Khachapuri is a delicious Georgian bread filled with a cheesy mixture and topped with an egg. Enjoy these savory egg boats with spicy ajika — a flavorful sauce made with tomatoes and hot peppers!
Great for brunch, as an appetizer or even dinner, this insanely delicious Georgian cheese bread or khachapuri, is sure to impress everyone at the table! The crispy bread boat is filled with a mixture of cheeses and then, when the khachapuri is just about done cooking, topped with an egg yolk. Before serving, the egg is mixed together with the cheese to form an almost custard-like filling! While it’s great without any additional garnishes, I’ve also included a recipe for a spicy georgian tomato sauce that you can use for dipping or to mix in with the cheese!
While all components of this recipe are based on Georgian dishes, I should note that it’s not traditional to serve ajika with khachapuri. That being said, I find that the ajika really lightens up the cheesy bread and adds a bit of spicy freshness to the savory filling!
khachapuri
While the most well-known khachapuri in the US is Adjarian khachapuri (the one in this recipe), there are a actually quite a few varieties! The top two on my future baking list are Imeruli khachapuri and Ossetian khachapuri. Imeruli khachapuri resembles a round flatbread filled with cheese and is one of the most popular variations in Georgia. And then there’s Ossetian khachapuri which includes potatoes — hot cheesy potato bread is definitely something I need to try!
To create the traditional bread boat for this Adjarian khachapuri, I separated my dough into three parts. If you’re making them as individual dinners, you could definitely make four or five smaller boats though — just keep an eye on them in the oven as they’ll cook for a bit less time. To form the boats, just roll your dough into a long oval, sprinkle with cheese, roll up the sides, and twist the ends together! For more detailed photos of the process, you can check out my recipe for khachapuri with a spinach and cheese filling!
spicy ajika
Just as there are many types of khachapuri, Georgia is also home to many regional variations of ajika — a hot and spicy sauce that’s traditionally used alongside meat and fish. While you can find herby green ajikas and roasted ajikas, my favorite is a simple fresh tomato ajika that we sometimes serve alongside our beef khinkali.
The spicy condiment is quick to make and includes just tomatoes, red bell pepper, chili peppers, garlic and fenugreek! While blue fenugreek or utskho suneli is a popular spice in Georgia, I didn’t have any on hand and so used regular fenugreek. Although blue fenugreek is a bit milder and sweeter, I found that the fenugreek I had in my cupboard added a nice flavor to the ajika.
ingredients
khachapuri dough
- milk ¾ c (180 ml)
- water ¾ c (180 ml)
- sugar 2 tsp
- active dry yeast 1.5 tsp
- flour 3 ⅓ c (400 g)
- salt 1 tsp
- vegetable oil 2 tbsp
khachapuri filling
- mozzarella 12 oz (340 g)
- feta 8 oz (230 g)
- egg 3 yolks
ajika
- tomatoes 5 medium (700 g)
- red bell pepper 1 large
- chili peppers 2-3 small
- garlic 3 cloves
- ground fenugreek 1 tsp
- salt ½ tsp
instructions
dough
- Mix together the water and milk and heat until slightly warm. Add the active dry yeast and sugar to the mixture and let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.
- Mix together the flour and salt in a separate bowl.
- Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and knead the dough until it begins to form.
- Add the vegetable oil and continue kneading until elastic. Add a few more tablespoons of flour if needed, but it's okay if the dough is a bit sticky!
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm space for about one hour or until the dough doubles in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, push down the dough several times with your hands. Cover and set aside for an additional 30 minutes.
khachapuri
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
- Separate the dough into three equal portions.
- On parchment paper, roll out one portion of dough into an oval about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Sprinkle one-third of the feta and one-third of the mozzarella onto the dough.
- Form the boat shape by rolling the longer sides over the cheese to form a boat. Then pinch and twist the shorter sides together.
- Repeat this process with the last two portions of dough.
- Transfer the parchment paper and khachapuri to a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and make a well in each khachapuri. Add an egg yolk to each well and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Stir the cheesy egg mixture before eating and serve with spicy ajika!
ajika
- Remove the seeds* and stems from the tomatoes, bell pepper and chili peppers and roughly chop.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
notes
- seeds in ajika: You can opt to leave the seeds in for the tomatoes, which will result in an ajika that's a bit less thick. And depending on the type of chili peppers you're using, you can leave in some of the seeds for a bit of extra heat!
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