Khachapuri

Khachapuri is Georgia's most iconic dish — a cheese-filled bread that appears at every table from family suppers to roadside bakeries. The Adjaruli style, shaped like a boat with a raw egg cracked in at the end, is the most dramatic and beloved version. Georgia's dairy culture is ancient, and the salty, stretchy sulguni cheese that fills this bread is a cornerstone of the national cuisine.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g (4 cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g (2 tsp) instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 300ml (1¼ cups) warm water
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 400g (14 oz) sulguni or low-moisture mozzarella, grated
• 200g (7 oz) feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add warm water and oil, mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 1 hour until doubled.
2. Mix sulguni and feta together in a bowl. Taste — it should be pleasantly salty.
3. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F) with a baking stone or heavy baking sheet inside.
4. Divide dough into 4 portions. On a floured surface, roll each into an oval roughly 30×20 cm (12×8 in). Mound a quarter of the cheese filling down the centre, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) border on the long sides.
5. Roll the long edges of the dough up over the cheese and pinch the ends together tightly to form a boat shape. Twist the ends to seal and curl them upward.
6. Transfer to the hot baking sheet. Bake 12–14 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling.
7. Remove from oven, make a well in the centre of the cheese, and crack one egg into each boat. Return to oven for 3–4 minutes until the white is just set but the yolk is still runny.
8. Immediately add a knob of butter to each boat. Serve at once — diners stir the egg and butter into the hot cheese and tear pieces of crust to dip.

Cook's Notes: Sulguni can be found in Eastern European delis; a 50/50 mix of mozzarella and feta is an excellent substitute. Eat immediately — khachapuri waits for no one.