Hailing from the beautiful country of Georgia, this traditional dish has captured the hearts and palates of food enthusiasts around the globe. With its golden crust, generous cheese filling, and perfectly cooked egg.
Preparing the dough:
In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm water and milk, sugar, and dry yeast. Stir gently and let it sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy, this means your yeast is live, you good to go.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture and vegetable oil. Mix until a dough starts to form.
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Shape it into a ball.
Place the dough back into the mixing bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Allow it to rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours until it doubles in size.
Meanwhile prepare the cheese filling:
In a big mixing bowl place grated cheese, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, crumbled feta cheese and cottage cheese or ricotta cheese also add melted butter or thickened cream. start to mix well, to becomes a smooth mixture. Add 1 egg white. Egg yolk leave for egg washing the Khachapuri.
Test the cheese filling, if not salty enough, add salt to the taste.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line baking tray with the baking paper.
Punch down the dough to release any air bubbles. Divide it into 2 equal portions. Take one portion and roll it into an oval shape, approximately 10 inches(25cm) long and 6 inches(15cm) wide.
Start forming the boats on the parchment paper, for the easier transfer to the oven.
Fill of the dough boat with approximately ½ amount of cheese mixture.
Fold the longer sides of the dough towards the centre, leaving about a 2-inch (5cm) space in the middle.
Pinch and fold the edges of the dough to create a boat-like shape with raised edges, ensuring that the middle section remains open.
Leave the khachapuri boats on the table for 15 minutes for the rising.
Brush the edges of the dough with egg yolk for a golden finish.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Place the khachapuri boats on a baking tray and bake them in the preheated oven for about 9-12 minutes until the crust turns golden and the cheese is melted.
Remove the khachapuri from the oven and create a small well in the centre of boat for the egg.
Crack an egg into the well of each khachapuri boat.
Return to the oven for about 2-3 minutes for the eggs whites to settle a bit , not too runny. But the yolk should stay runny, for the silky consistancy.
Remove the khachapuri from the oven and let them cool slightly.
Serve immediately with the piece of butter, brush sides of the khachapuri with the butter.
Enjoy this delightful Georgian dish!
2 servings
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.