Khachapuri Adjaruli (Georgian Cheese Boats with Egg)
Also called Adjarian khachapuri, adjaruli khachapuri, acharuli khachapuri, cheese boat, Georgian cheese bread
Boat-shaped breads filled with molten cheese, topped with a raw egg yolk and a knob of butter that you stir in at the table.
- Makes
- 2 large boats
Ingredients
Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.
Dough
Filling
To finish
Method
Dough
Mix the bread flour (300 g2½ cups), instant yeast (3 g1 tsp), sugar (4 g1 tsp) and table salt (6 g1 tsp), then add the whole milk (180 ml¾ cup) and neutral oil (27 g2 tbsp). Knead 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Shape and bake
Heat the oven as hot as it goes, 500°F (260°C), with a baking steel, stone or heavy sheet pan on the middle rack.
Filling. Mix the low-moisture mozzarella (200 g), feta (200 g), egg (1) and enough of the milk (180 ml¾ cup) to make a soft, spreadable mixture.
Shape. Divide the dough in two and roll each into an oval about 12 × 8 inches (30 × 20 cm) on a floured sheet of parchment. Roll the long sides in toward the middle, leaving a 3-inch (8 cm) gap, then twist and pinch the ends together to make a boat. Pull the sides out a little to widen the middle.
Spoon the filling into the boats, brush the dough with beaten egg and slide them, on the parchment, onto the hot steel.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Finish. Make a well in the cheese with a spoon, drop an egg yolk into each and bake 1 to 2 minutes more, just until the edge of the yolk sets. Top each with a piece of the cold butter (30 g2 tbsp) and serve at once.
To eat, stir the yolk and butter into the hot cheese, then tear off the ends of the crust and dip them in.
Notes
- The cheese. In Georgia it's sulguni and imeruli. Mozzarella and feta are the usual stand-ins; a little ricotta makes it creamier.
- The yolk should stay runny, so it cooks as you stir it into the cheese. Add it at the very end.