Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: 4 servings
Take a trip to gorgeous Georgia (the country) with this recipe for their signature cheesy bread, Khachapuri! This dish is kind of like pizza’s cooler cousin, imagine a boat-shaped pizza-style dough that’s filled to the brim with three different kinds of cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, and crumbled feta), baked to the magic melty moment, then topped with a liquid golden egg yolk and hey, why not? How about some rich, glistening melty butter? Yes please! It’s a decadent delight sure to enchant anyone and everyone looking for a taste of Eastern Europe.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 3 cups (710 mL) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
- 1 cup (240 mL) milk, lukewarm
- ½ cup (120 mL) water, lukewarm
For the filling:
- 1 cup shredded firm mozzarella
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1 cup ricotta
- 4 egg yolks (reserve 1 egg white)
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
Method:
For the dough:
Add flour, salt, yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and mix on low speed for about 1 minute to combine. Add the oil, milk, and water and continue mixing for about five minutes. Form into a ball, brush with a bit more oil, transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 500 F (260 C).
For the filling:
Combine the mozzarella, feta, and ricotta in a bowl, mix well. Add the egg white, mix again. Cut the dough into 4 balls.
Shape each ball of dough into an oval, transfer to a piece of parchment paper.
Arrange one quarter of the cheese mixture down the middle of the oval, leaving a 2-inch (5 cm) gap around the edge.
Roll the dough over from each side to create a cheese-filled rim, twist-pinching the ends to make a boat shape. Remove the rough ends to make a neater presentation. Repeat process with the remaining balls of dough.
Place the baking paper with the khachapuris onto a pan, transfer to the middle of the oven, and bake 4 minutes, until bubbly and brown. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F (150 C) and continue cooking for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven.
Make a well and place one egg yolk in the center of each khachapuri. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 2 more minutes to warm the yolk (or longer to cook through).
Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with butter before serving. Start eating by tearing off the tips to dip in the yolk-butter-cheese mixture at the middle.
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