Khachapuri: Georgia's Legendary Cheese Bread

What Is Khachapuri?

Khachapuri (ხაჭაპური) is Georgia's national dish – a cheese-filled bread that comes in several regional styles. The most famous, Adjaruli (from the Adjara region), is boat-shaped with a molten cheese filling, topped with a raw egg and butter that you stir together at the table.

It's not pizza, but it occupies the same space in Georgian culture: communal, comforting, and endlessly debated.

The Dough

Khachapuri dough is enriched and tender:

• ✕ 55–60% hydration (using a mix of milk and water, or all milk)
• ✕ Yogurt or matsoni (2–3 tablespoons) – traditional Georgian tang
• ✕ Egg (1 whole) – enriches the crumb
• ✕ Butter or oil (1–2 tablespoons)
• ✕ A pinch of sugar
• ✕ The result should be soft, smooth, and slightly pillowy

The Cheese Filling

Traditional Georgian filling uses:

• ✕ Imeruli cheese (or substitute: 70% mozzarella + 30% feta)
• ✕ Sulguni cheese (or substitute: low-moisture mozzarella)
• ✕ The cheese should be grated or crumbled and mixed, sometimes with an egg to bind

Shaping: The Adjaruli Boat

Roll dough into an oval, about 30×20cm

Place cheese filling in the center

Roll both long sides inward over the filling

Twist and pinch the two ends to form a boat with pointed tips

Open the center to expose the cheese

The walls should be thick enough to hold the molten filling

Baking

• ✕ Oven: 220–250°C for 12–15 minutes until the bread is golden and cheese is bubbling
• ✕ The finale: Remove from oven, make a well in the center of the melted cheese
• ✕ Crack a raw egg into the well
• ✕ Add a knob of butter next to the egg
• ✕ Return to oven for 1–2 minutes (the egg should be barely set)
• ✕ At the table, stir the egg and butter into the molten cheese

Other Khachapuri Styles

• ✕ Imeruli: Round, completely enclosed, like a cheese-stuffed disc
• ✕ Megruli: Like Imeruli but with extra cheese melted on top
• ✕ Penovani: Made with puff pastry dough, triangular
• ✕ Achma: Layered like lasagna with buttered dough sheets and cheese