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Marta Khabalaeva’s Adjarian khachapuri
Serves 4 Cakes, Bread and Pastries
For the dough
- 500g strong white flour
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp sugar
- 7g dried yeast
- 1 egg
- 30-50ml vegetable oil
- 4tbsp butter, softened
For the filling
- 650g grated mixed cheese (such as mozzarella, cottage cheese, cheddar or your own favourite cheese)
- 80ml milk
- 2 eggs
To finish
- 4 egg yolks
- 4tbsp butter, softened
Method
Put the flour in a large bowl, add the salt and mix together. In a small bowl, put 150-175ml warm water, the sugar and dried yeast and mix together. Leave to rest for around 10-15 minutes, or until it is bubbling and foamy. Drop the yeast mixture in the flour bowl, add the egg and mix together. Add 150-175ml warm water, little by little, until you have a soft dough (you might need less water). Then add the vegetable oil (1tbsp at a time) to make the dough softer.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour, or until it is doubled in size. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, eacharound 200-250g.
Mix the grated cheese with the milk and 2 eggs in a bowl and divide the filling into 4 equal portions.
Preheat the oven to 240C/ 220C F/Gas 9 (or your hottest oven setting). Roll out each ball of dough into an oval (or shape using your hands). Fold in the 2 long sides of the oval to form a boat shape, then twist the ends into a point to seal and prevent the sides from unfolding. Place on a prepared baking tray.
Fill the centre of each boat with the cheese mixture. Bake for around 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling. Take the baking tray out of the oven, place 1 egg yolk into the middle of each boat and put them back into the oven for 2-3 minutes more. The yolk should still be runny.
After removing from the oven, put 1tbsp of soft butter on top of the filling. Mix the egg into the hot cheese and butter. Eat while still hot.
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