Adjaruli (Acharuli) Khachapuri is a traditional Georgian (the country, that is), canoe-shaped bread filled with a generous amount of cheese and topped with an egg.

If you like cheese (and who doesn’t like cheese?) and bread (ditto regarding bread), then you’ll be sure to love khachapuri. Really, what’s not to like (carbs and fat)? Khachapuri is best enjoyed straight from the oven when the cheese is piping hot, bubbling, and oozy. The egg and cheese (along with butter, if you like) are stirred together to form a most decadent and delicious combination. Just slice off a piece of bread, scoop up some cheese and egg mixture and enjoy. Fair warning, khachapuri may induce a food coma, but totally worth it. Perhaps best to share with a friend.

In Georgia, Acharuli Khachapuri is filled with a local cow’s milk cheese called sulguni, a fairly salty, sour-flavored cheese that is good for melting and imeruli cheese, a fresh salted cow’s milk cheese that’s crumbly and also melts well. In place of these cheeses, substitute with a combination of feta cheese (to impart those sour notes) and mozzarella (for its good melting properties) or, perhaps, experiment with other cheeses as you desire. I’ve made a version with feta and taleggio that was over the top. Though, you could easily experiment with other combinations of cheese. Add herbs or even chopped spinach. There are many possibilities.

Shaping the khachapuri…

Ready for the oven…

Add an egg and then return to the oven…

Swirl the cheese with the egg and butter. Dip in some bread. Divine!

Khachapuri: Georgian Cheese Bread

Makes 2 khachapuri

Acharuli Khachapuri is a Georgian bread stuffed with cheese and baked in the oven until molten and sizzling hot. An egg yolk is added during the last minutes of cooking and the whole delicious mess is topped with a pat of butter. When the cheese, yolk and the butter are swirled together, it’s nothing short of heavenly decadence.

Dough
1 ¾ cup bread flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup water, room temperature
¼ cup milk, warmed slightly
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
1 egg for egg wash

Filling
2 cups sulguni or mozzarella, freshly grated, plus extra for topping each khachapuri
8 ounces feta, crumbled
1 whole egg
Splash of brine from feta or milk
2 egg yolks, plus little bit of the whites

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Red pepper flakes

For the dough:

Preheat the oven 500F with a pizza stone/steel or baking sheet, the latter turned upside down. Heat for at least 1 hour.

Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the middle. Add the water, milk and olive oil. Use a spatula or spoon to work the flour into the liquid. Continue until it forms a shaggy ball.

Lightly flour your work surface. Knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic or cloth and place in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Punch down and divide the dough in half. Form into rounds. Keep covered and let rest for 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:
Combine the cheeses and whole egg. Add a splash of feta brine or milk so that the cheese just forms a paste.

Forming the khachapuri:

On a piece of lightly floured parchment paper, roll one piece of dough into a 10” to 12” oval about 1⁄8” thick. It doesn’t need to be exact. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a 1⁄2” border all the way around. Roll one of the long sides of the dough toward the center so it overlaps with the cheese a bit. Repeat on the opposite side. Pinch the two narrow ends of the rolls together and twist twice to seal, making a boat shape. Top with a generous handful of grated sulguni or mozzarella. Brush the dough with egg wash.

With a pizza peel, transfer the bread to the hot stone. Cook until the cheese mixture is hot and bubbly and the dough golden brown, about 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, make a small well for the egg yolk. Pour the egg yolk with a little bit of the egg white into the well. Place back into the oven and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.

Remove from the oven and add a tablespoon of butter. While still hot, take a fork and swirl the cheese, yolk and butter together. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Tear off a piece of bread and scoop up some of the molten cheese. Repeat with the other half of dough.