For me, “dry January” meant no sugar, which meant no baking my usual desserts, which meant it was high time for me to make this scrumptious looking Georgian dish: Khachapuri Adjaruli. Basically, it's a giant cheese bread boat.
Bread? Cheese? Boat? What’s not to love!
What to expect:
A gooey blend of three cheeses that you scoop up with a fingerful of pizza-esque dough. The flavors are very rich and heavy but leave you wanting more with every bite. The egg in the center adds an alternative texture and flavor that complements the cheese quite nicely—I’ve never encountered anything like this flavor combo in American cuisine and highly recommend you try it. Your taste buds will thank you. My family said it reminded them of a calzone, but you be the judge!
If it’s any indicator of how delicious this treat was, the bread boat took me four tries and almost an hour to (successfully) make, but it vanished in about 10 minutes. Sounds cheesy, but the bread boat was totally worth the wait.
What I changed:
I try not to eat raw egg, but the recipe called for an egg to be added in after the rest of the cooking had concluded. I had watched a number of videos on how to make Khachapuri before attempting to make it, since the recipe was so unfamiliar to me. (I also highly recommend watching videos for learning how to roll the dough.) Unlike this recipe, others instructed carving a little circle in the center of the cheese, plopping the egg in and then putting it back in the oven for another five minutes while it cooks. I decided this version sounded more up my alley, so when I brushed the butter onto the mostly-cooked dough, I also completed this step.
After multiple mishaps with making the dough, I opted for store-bought dough. Do what ya knead to do!
I kept seeing photos of this Georgian delicacy all over social media and decided I had to try it for myself. It definitely met the hype. Give it a whirl and don’t miss the (bread) boat!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE HANDMADE DOUGH (OPTIONAL):
- 1 ¾ cups/225 grams all-purpose or bread flour
- ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
FOR ASSEMBLY:
- 12 ounces store-bought pizza dough, or homemade pizza dough completed through Step 2
- 1 cup/100 grams shredded whole milk, low-moisture mozzarella (not fresh mozzarella)
- ⅓ cup/40 grams goat cheese, finely crumbled
- ⅓ cup/40 grams drained, finely crumbled brined feta (not low-fat or light)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons cold butter for serving (optional)
- 1 egg yolk from 1 large egg (optional)
PREPARATION
- Make the dough (but if you're using store-bought, proceed to Step 2): In a small saucepan over low, heat 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 milliliters water until hot but not simmering. Turn off heat. In a large bowl, with your hands or a wooden spoon, stir together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Check the temperature of reserved, warmed water; it should be warm to the touch, between 105 and 110 degrees. Add it to the flour mixture and, with your hands, knead mixture into a smooth dough, about 5 minutes.
- Pour olive oil into a medium bowl. Holding dough with one hand, use it to coat the inside of the bowl with the oil. Set the dough in the bowl, oiled portion facing up. Cover bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees (or 425, if using a convection oven). Line a half sheet tray with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, stretch and roll dough into a circle, 1/4-inch thick, 10 to 12 inches across. Brush off excess flour, then lay the dough on the sheet tray. Using your fingers, roll, press and pinch two opposite sides of the circle a few inches into the center, building sides up, then press and pinch the narrow ends together to form two points. Continue to pinch and press the sides to create a raised rim and form the dough into an oval boat with an eye-like shape. Let rest in a warm place while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, goat cheese and feta with 3 tablespoons water. Stir with a fork until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Scrape the cheese mixture into the center of the dough boat, spreading it into an even layer.
- Bake khachapuri until the crust begins to brown and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, leaving oven on. Brush sides of khachapuri generously with melted butter. Return khachapuri to the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the crust is extra crisp and the cheese just starts to brown around the edges.
- Using a spoon, make a shallow, 2-inch-wide well in the center of the cheese. Add the egg yolk and cold butter (if using), and serve immediately. To serve, hold down one pointed end of the hot khachapuri with a fork; using another fork, quickly stir the egg and butter (if using) into the cheese mixture until it’s smooth and stretchy. Rip pieces of the bread boat off to dip in the cheese while it’s still hot.
