A recipe from Gemo
Adjarian Khachapuri
A classic Adjara-style Georgian cheese bread shaped like a boat, baked until the crust is golden and the cheese is molten, then finished with an egg and a pat of butter. Serve it very hot so the yolk and butter can be stirred into the cheese before tearing the bread edges for dipping.
Method
- 01
Make the dough. Stir 280 ml warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 7 g yeast together and let stand until foamy. Add 500 g flour, 1.5 teaspoons salt, and 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, then knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and still slightly tacky. Put it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled.
⏱ 75 min
- 02
Prepare the cheese filling while the dough rises. Crumble 550 g Imeruli cheese and grate 250 g sulguni, then mix them together. The filling should be moist enough to mound softly; stir in up to 50 ml milk only if the cheese is dry or crumbly. Taste before adding any extra salt.
- 03
Heat the oven to 230 C with a heavy baking tray or stone inside. Punch down the risen dough, divide it into 4 equal pieces, shape each into a ball, cover loosely, and rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the dough rolls without shrinking.
⏱ 15 min
- 04
Shape the boats one at a time on lightly floured parchment. Roll one dough ball into an oval about 22 to 24 cm long. Scatter a little cheese near both long edges, roll the edges inward toward the center, and pinch the two ends firmly to make a pointed boat shape.
- 05
Fill the open center of each boat generously with the remaining cheese mixture, pressing it down lightly but keeping the raised bread rim visible. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, then let the shaped khachapuri stand while the oven finishes heating.
⏱ 10 min
- 06
Slide the khachapuri with their parchment onto the hot tray or stone. Bake at 230 C until the dough is puffed and golden at the edges and the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
⏱ 13 min
- 07
Remove the tray carefully, make a small hollow in the molten cheese of each boat, and crack in one egg. Return to the 230 C oven just until the whites are barely set and the yolks are still soft.
⏱ 3 min
- 08
Add about 15 g butter to the center of each hot khachapuri and serve immediately. At the table, stir the butter and soft egg into the bubbling cheese, then tear pieces from the bread rim and dip them into the molten center.
Nutrition
