Adjaruli Khachapuri

About this dish

Adjaruli khachapuri takes its name from Adjara, the subtropical region around Batumi, and its boat shape is a deliberate piece of engineering rather than decoration: the raised, twisted crust is there to hold the egg and butter once they're added at the very end, after the bread comes out of the oven, so they cook gently in the residual heat of the cheese instead of scrambling in an oven. Most of Georgia's many khachapuri styles are sealed pies; this one, from a fishing coast, is open on purpose, closer in spirit to a small boat carrying its cargo than to a stuffed loaf.

• Vegetarian
• Not vegan because of Sulguni cheese, Feta, Eggs, Unsalted butter
• Contains gluten because of Plain flour
• Contains dairy because of Sulguni cheese, Feta, Unsalted butter

• 450gPlain flour
• 220mlWater
• 7gDry yeast
• 8gCaster sugar
• 8gFine sea salt
• 20mlSunflower oil
• 350gSulguni cheese
• 150gFeta
• 4largeEggs
• 60gUnsalted butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the flour with the water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil and knead into a smooth, elastic dough for about 10 minutes.

   10 min

   Tip: The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not stiff — a firm dough won't stretch thin enough at the ends to shape the pointed boat tips without tearing.

2. 2

   Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 80 minutes.

   80 min

   Tip: Don't rush this with extra yeast or heat: a slow, full rise is what gives the crust an open, chewy crumb instead of a dense one once it's baked with all that cheese weighing it down.

3. 3

   Grate the sulguni and crumble the feta together into one filling.

   5 min

   Tip: Sulguni alone melts almost too readily and can turn oily under high heat; the drier, saltier feta holds its shape and keeps the filling from splitting in the oven.

4. 4

   Divide the dough in two, roll each piece into an oval, and pinch and roll the long edges inward to form two boat shapes with raised, twisted borders.

   10 min

   Tip: Pinch the two pointed ends firmly and give them a final twist — an unsealed tip is exactly where the melted cheese will leak out fastest in the oven.

5. 5

   Fill each boat generously with the cheese mixture and bake at the highest oven setting for about 12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling.

   15 min

   Tip: A very hot oven matters here: it sets the crust quickly while the thick layer of cheese inside is still working through, so the bread doesn't dry out waiting for the filling to catch up.

6. 6

   Straight from the oven, crack an egg into the well of melted cheese in the centre of each boat, add a knob of butter, and serve immediately for guests to stir together.

   2 min

   Tip: The residual heat of the cheese is what cooks the egg — do this the moment the bread leaves the oven, and stir at the table, not in the kitchen, so it arrives glossy rather than set.