Khachapuri, a traditional Georgian cheese bread rich with history from the Caucasus region, is a decadent and delicious rich appetizer. 

Khachapuri – the decadent and delicious Georgian cheese bread – is a lot like a cheesy pizza bread, a sauceless cheese pizza – sometimes topped with butter and egg, for an out-of-this-world comfort food classic that everyone loves.

Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread is one of the most well known dishes of the Republic of Georgia, and it’s major city Tbilisi – and comes in two different and distinct shapes.

This recipe reflects the Adjarian Khachapuri – the boat shaped cheese bread which is topped with a pat of butter and raw egg (which cooks just enough on the hot bread to solidify the white, but leases the yolk deliciously runny and creamy, giving this bread a sauce to dip in that cooks right with it!).

My husband and I developed this recipe after visiting the Republic of Georgia a couple of years ago for my brother in law’s wedding – and the entire country grabbed our hearts so strongly, we were delighted to be able to recreate a piece of Georgia at home whenever we’re craving rich, delicious, and super cheesy Khachapuri cheese bread!

just take me to the khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread recipe already!

If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, i think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this deliciously easy cheese bread recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread

Rich, cheesy bread is one of the best known and most delicious Georgian staples…. and is starting to become a more and more common find on menus across America, outside of the traditional Russian bakeries that were the only spots you could find it a couple years ago.

There is little question why khachapuri (pronounced “cahh-cha-poo-ree” or “ha-cha-poo-ree” with a whispered, non-voiced rolling of the h similar to a pronounciation you’d find in arabic) is becoming so popular – it is one of the most delicious and easy cheese bread recipes you can make – and it’s great for a crowd or party, and perfect for a gooey, tantalizing dish

Forbes even recently named Khachapuri their absolute favorite cheese pizza!

While not technically a pizza, Khachapuri is made with a pizza-like dough, and tons and tons of delicious, salty, melted cheese.

Some types of khachapuri (like the kind my friend Lauren of Explorer Momma’s mother in law makes) is shaped a lot like a cheese pizza – a big, puffy round disk, filled with cheesy goodness that you can’t get enough of.

Khachapuri at a small cafe, Tbilisi Georgia

How To Make Khachapuri

There are two types of Khachapuri – the Georgian Cheese bread comes in two distinctly different types – Imeretian Khachapuri, which is round and shaped like a pizza – and Adjarian Khachapuri, which is shaped like a boat and topped with pats of butter and raw egg to create a rich, gooey sauce when eating.

To make khachapuri, you will use a lot of the same techniques as making a pizza or pizza cheese bread – you will need to make a dough and let it rise, punch it down, and rise again – you will need to shape the dough, and mix in the cheese – and then you will need to bake it, preferably on a pizza stone for the absolute best results.

Imeritan Khachapuri as found in Tallinn, Estonia at Tbilisi Cafe

What Cheese Do You Use in Khachapuri

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 Georgian 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.

I use a blend of two cheeses to make up for the lack of the very specific cheeses used in traditional Khachapuri – 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!

Visiting Georgia – Where Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread is From

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.

Tbilisi, the captiol of Georgia

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.

Tblisi is gorgeous, super affordable, very friendly to Americans, and full of things to do.

If you’re a fan of history, Georgia is the perfect place to visit. From Soviet occupation and the Georgian independence (and subsequent recent war) with Russia, to ancient Christian sites – Georgia offers so many

If you’re interested in food history, Georgia is also fabulous to explore.

Since Georgia is situated in the Caucasus mountain range, it is the perfect spot to see how trade routes from Asia and the Middle East mixed with Europe and Russia – and how each culture has left it’s mark to create a uniquely delicious culinary experience you won’t find anywhere else.

Touring both Armenia and Georgia was such a treat for me – the foods are simple, rooted in rich history, and are outstandingly delicious. One of my friends who lives in Tbilisi jokes that Georgians made organic food fashionable long before it was “in” in the west – partially because they couldn’t afford chemicals under communism – which has in turn resulted in some insanely delicious food unlike anything I’ve had anywhere else.

You’ll find a lot of “ugly” fruits and vegetables in Georgia, sold from small roadside stands or table-stands around town with farmers displaying their bounty – that are sweeter, crisper, and bursting with flavor unlike a lot of the “perfect” and pretty fruit you find the US.

Georgia, and next-door neighbor Armenia are known to be the ancient homes of winemaking – with archaeological finds of winemaking tools dating back to 4,100 BC.

There are many places in the Caucuses where you can see ancient winemaking relics, learn about the role of wine in early Christianity (especially thanks to Saint Nino, whose Monastery sits high above the Khaketi winemaking valley region).

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:

(which was prepared and hosted by my friend Lauren of Explorer Momma’s Mother in Law!!)

To see more of Lauren’s trips through her husband’s homeland, please visit these posts:

Georgian Phrases For travelers

What to do in Tbilisi With Kids

How to Make Tonis Puri, Traditional Georgian Bread 

She met her husband while serving in the Peace Corps in Georgia, and both Lauren and her husband’s love for his home country has only fueled our love for Georgia, too!

Georgian Cheese Bread With Egg

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!

Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread

If you love this Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread Recipe recipe as much as I do, please write a five star review, and be sure to help me share on facebook and pinterest!

To watch me make this cheese bread, please watch this video (if on desktop, it should be autoplaying for you):

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Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

1 hr 35 mins

 

Khachapuri, a traditional Georgian cheese bread rich with history from the Caucasus region, is a decadent and delicious rich appetizer.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Georgian

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 462 kcal

Author: Courtney O'Dell

Ingredients

• 2/3 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
• 1 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 eggs optional OR 2 egg yolks (I prefer just the yolk)
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter cubed

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add water, sugar and yeast.
2. Let bloom until foamy and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
3. Add flour, olive oil, and salt to bowl and stir with wooden spoon until a soft, springy dough forms.
4. Transfer dough to well greased bowl and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
5. 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.)
6. Generously flour a counter surface.
7. Punch down dough, and divide into two round balls.
8. Roll out one ball onto floured surface into a large disc, about 1/4" thick.
9. Add 1/4 cheese mixture to the center of the dough.
10. Roll the sides to form a boat shape around the dough.
11. Add another 1/4 cheese to the middle and place into oven.
12. Bake 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust is a golden brown.
13. Top with fresh egg and pats of butter when removing from oven.
14. Repeat with second disc for second Khachapuri.
15. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread

Amount Per Serving (159 g)

Calories 462 Calories from Fat 293

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 32.6g 50%

Saturated Fat 19.3g 97%

Cholesterol 138mg 46%

Sodium 1109mg 46%

Total Carbohydrates 22.2g 7%

Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3%

Sugars 2.2g

Protein 20.3g 41%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.