Georgian
Adjarian Khachapuri
Georgian boat-shaped cheese bread finished with a barely set egg and melting butter.
4 servings · 40 minutes prep · 30 minutes cook
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm whole milk, 105°F to 110°F
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling and Finish
- 12 ounces imeruli cheese, coarsely grated, or 8 ounces whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella plus 4 ounces well-drained farmer cheese
- 8 ounces sulguni cheese, coarsely grated, or 6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella plus 2 ounces mild provolone
- 4 ounces feta, finely crumbled
- 1/4 cup whole milk, only as needed
- 4 large eggs; pasteurized if served with runny yolks
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Directions
Mix, Knead, and Proof the Dough
- Stir together the warm milk, yeast, and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, add the yeast mixture, egg, and melted butter, and mix into a shaggy dough.
- Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Place in a lightly buttered bowl, cover, and let rise at warm room temperature for 60 to 75 minutes, until nearly doubled.
Prepare the Cheese and Oven
- Mix the imeruli, sulguni, and feta. Squeeze a handful: it should clump loosely without releasing liquid. Mix in milk 1 tablespoon at a time only if the cheeses are dry and will not cohere. Divide into 4 portions.
- Place a baking steel on the upper-middle rack and preheat the oven to 500°F for at least 45 minutes. Cut four pieces of parchment just large enough to hold one khachapuri.
Shape, Fill, and Bake
- Deflate the dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into an oval about 11 inches long and 7 inches wide.
- Sprinkle a narrow line of cheese mixture along each long edge. Roll both edges inward around the cheese to form raised rims, then pinch and twist the ends firmly into points, creating a boat with a 5-inch-wide open center. Transfer to parchment and repeat.
- Fill each boat evenly with one portion of the remaining cheese mixture, spreading it to the rims without weighing down the sides. Slide two boats at a time onto the hot steel. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese bubbles in spots.
Add the Egg and Serve
- Crack one egg into a small bowl. Make a well in the cheese mixture and slide in the egg. For a runny yolk, use a pasteurized egg and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, until the white is barely opaque; with a standard egg, continue until the center reaches {{temperature:160°F}}. Repeat with the remaining eggs and boats.
- Immediately add 1 tablespoon butter to each boat. Serve piping hot; stir the egg and butter through the molten cheese mixture, then tear off pieces of crust and dip them into the center.
