Khachapuri, a traditional Georgian cheese bread rich with history from the Caucasus region, is a decadent and delicious rich appetizer.
I’m going to be honest- of all the places on earth I dreamed of visiting, Tbilisi Georgia was NEVER at the top of my list.
I had nothing to go off of, but tbilisi was just never a place I had heard much about as a tourist destination- so when my brother-in-law announced he was going to hold his wedding in Georgia, I was a bit flummoxed.
Man, was I ever wrong.
Tbilisi, and the entire Georgian country, completely blew me away- and quickly topped my list of places I have ever travelled to and want to visit again and again.
Not only was Tbilisi rich in history,
(they are home to some of the oldest Christian churches like Sioni, above, and relics in areas generally considered safe for Americans to travel to) –
…but the food?
The food is really one of Tbilisi’s greatest offerings!
Rich, cheesy bread (khachapuri – both the pizza-shaped kind, and the kind formed into little boats and topped with pats of butter and a fresh egg) is one of the best known and most delicious Georgian staples!
Khachapuri is surprisingly easy to make. It starts with a simple leavened and risen pizza-like dough, and topped with a mixture of feta and muenster cheeses, to give a similar flavor to the fabulous suluguni cheese you’ll find in traditional Khachapuri.
Since we don’t have a cheese quite like the slightly sour, stretchy and salty suluguni, a bit of mixing does the trick nicely. The muenster has a bit of tanginess, but offers that perfect stretch you need for khachapuri- and a fresh, slightly grassy feta will help round out the flavor to be close if you can’t get something closer to the traditional aged farm cheese.
This recipe is all my husband’s handiwork- he loves to cook, and when he does, it is ALWAYS awesome!
The result is PERFECTION!
Trust me, this is one dish you NEED to sample now. And then immediately book tickets to taste the real thing!
Of course, Georgia has so much to offer besides Khachapuri (though really, I am not overstating how much I love this bread- I could travel across the world in an instant for some!!).
We booked a lot of our trip through Travelocity, and you can get up to 40% off with this link (I do get a small percentage of purchases made through this affiliate link:)
During our trip last year, we visited Sighnaghi– the gorgeous town that perches above Georgia’s magnificent valley that produces world-renowned wines:
Mtskheta– the old Capitol of Sakartvelo, start of Christianity in the Caucasus, and former head of the church- as well as the home of monasteries from 600AD that we were able to tour:
And, of course, we ate AMAZING food and got to enjoy the fabulous tradition of a Georgian Supra feast:
This recipe is a fantastic way to get a tiny glimpse at Georgian food at home- and is really so easy to make.
One note- Khachapuri is usually finished off with a pat of butter on each side, as well as a freshly cracked egg right on top as it’s pulled out of the oven. The white cooks and the butter melts, as the egg yolk creates a delectable sauce for the bread.
In these photos, my version doesn’t have the traditional raw egg on top, since we made them for our church Pascha potluck- and we couldn’t maintain a proper temperature for an uncooked egg yolk.
Simply add an egg on the top of yours, right as you pull it from the oven, if you want the most decadent experience. Conversely, you can skip it if you have a similar food safety concern!
I used this pizza stone to make our Khachapuri- if you’re looking for more purchasing information, please find a special guide at the bottom of this post!
Check out this video for a quick glimpse into the Khachapuri making process and see my husband in action- and be sure to sign up for my YouTube channel to see more delicious and easy recipes!
Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread
- ⅔ cup warm water (115 degrees)
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1?4 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 1?4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 1?2 cups shredded Muenster cheese
- 1¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 eggs (optional) OR 2 egg yolks (I prefer just the yolk)
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
- In a large bowl, add water, sugar and yeast.
- Let bloom until foamy and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- Add flour, olive oil, and salt to bowl and stir with wooden spoon until a soft, springy dough forms.
- Transfer dough to well greased bowl and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
- Preheat pizza stone in oven at 500 degrees (dont add stone to a hot oven, let it come to temperature in the oven so it doesn't explode.)
- Generously flour a counter surface.
- Punch down dough, and divide into two round balls.
- Roll out one ball onto floured surface into a large disc, about ¼" thick.
- Add ¼ cheese mixture to the center of the dough.
- Roll the sides to form a boat shape around the dough.
- Add another ¼ cheese to the middle and place into oven.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust is a golden brown.
- Top with fresh egg and pats of butter when removing from oven.
- Repeat with second disc for second Khachapuri.
- Serve and enjoy!
Lovely photos. And that cheesy bread! Yum!! Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight Party. Pinned & shared.
Oh my, but this looks good. I’ve never heard of this recipe but if you combine cheese and bread, you’ve pretty much covered all the best food groups in my book. Thanks for sharing it! #HomeMattersParty
Fabulous!! I hope you’ll share more recipes from the area!! Thanks for sharing on Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
The carbo-holic in me is screaming YES PLEASE!
The combination of cheeses sounds intriguing. A great way to imitate cheese we don’t have here. Thanks for partying with us on Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesdays. I always love to see what you bring.
My mouth is watering! I definitely plan to make.kt, and thanks for the link for the pizza stone. Have wanted one, and I end up buying them and giving them away as gifts. Lol. I definitely would put the egg on top, probably a fresh laid duck egg, or two, which I get all of my eggs from a friend whom has chickens and ducks. There is NO comparison to store bought! Lol. Do you think specialty cheese stores, or Whole Foods or Sprouts may have the authentic cheese this recipe calls for?
Courtney, I have never been to Georgia, but we studied about the country as a family and made this bread to go along with it. I love it! Thanks for sharing your version.