Georgian Cheese Bread (Adjaruli Khachapuri)
This traditional Georgian cheese and egg bread is best eaten hot. Use a spoon to stir the yolk and butter into the molten cheese, then tear off a piece of fluffy crust to dunk into the cheesy well. Georgians typically make this savory pastry with a mixture of imeruli and sulguni cheese. We find that a blend of low moisture mozzarella and strong, tart feta gets you very close to the traditional version.
Servings Prep Time
6people 3.5Hours
Cook Time
20Minutes
Servings Prep Time
6people 3.5Hours
Cook Time
20Minutes
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
To proof the yeast
Instructions
Preparing the dough
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast with 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of warm water, sugar and let it sit for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.
  2. In a bowl of Kitchen Aid add 1 cup of water, milk and mix with a whisk attachment. In the same bowl, add 4½ cups of flour, salt, yeast mixture and egg and mix the dough on the 1st speed until well combined.
  3. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 minutes.
  4. Turn on a second speed and mix the dough until it no longer sticks to the walls of the bowl.
  5. Lightly brush a bowl with a vegetable oil and place the dough to rise for 1.5 – 2 hours.
  6. After the dough has increased in size, remove it from the bowl, lightly oil your hands and on the lightly floured surface knead the dough a few times.
  7. Put the dough back into the bowl and leave it in a warm place until triples in size (about 1 – 1.30 hours).
  8. After the dough has tripled in size, divide it into 3 or 6 even pieces. Cover with a towel and leave it on a lightly floured working surface while you prepare the filling.
For the filling
  1. In a medium bowl combine Mozzarella, Feta and water. Mix well.
For assembling
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a piece of dough (1 out of 6 pieces) into a circle about 11-13 inches in diameter. Spread a thin layer of cheese mixture on Khachapuri leaving about 1 inch of space around the edges. (See the notes)
  3. Roll 2 opposite sides of Khachapuri towards the center and tightly pinch the corners.
  4. Add more cheese mixture in the center of Khachapuri so that it was fully stuffed with cheese.
  5. Transfer Khachapuri onto a parchment lined baking dish.
  6. Continue the process with the remaining pieces of the dough.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until edges became golden brown.
  8. Remove Khachapuri from the oven and with a back of a spoon make an indentation in a center of each flatbread.
  9. Carefully beat the egg and drop it into a well. Continue baking for another 5 minutes until egg white is no longer translucent but yolk is still runny.
  10. Remove from the oven, lightly brush the edges of Khachapuri with melted butter and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
  11. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

In my step-by-step photos, I added cheese only in the center of Khachapuri. While it was delicious, we felt that the more cheese the merrier. Therefore, in the instructions I recommend you spreading a cheese mixture all over Khachapuri, not just in the center.

Recipe is adapted from http://www.lavenderandmacarons.com/appetizers/khachapuri-georgian-flatbread/