Khachapuri, version I

(Georgian Cheese Bread)

Khachapuri, or Georgian cheese bread is one of the most delightful of all Caucasian specialties. It is made in many shapes and sizes, but the large loaf and small diamonds-shaped tartlets, shown above, are by far the most popular. Slices of bread make unusual brunch or teatime treats; the smaller versions go well as accompaniments for cocktails or soups, or as part of an informal buffet.

No feast would seem proper without the marvelous cheese bread khachapuri. Khachapuri is found throughout Georgia in many forms-----round, rectangular and boat-shaped. The dough can be yeasty with a thick layer of crust, many-layered and flaky, or tender and cakelike. The bread is usually filled with a fresh, slightly sour cheese like imeruli or suluguni, but salted cheeses like bryndza may also be uses,, as long as they are soaked first. The cheese is grated and mixed with eggs to bind, with butter added if it is not creamy enough. The filling is then either completely enclosed in dough or served in an open faced pie.

Although Georgians are not accustomed to eating out frequently, even the smallest towns have hole-in-the-wall cafes where piping hot khachapuri may be consumed on the spot or taken out. On Tbilisi's main thoroughfare a line often stretches up steep steps and out into the street from a cellar cafe specializing in khachapuri. My favorite version of this cholesterol-rich khachapuri is the Adzharuli Khachapuri or Adzharian cheese bread, found in Batumi on the Black Sea coast and appropriately boat-shaped.

Serves 12 to 15

This one is rich and flacky.

2 cups of unbleached white flour
1/ 2 teaspoon of salt
12 tablespoons or 1 1/ 2 sticks of cold butter, cut in pieces
2 eggs
1/ 4 cup of plain yogurt
1 1/ 4 pounds of mixed Muenster and Havarti cheeses
egg yolk, beaten

Put the flour and salt in a medium bowl and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Beat 1 egg and stir in the yogurt, then add to the flour mixture. Form into a ball and chill for 1 hour.

Grate the cheeses coarsely, beat the other egg, and stir it into the cheese. Set aside.

Preheat the oven 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet. On a floured board roll the dough to a rectangle about 12 x 17 inches. Trim the edges. Spread the cheese mixture on half the dough and then fold the other half over to enclose it, sealing and crimping the edges.

Transfer the bread to the baking sheet and brush with beaten egg yolk. Bake for 50 minutes or until browned. The bread is best served slightly warm, cut into small squares.

Recipe from Niko Dadiani

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