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MY THOUGHTS STIRRED, AS THEY STIRRED,
INTO A TANGIBLE STRINGY MESS OF RESTLESSNESS.
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I thought long and hard about how I should talk to you about this.
I thought about it when I saw it glaring at me, all too long ago, from Tasting Table on their grinning newsletter. I thought about it when I laid sleepless at night, combing through the mental steps of how, and when, I would realize this absurdity in my own kitchen. I auditioned my blunt vocabularies, while pushing the apathetic shopping cart through the even-less agreeable cheese-section in my grocery store… gruyere (gooey?), gouda (gooey-er)?… mozarella (gawh, fuck it…). And speaking of words, I ought to find out how this khachapuri is pronounced… catch-a-puri, catch-a-puri, kah-tch-a-puri? Georgian, is it? I thought I should probably google Georgia, right, I totally should, a place where I felt utterly disconnected from emotionally, and even more so, geographically, as I sank my palm over and over into the quiet, warm, springy dough. I thought, given that it was unquestionably non-traditional, about how I could explain the heightened savouriness and sharpness brought by the added black olive tapenade, as I smeared it across the supple dough. Oh people should definitely hear how tall these cheeses mounted, yes, definitely, how promisingly they talked back through the folded window… reassuring. Most of all, I for sure thought about it when I sagged myself over the hot vent of the oven by the handle, witnessing the yeasted dough puffed and browned, damming an increasingly fluid and active pool of melted cheese, I thought, and sagged, but I promise it was mostly thoughts. Then, when that raw glistening yolk, that damn raw and glistening yolk that slipped over the hot cheese, and touched the cheeks of a chunk of topping butter… my thoughts stirred, as the pool stirred, into a tangible stringy mess of happiness and restlessness.
How, do I talk to you about this…?
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Then, amidst my struggling mind, under the tip of his knife and fork, my husband asked:
“So, a melted cheese, butter and egg bread-boat? Why?”
“Really. You need a reason for this?”
And that put a stop to my thoughts.
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Makes: 2 large breads that can feed 4 people
OK, a few things. The recipe is very loosely adapted from here, and you’ll see that I’ve made quite a few adjustments. First, for a lack of Georgian cheese-supplies, I used a more generic assortment of melty cheeses that were gruyere, gouda and dried mozzarella, which yielded a satisfactory gooey-ness and flavours. And instead of mixing them with egg before baking, I used a thick bechamel sauce because… raise your hand if you’re egg-intolerant, too (you can use a beaten egg instead of bachamel). Then, the added tapenade/olive pesto really gave the bread another depth of savouriness and flavour. At last, I found a problem with that whole egg that went on top, which was the egg white could never be quite cooked in the same time for the yolk to remain runny. So instead, I just placed a raw egg yolk on the finished product.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270 grams) whole milk
- 2 tsp instant dried yeast
- 2 tbsp (27 grams) olive oil
- 3 cups (400 grams) bread flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp (16 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (183 grams) whole milk, cold
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to top
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cups (320 grams) of equal parts of shredded gruyere, gouda and dried mozzarella cheese
- 4~6 tbsp store-bought or homemade tapenade/black olive pesto
- 2 large egg yolks
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Chili flakes to sprinkle
Instructions
- TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Warm whole milk in the microwave for 40~50 seconds until it’s warm to the touch (but doesn’t burn, around 110F/45C). Stir in the instant dried yeast and let sit for 10 min until dissolved, then add the olive oil to the milk. In a large bowl, or stand-mixer bowl with dough-hook, combine bread flour, sugar and salt. Add the warm milk-mixture then knead for 3 min until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover the bowl with plastic-wrap and let proof for 2 hours at a warm place until doubled.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide in half. Fold the doughs over itself for a couple times, then shape them into 2 balls. Cover with plastic-wrap or a large bowl, and let proof again for 30~40 min. The dough should expand again but not doubled.
- TO MAKE THE CHEESE FILLING: While the dough is proofing, cook/stir unsalted butter and all-purpose flour in a pot over medium heat for 1 min. Add the cold milk and whisk the mixture continuously until it starts to simmer and thicken. The consistency should be like mayonnaise. Add the grated nutmeg then season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Let the sauce COOL COMPLETELY, then evenly mix in the shredded cheese (the cheese should not melt). Set aside.
- If you’re making your own tapenade: In a food-processor, combine 1 1/4 cup (155 grams) pitted black or green olives, 6 tbsp (80 grams) extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp (15 grams) raisins, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 fillets of anchovy, 3/4 tsp white wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Puree the mixture as smoothly/finely as you can. Taste and season with salt if needed. Set aside.
- TO MAKE BAKE THE BREAD: Preheat the oven on 500F/250C, with a pizza-stone or large inverted cast-iron skillet in the middle.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large oval with pointy tips, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Rub 2~3 tbsp of tapenade over the dough, then pile 1/2 of the cheese-mixture across the middle. Fold the dough over to partially cover the cheese, then bring the 2 ends together and tuck the tips underneath itself, then pinch at the bottom so it sticks. Repeat with the second one.
- Slide the parchment with the bread on top, onto the pizza-stone or inverted cast-iron skillet. Bake for 10 min until golden browned on all sides. Place a large egg yolk, and 2 tbsp of unsalted butter in the center of each bread, then grate a bit of nutmeg and sprinkle some chili flakes over the top (plus some flake-y sea salt if needed).
- To serve, stir the yolk into the cheese and dig in.
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38 responses to “LET’S CATCH-A-PURI”
omg i have been craving one of these things since the olympics when there was a khachapuri segment on tv since it’s a big thing sochi, apparently!
