Please take our survey! Click here
Please enter the email you’re using for this account.
Dairy
Medium
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
Diets 
A Khachapuri is a Georgian “pizza.” Literally defined as “cheese bread,” there are different shapes and traditions throughout the regions of Georgia. This version (from the Adjar region) is famous for its iconic boat-like shape and egg in the center. The egg and butter added at the end are whipped into the filling, creating a rich, creamy emulsified “fondue” into which you can tear off and dip pieces of the soft, tender crust. Not for the faint-hearted…share with a friend! Yields: 2 Khachapuri (4 servings)
3/4 cup milk, warmed (not boiling)
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 and 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg beaten, for brushing
8 ounces shredded mozzarella (about 2 cups)
5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup cottage cheese
3 eggs, divided
2 to 4 tablespoons room-temperature butter, divided
Make dough: Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warmed milk; stir to dissolve. Set aside to proof for five to 10 minutes – mixture will become bubbly and foamy.
Combine: Meanwhile, place two cups flour and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in stand mixer with dough hook). Whisk to blend; then make a well in the center, pushing flour against sides of bowl. Add proofed yeast mixture and butter to the well. Mix flour slowly until a dough forms and comes away from sides of bowl.
Knead until dough is a soft and elastic pliable ball, adding in remaining quarter cup flour as needed if dough is too sticky. Cover bowl with a towel and allow to rise until dough is doubled in bulk, about an hour.
Filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine mozzarella, feta, cottage cheese, and one egg in a mixing bowl; stir together until well mixed. Set aside.
Shape: Divide dough in half. Place one half of dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out into an oblong shape about a quarter inch thick. Mound half the cheese mixture in the middle of the dough, pressing and spreading into an even layer, leaving a border of plain dough.
Fold in the long sides of dough to slightly cover the cheese on each side. Twist and seal the ends together on each side to form a boat shape. Brush outer edges of dough with egg wash. Slide parchment onto a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and cheese.
Bake: Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until dough is lightly browned. Remove from oven; using the back of a spoon, make an indentation in the center of the cheese. Crack two eggs into two separate glasses and pour each one into each indentation. Return to oven; bake for an additional five minutes or until egg is half-way set but still runny.
Remove from oven and add one to two tablespoons butter to the cheesy center of the khachapuri. Serve immediately.
To eat: Use a fork to beat up the egg and butter into the cheese filling. Tear off pieces of the bread’s crust and dip into the cheesy center.
From The Giving Table by Naomi Ross. Reprinted with permission from Menucha Publishers. Photography by Baila Gluck.
How Would You
Rate this recipe?
Please log in to rate
Can this be reheated?
Naomi suggests this is best served fresh from the oven.