on the second piece of floured paper, and repeat with the rest of the dough till you have 12 pieces. If you want to weigh 12 pieces of dough instead, you are looking for a weight of about 102g/3½ oz each).
Take one ball of dough and place on the floured paper, and open out the dough simply by patting it flat with your hand, until about hand width (in my case about 5”/13cm- see Photo 7 below). Then, thin the edges of the dough with your fingertip. (We will join these edges so want thinner than the dough in the centre. See Photo 7).
Add a heaped tbsp worth of white cheese mixture to the centre of the dough. For cheddar cheese I found squeezing the grated/shredded cheese & onion together by hand, and forming into an oval shape keeps it in the centre better (photo in the notes section). Next take 2 opposite ends of the dough and fold together, pinching them closed. Repeat until all 'ends' have been pulled and closed together. (See Photos 8 & 9 below). The dough will be soft making squeezing/pinching it together easier.
Next, turn the roll over, place on one palm and use the opposite hand to 'cup' the ball of dough. Then move this cupped hand in circular motions, rolling the ball of dough. This will help flatten the bottom together a bit more, as well as rounding the roll, making it less flat looking. You can also try doing this on a very lightly floured surface. See Photo 9 below.
Place the rolled pogaca on the prepared baking pan/tray before brushing with the egg-wash (the left-over egg yolks and milk). Be sure to brush all the way down the sides of the roll, before adding any seeds on top. Repeat with the rest of your 11 balls of dough, placing on the prepared baking sheets/trays, leaving at least 1"/2.5cm gap in-between each roll. See Photo 10 with different ways to top.