I just found the Sulguni cheese in a Russian store near where I live…you really need Sulguni cheese for the right flavor…I loved this dish when I lived in Borjomi Georgia…will be making it this weekend…can’t wait! Check your local European or Russian food markets in your area for the cheese…
I really like this blog.
I would say more, but all I can think about now is how I have to make this, ohmygod. Have.to.
Amazing.
This looks amazing – but my comment is on your flatware. Is that just an old set? I love the fork and knife you used in this shoot, do you remember where you got them?
Ali: I bought them in China… is that something you’re open to explore :) ?
OMG. OMG. OMG.
This is EVERYTHING I WANT.
Also that gif!!! <3
Hey Mandy, this looks amazing & I’m floored by how much work you do to get the recipes right. Also wanted to comment on your new/old door/table. It’s totally dope & stands out from the usual marble backgrounds everyone uses. Nice work. As usual.
I love when you write from the depths of chaos. The way you talk about food is inspiring and so unique. That first picture is staring into my greedy, bread soul. YUM!
Holy crap girl!!! This is insane…like, the best, sexiest, kind of insane. WHOA!
Ahhhh. I shoulnd’t have looked at these pictures before lunch. My stomach is growling…
It’s Kh-ach-a-pu-ri (guttural sound, all long vowels). The name is Georgian, but nearby countries (Armenia, Turkey etc. all have their own names for it). In Turkey and Armenia, we throw in sujukh and basturma as well.
Q: Thanks for the great information! Now we won’t make a fool of ourselves when ordering these outside of Georgia :)
Everything you make looks like delicious and complex and something I would definitely get in a restaurant because there’s no way I’m ever going to make it that good, or even have the heart to try. Your food is kind of like chicken soup, it tastes best when made with love by someone else. So if you ever feel like moving to Dallas and opening a restaurant, I’ll be the first in line, fork in hand.
Yummy bread + oozy cheese = heaven. This looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want it now!!!!!!!!
Amazing, as always. I see a face-plant into the cheese filling!! Just awesome.
These used to be one of my favorite snacks when I lived in Russia. I have the dough rising at the moment, and will enjoy these for dinner tonight!
OK, I can’t pronounce this AT ALL, but it looks like maybe the BEST thing I have ever looked at. omg.
You are an evil food genius! Wow!
This looks like a Georgian pizza!!!!
Holy Batman pajama’s, thanks for the smile! 2
um. can i live with you? ;)
If you want to have a fully cooked white and runny yolk you can just divide the egg and put first the white and then after a little while the yolk! Never tried, but it’s a tip I read in a cooking magazine.
This looks intense: food with attitude, and in the best possible way.
I worked in a Georgian cuisine restaurant in Seattle but there was nothing like this! on the menu. This is a bit like an elegant open-faced calzone… And I second the gif frisson, quality XXX food pron, there, that is : )
THIS IS EVERYTHING.
Espesh that egg swirly gif!! :0
This looks so so so good. The Gif made me grunt with joy! x
I looove this. We have a similar dish in Greece as well that we call peinirli. I didn’t know Georgians had it as well in this version. It looks great! That gee in the middle is sinful :)
Take a look at mine if you like http://mylittleexpatkitchen.blogspot.nl/2013/06/the-peinirli.html
There’s never not a good reason for a giant dough vessel bearing eggy, cheesy gifts! It’s like all the good bits of pizza reshaped and melting together. Want so much. xx
I had to make this after seeing that .gif! I halved the recipe, used a store bought tomato pesto, and replaced the mozzarella with a wild mushroom brie and the bread flour with one cup of all purpose flour and half a cup of whole wheat flour plus one and a half teaspoons of vital wheat gluten (thanks food.com!). It was delicious! I used a regular cookie sheet and the bread was wonderfully crisp. Sadly though I didn’t pinch the ends together tight enough and it unraveled in the oven causing it to be not Instagram-worthy. Shucks.
Once again, Mandy has been able to make me want to eat something I would have otherwise never wanted… ALSO, can I get a “WHOOP!! WHOOP!! GO MANDY” for being nominated for 2015’s Blog Awards: Best Photography Finalists!!! You go girl!! Since the above recipe/photo was used in the SAVEUR’s website, now I MUST EAT IT!! You are the bomb and a food artist! Great job!
Can’t bake a lick, but will find a way to make some version of this.
Mandy:
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! First of all, it turned out just exactly how you said it would, without me having to mess with it, which does not happen enough . . . and second, it made the best Father’s Day Breakfast ever (literally said to be the “best breakfast I’ve ever had in my life”). I ritzed it up with your Burnt Butter Hollandaise (I added some fresh thyme–YUM) to dip the crusts in, and served with tomato salad … possibly one of my best ever successes (and great fun). I can’t wait to reuse this egg-cellent (pardon the pun) dough as a base for almost everything . . . but firstly a dinner-ified Khachapuri (see: diced greens + meat). Awesome, awesome recipe! It turned out almost exactly as pictured, and that’s a rare one.
Hi, this is a beautiful recipe for one of the most loved khachapuri in Georgia. I am from Georgia and I grew up eating those, Georgia has many different traditional khachapuri it means cheese and bread. Ajara is the region where they make this type of khachapuri therefore it’s called Ajarian khachapuri.
Just made this… Freaking Delicious! Those egg yolks are really just the perfect touch :) Love this site!
Holly smokes! Yo cut it in half !!!! You spilled the whole mix on a plate…. It’s a no-no way of eating it like that!
You should have broken off the pieces of crust, and dipped them into the molten cheese… the “legal” way of eating it.
Hi, I’d love to know if it’s possible to freeze it before baking – already shaped and filled with cheese?
If so, then how to thaw it after the freeze?
Thanks a lot!
Eti, in my experience cheese don’t freeze well so I’m gonna say probably not.