Khachapuri
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 1 1/4 hours rising time
Cooking time: 20 minutes
For dough
- 3.5 cups bread flour
- 1 1/4-1.5 cups water
- 1/2 cup natural yogurt
- 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
For filling
- 3.5-4 cups grated cheese (I used mozzarella, cheddar, feta and a bit of ricotta - use 3.5 cups if you add the egg, 4 cups if you don't)
- 7 eggs (1 egg for each bread plus extra for glaze)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
- Pats of butter to serve
Step 1 - Mix the flour, water, yogurt and yeast together in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead until elastic on low speed.
Step 2 - Shape into a ball and grease a bowl (I just place it in the same bowl) and allow to rise in a warm, draught free area for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step 3 - Meanwhile make the filling. Mix the cheeses together with the chives and garlic. Preheat oven to 225C/450F and line three baking trays with parchment.
Step 4 - Knead the dough with the salt and then divide the dough into six pieces. Shape into an oval directly on the lined baking tray and then shape some borders-this is quite easy and just takes a bit of time. Allow to rise for 15 minutes. Bake this for 5 minutes.
Step 5 - Then with a spoon, scrape out some of the partially baked dough from the inside cavity (making sure not to break through the bottom). Whisk one egg and brush the egg wash on the sides of the dough. Divide the filling among the six doughs and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the filling is golden. Using a tablespoon make a depression in the filling and crack the egg inside it. Bake for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately while the filling is hot.