Boat-shaped bread filled with melted cheese, topped with butter and a runny egg yolk — the viral cheese bread of Georgia.
Adjaruli khachapuri — named for the Adjara region on Georgia's Black Sea coast — is the country's most photographed dish. A boat-shaped yeasted dough is filled with a salty mix of sulguni and imeruli cheeses, baked until bubbling, then topped at the table with a knob of butter and a raw egg yolk. The diner stirs the egg through the molten cheese with a fork before tearing pieces of bread to scoop. It's an experience as much as a dish.
Serves 4
Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt in a bowl. Add warm milk, egg and oil. Knead 10 min until smooth and elastic. Cover and rise 1 hour until doubled.
Combine mozzarella, feta and 1 tbsp milk in a bowl. Mix well — should be slightly tacky, not dry.
Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each into an oval 25cm long. Roll the long edges inward toward the centre, twisting the ends to form pointed boat shapes. Press the bottoms of the points to seal.
Place boats on lined baking trays. Fill the well of each with a quarter of the cheese mixture. Brush exposed dough with egg wash.
Bake at 230°C/450°F for 14 minutes. Cheese should be bubbling, dough deep golden.
Remove. Make a small hole in the centre of the cheese. Crack a yolk into each hole. Place a butter cube on top.
Return to oven for 1 minute — yolk should still be runny. Serve immediately.
At the table, mix yolk and butter through hot cheese with a fork. Tear pieces of crust to scoop.
The dough must be enriched (with egg and milk) for proper soft, pliable boats — not pizza dough.
Crack the yolk LAST, just 1 minute in the oven, so it stays runny.
Imeruli khachapuri (round) — flatten dough into a disc, seal cheese inside, slash the top, bake 18 min
Mingrelian khachapuri: top the closed disc with extra cheese before baking
Penovani: make with puff pastry instead for a flaky version
Best fresh. Reheat in oven 180°C for 5 min — never microwave.
Khachapuri varies dramatically across Georgia's regions, but the boat-shaped Adjaruli version emerged from the Black Sea coastal town of Batumi in the early 20th century. Local lore says fishermen's wives shaped them like boats and added a yolk like a setting sun, to welcome husbands home from sea.
Sulguni and imeruli are hard to find outside Georgia. Mozzarella + feta is the closest match: stretchy + salty.
Yes — freeze on a tray pre-bake. Bake from frozen, +5 min cooking time.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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