Adjaruli Khachapuri

The story

Adjaruli Khachapuri is a Georgian main with a clear sense of place. Adjaruli khachapuri comes from Adjara on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Its open boat form distinguishes it from enclosed Imeretian and other regional cheese breads. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white flour
• 7 g instant yeast
• 8 g caster sugar
• 9 g fine salt
• 300 ml warm water
• 20 ml olive or sunflower oil
• 350 g low-moisture mozzarellagrated
• 200 g fetacrumbled
• 4 piece eggs
• 40 g butter

Method

1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt

   Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and oil, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rise for about 1 hour until noticeably expanded.

   Look for: smooth and elastic Tip: Use a blend of mozzarella for stretch and feta for salt if sulguni and Imeretian cheese are unavailable. Avoid: Too-wet cheese floods the dough; a weakly heated oven gives a pale base; baking the egg too long removes the defining runny centre.

2. Mix mozzarella and feta

   Mix mozzarella and feta. Heat the oven with a heavy baking tray or pizza stone to 240°C so the base receives strong heat as soon as it goes in.

3. Divide the dough into four

   Divide the dough into four. Roll each into an oval about 25 cm long. Roll the long edges inward to make raised sides and pinch the ends tightly together to create a boat.

4. Fill each boat generously with cheese, keeping

   Fill each boat generously with cheese, keeping a shallow hollow along the centre. Transfer to baking paper and slide onto the hot tray or stone.

5. Bake 10–12 minutes until the crust is

   Bake 10–12 minutes until the crust is browned and the cheese bubbles. Make a small well in each centre, add an egg and return to the oven for only 2–3 minutes so the white barely sets while the yolk stays runny.

   Look for: the crust is browned and the cheese bubbles

6. Add a knob of butter to each

   Add a knob of butter to each hot bread. At the table, stir the egg and butter into the cheese, then tear pieces from the crust and dip them into the molten centre.

   Look for: The bread is browned underneath, sides are puffed, cheese is bubbling and the yolk remains liquid enough to stir.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.