Adjaruli Khachapuri - Georgian Flatbread

Adjaruli Khachapuri is a traditional Georgian cheesy flatbread and is usually topped with an egg and butter. It is so savory and delicious straight from the oven. Finally a bread you don't have to let cool completely before eating! Even though it might look complicated, it is very easy to make. I will definitely be baking this again.


There are many regional varieties of Khachapuri in Georgia, this one being from Adzharian, a southwestern provence of the country. All of the versions are filled with cheese, meat, or beans, and this one is also topped with an egg. "Where's the egg?" you ask! It's included in the instructions below, but I omitted it because we could not eat it all in one sitting, and didn't think leftover runny egg would work. I'm planning on making these again with the eggs on top.

I also skipped the feta cheese called for in the original recipe and used Muenster and mozzarella. The combination was delicious. Hopefully, the Georgian bread police won't come after me!

I sprinkled mine with crushed red pepper when it emerged from the oven and devoured it. Crazy good.

Adjaruli Khachapuri is the Bread Baking Babes' January bread, introduced to us by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. If you'd like to be featured in a round up post, see Aparna's post for instructions. You don't even have to have a blog.

After the recipe, there are link ups to the other Babes' posts about this bread. Because we Babes like to tinker with the recipe of the month, you should really visit the rest of the posts to see the variations.

Adjaruli Khachapuri

Makes 2 Khachapuri. Adapted from My Diverse Kitchen, adapted from Saveur (where you can see it with the egg and butter)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup warm milk

1 tbsp olive oil

3 ounces shredded Muenster cheese

3 ounces crumbled mozzarella cheese 

2 eggs (or toppings of your choice, I used sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced jalapeño, and a mixture of herbs, dried garlic, and dried onion)

4 tbsp butter, if you use the egg
Crushed red pepper, optional

Instructions

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Add the milk and olive oil and stir together by hand with the dough hook or large spoon. 
3. Knead with the mixer (can also be kneaded by hand) until smooth and tacky, but not too sticky. 
4. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, one to two hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a baking stone, if you have one. 
6. Divide the dough in half, and roll each out on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a 10 inch circle. 
7. Tightly roll the sides toward the middle so that you have about a 3 inch well in the middle. Bring the top and bottom together to form a "boat" as in the photo. You may need to moisten the dough as you roll it so it won't unroll in the oven. Dock the center well of the dough with a fork several times (I forgot this step and it didn't unroll). 
8. Fill both "boats" with cheeses. Add your toppings if you are using them. Do not add the egg yet.
9. Place the breads, parchment included, on the baking stone or on a sheet pan.
10. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. 
11. Add the raw egg on top and bake for three to four more minutes, until the egg has set. 
12. Remove from the oven and add two tablespoons of butter to the top of each bread. 
13. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper (optional) and serve hot or warm.