Adjarian Khachapuri
Batumi, Georgia
Georgia's most dramatic cheese bread — a boat-shaped dough cradling molten sulguni and imeruli cheeses, topped with a raw egg and a pat of butter just before serving. The diner tears off the crusty ends and stirs the egg into the bubbling cheese. Originating from the Black Sea region of Adjara, it's a meal in itself and a centerpiece of Georgian hospitality.
Ingredients
- 500 gall-purpose flour
- 150 mlwarm water
- 100 mlwarm milk
- 7 gdry active yeast
- 300 gsulguni cheese (or mozzarella)
- 300 gimeruli cheese (or feta/ricotta mix)
- 5 pieceseggs (for topping + dough)
- 50 gunsalted butter
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspsugar
Directions
- 1
Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; gradually add warm water, milk, and a splash of oil to form a smooth dough. Let rise for 1.5 hours.
- 2
Grate the Sulguni and Imeruli cheeses together, mixing in one egg to bind the filling into a thick paste.
- 3
Divide the dough into balls; roll each into an oval and roll up the long sides toward the center, pinching the ends to form a boat shape.
- 4
Fill the center of the boat generously with the cheese mixture and brush the dough edges with egg wash.
- 5
Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden and cheese is bubbling.
- 6
Remove from oven, use a spoon to make a well in the cheese, and drop a raw egg yolk into the center.
- 7
Add a thick slice of butter and return to the oven for 1 minute (the yolk should remain runny). Serve hot to be mixed at the table.