Khachapuri Adjarian (Georgian Cheese Bread Boat)

About This Recipe

Adjarian khachapuri (აჭარული ხაჭაპური) is Georgia's most photographed dish and one of the most original baked dishes in the world. The bread is shaped like a boat (the Adjarian region borders the Black Sea — the shape references fishing boats). The interior is filled with a generous amount of sulguni cheese — Georgia's salty, slightly elastic pulled-curd cheese — which melts into a thick, bubbling pool. Just before serving, a raw egg is cracked into the centre and a large knob of butter is added. The egg sets very slightly in the residual heat. Eating is communal and specific: you break the curved tip of the bread into strips and use them to stir the egg into the melted cheese, then scoop and eat.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 300 gplain flour(plus extra for dusting)
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 180 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 400 gsulguni cheese(grated, or substitute mozzarella + feta 3:1)
• 2eggs(one per khachapuri)
• 2 tbspbutter(one generous knob per khachapuri)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make dough

   Mix flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add water and oil. Knead 8 min until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 1 hour until doubled.

2. 2

   Prepare cheese filling

   If using sulguni, grate it. If substituting, mix grated mozzarella and crumbled feta 3:1 — the blend approximates sulguni's salty-milky character.

3. 3

   Shape the boats

   Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each into an oval about 30cm long. Place on a baking sheet. Pile half the cheese in the centre of each, leaving a 4cm border. Roll the long edges inward over themselves to form raised sides, pinching the ends together to form pointed boat prows.

   The walls must be thick enough to hold the cheese — press them firmly and pinch the ends tightly.

4. 4

   Bake

   Preheat oven to 230°C (as hot as possible). Bake 12–14 min until the bread is golden and the cheese is fully melted and bubbling. The cheese should be liquid, not set.

5. 5

   Add egg and butter

   Remove from oven. Quickly crack one egg into the centre of each khachapuri. Add a large knob of butter. Return to oven for exactly 2 min — the white should be barely set while the yolk remains completely runny.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve immediately at the table. Break the curved tip of the bread into strips and stir the egg, butter and cheese together in the boat. Scoop and eat with the bread strips.

Variations

• •

  Imeruli khachapuri: a round, fully enclosed cheese bread (no egg) — the simpler everyday version

• •

  Megruli khachapuri: round like Imeruli but with extra cheese on top

• •

  Vegetable filling: spinach and cheese for a lighter version

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Khachapuri must be eaten immediately — it cannot be stored or reheated successfully.

Frequently Asked Questions