Adjara · Georgia
Adjaruli khachapuri
A bread boat filled with cheese, egg and melting butter.
Adjaruli khachapuri comes from Georgia's Black Sea coast. Shape two open boats, bake the cheese inside and add the egg near the end. Tear off a tip and dip it into the warm centre.
Two generous bread boats
Two generous bread boats
For 2 boats: 510 g dough plus 420 g cheese, egg and butter, making 930 g before baking. Divide only the dough into 255 g pieces. The calculator's 465 g piece weight includes the filling; it is not the dough-ball weight. Prefer scaling by number of boats.Active preparation: about 30 min · Baking: 17–24 min · Proofing: 75–120 min, plus 10 min resting.
- Wheat flour
- 100%300 g
- Water
- 62%186 g
- Salt
- 2%6 g
- Instant dry yeast
- 1%3 g
- Neutral oil
- 3%9 g
- Sugar
- 2%6 g
- Cheese, egg and butter
- 140%420 g
Cheese, egg and butter
Cheese goes into the boats before baking. Keep egg and butter separate for finishing. The amounts below are for the whole recipe.- Low-moisture mozzarella
- 47.6%200 g
- Feta
- 23.8%100 g
- Shelled egg, for finishing
- 23.8%100 g
- Unsalted butter, for finishing
- 4.8%20 g
A bread boat filled with cheese, egg and melting butter
Cheese goes into the boats before baking. Keep egg and butter separate for finishing. The amounts below are for the whole recipe.Dough per boat
For 2 boats: 510 g dough plus 420 g cheese, egg and butter, making 930 g before baking. Divide only the dough into 255 g pieces. The calculator's 465 g piece weight includes the filling; it is not the dough-ball weight. Prefer scaling by number of boats.
Oven
Preheat the oven with a sturdy baking sheet for 30 minutes to 230 °C / 445 °F conventional or 210 °C / 410 °F fan. Grate the mozzarella and crumble the feta; mix these two cheeses only.
From the Black Sea coast
Khachapuri has several regional Georgian forms. Adjara's Adjaruli has an open boat shape and an egg in its centre. Batumi is the best-known city of this coastal region.
Traditional versions use Georgian cheeses such as Imeretian cheese and sulguni. Our home version combines low-moisture mozzarella for melting with feta for a salty edge. This is an accessible substitute, not an identical cheese mixture.
Shape, fill and bake in two stages
Allow about 30 minutes of active work, 75–120 minutes of proofing and 17–24 minutes of baking. Cook larger batches in rounds.Mix a supple dough
Combine flour, water, yeast and sugar. Add salt and oil, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Do not immediately add more flour to a slightly tacky dough.
Let it rise
Cover and leave at about 22–24 °C / 72–75 °F for 60–90 minutes, until visibly aerated and roughly doubled. A cooler kitchen takes longer.
Prepare oven and cheese
Preheat the oven with a sturdy baking sheet for 30 minutes to 230 °C / 445 °F conventional or 210 °C / 410 °F fan. Grate the mozzarella and crumble the feta; mix these two cheeses only.
Shape the boats
Divide the dough into two pieces of about 255 g, round them and rest for 10 minutes so they roll out more easily. Roll each into a roughly 28 × 20 cm / 11 × 8 in oval. Roll both long edges inward two or three times to make rims about 3 cm / 1¼ in high. Pinch the ends firmly together; lightly dampen your fingertips if a seam will not stick. Gently open the centre wide.
Roll both long edges inward and pinch the tips firmly closed; keep the centre wide and open.
Fill and briefly proof
Place the boats on baking parchment rated for the oven temperature. Spread 150 g cheese mixture inside each boat. Keep the rims and pinched tips clear and leave the cheese below the top edge so it can bubble without overflowing. Rest for 15–30 minutes until the edges look a little puffier.
Use 150 g cheese per boat and keep the rims and pinched seams clear.
Bake bread and cheese
Carefully transfer to the hot sheet. Bake for 14–18 minutes, until the rims are golden and the cheese bubbles. The base should feel firm. Allow longer if the bread remains pale or soft.
Add the egg only when the rim is golden, the base firm and the cheese fully melted.
Add the egg
Make a hollow in the hot cheese with a spoon. For each boat, crack one medium egg, about 50 g without its shell, into a cup first and gently slide it into the centre. If the egg is much larger, use only the calculated amount so the filling does not overflow. Bake for another 3–6 minutes, until the white is opaque and set. Use pasteurised egg for a soft yolk; for a fully cooked egg, continue until the yolk also sets.
After 3–6 minutes the white is opaque and just set; bake longer if you want the yolk fully cooked too.
Finish and serve
Place 10 g butter on each hot boat. Rest briefly, stir egg and butter into the cheese and eat with pieces torn from the bread rim. Serve straight away.
When shaping or filling needs help
The boats open up
Pinch the tips firmly and keep cheese and loose flour out of the seam. Do not stretch the base paper-thin.
The filling releases water
Use low-moisture mozzarella. Drain feta and add no brine.
The base stays pale
Preheat the sheet thoroughly and move it lower in the oven if needed. Add the egg only when the bread is nearly cooked.
Common questions
Can I use Georgian cheese?
Yes. Replace the total cheese amount with sulguni and Imeretian cheese. Check their saltiness and moisture, which vary by product.
Can I prepare the dough ahead?
Yes. For an overnight refrigerator rise, reduce instant yeast to about 0.3%. Rest the mixed dough for 20–30 minutes, refrigerate covered for 8–12 hours and allow time to become supple the next day. Follow volume and springiness as well as time.
