How to prepare Adjara khachapuri? A miscalculation of the timing will ruin the creamy center.

In Georgia, khachapuri comes in many regional varieties, but Adjara's version is unmistakable. It has a distinctive boat shape, crispy, slightly puffed edges, and a warm, creamy interior with cheese, topped with egg and butter.

Original Adjarian Khachapuri: A homemade recipe for a Georgian cheesecake.

Georgian cheeses are used in the preparation of this delicacy. Besides the correct selection of ingredients, the timing of adding the egg is crucial. How do you bake khachapuri so that the yolk remains runny, and which cheeses should you choose? Discover some practical tips and a homemade recipe for preparing a Georgian cheese boat.

How do you make an authentic Adjara khachapuri? The homemade recipe for this Georgian cheesecake isn't complicated. To prepare it, you'll need wheat flour, yeast, warm water, an egg, a pinch of sugar, salt, and a little fat. The filling is made with a mixture of cheeses, and in some traditional recipes, a little milk is also added. The egg and butter are incorporated at the end of baking.

Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, then let it rise. Roll it out into an oblong shape. Fold the long sides inwards and firmly seal the ends to form a boat shape. Sprinkle the grated or crumbled cheese into the resulting hollow.

Bake the khachapuri in a very hot oven. Traditional recipes use a high temperature, around 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit). When the edges are golden brown and the cheese has melted, remove the dish from the oven, make a small well in the filling, and crack an egg into it. Then, return the dish to the oven and bake for another minute.

The finished khachapuri should be served immediately. Place a pat of butter in the center and mix it with the warm cheese and egg. You can tear off the edges of the pastry and dip them into the creamy filling.

Which cheese should you choose for khachapuri to achieve the perfect chewy texture?

Which cheese should you choose for khachapuri to achieve the perfect chewy texture? The traditional Adjara version primarily uses imeruli and sulguni. Sulguni is elastic, slightly salty, and melts well, giving the filling its chewy texture. Imeruli, on the other hand, is more crumbly and imparts a distinctive flavor.

Finding these cheeses outside of Georgia can be difficult. For a homemade version, you can use low-moisture mozzarella combined with feta. The flavor won't be exactly the same, but this combination recreates the chewy texture and salty tang of the traditional filling.

How to bake khachapuri so that the yolk remains runny?

Wondering how to bake khachapuri so the yolk stays runny? The secret is adding the egg right at the end of baking. First, bake the khachapuri with the cheese until the pastry is golden brown and the filling has completely melted.

Then, take them out of the oven, crack an egg in the center, and put them back in. The original Georgian recipe calls for two to three more minutes of baking time. Other traditional recipes recommend three to four minutes, or until the white begins to set but the yolk is still runny.

It's important to keep an eye on the egg during cooking, as the exact time depends on the oven temperature and the size of the khachapuri. If left in the oven too long, the yolk will begin to curdle.

The dish will still be very hot when you take it out, so the egg will continue to warm the cheese for a while. Immediately add the butter, mix it with the egg and cheese, then tear off pieces from the crispy edges and dip them into the creamy center.