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Vegetarian, Maghreb and Middle East

Adjarian khachapuri, cheese and egg boat bread

Adjarian khachapuri is a Georgian boat shaped bread filled with melted cheese and a raw egg that finishes cooking for two more minutes before you stir it in. This recipe serves 4, takes about 1 hour, is medium difficulty, and costs around €2.40 per serving. The key is shaping a boat sturdy enough to hold the melted cheese and keeping the egg yolk nicely runny.

Tonight it's the most indulgent boat bread in the world, filled with melted cheese and a runny egg you stir in at the table. The kids are going to love it.

Adjarian khachapuri, cheese and egg boat bread
Total time
1 h
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€2.40
Calories per person
630 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring
The kids
They generally like it

Adjarian khachapuri starts with a shape that gets everyone's attention, a golden bread boat overflowing with melted cheese. Under the soft crust, a mix of mozzarella and feta melts into a stretchy, salty center, and the raw egg cracked on top at the last moment cooks just enough to keep its yolk runny. You stir everything together at the table with a knob of butter, and every bite of dipped bread turns rich and gooey.

This is the kind of dish to make on an evening when you have a bit of time, a slow Sunday or an unhurried Wednesday, since the dough needs to rise and each boat is shaped by hand. Kids love cracking the egg and stirring the yolk into the cheese, it quickly becomes a little family ritual. Serve it with a lemony green salad and the meal stays simple despite how impressive it looks.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Flouroften in the pantry 450 g
  • Dry active yeastoften in the pantry 1 packet
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Warm milk 20 cl
  • Mozzarella 250 g
  • Feta 200 g
  • Eggs 4
  • Butter 40 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Green salad 1
  • Lemon 1

Allergens Gluten, Lactose, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, warm milk, and oil, knead for ten minutes, and let rise under a kitchen towel. 50 min

    Place the bowl in the turned off oven with a cup of hot water beside it, the dough rises faster.

  2. Mix the grated mozzarella and crumbled feta, this stands in for Georgian sulguni cheese.

    Drain the cheeses well so the boat doesn't turn soggy.

  3. Divide the dough into four, roll each piece into an oval, roll the edges toward the center to form a boat, and pinch the ends.

    Press the rolled edges firmly so they don't open up during baking.

  4. Fill generously with cheese and bake at 230°C until the crust turns golden. 15 min

    On the hottest rack of the oven, the boat browns better under the cheese.

  5. Take them out, crack an egg into the center of each boat, bake for two more minutes until the white sets, then add a knob of butter. 3 min

    The white should barely set, the yolk needs to stay runny so you can stir it in.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain the mozzarella and feta well before mixing them, a wet cheese filling will make the bottom of the boat soggy as it bakes.
  • Shape boats that aren't too wide in the center, so the cheese doesn't spill over and the egg stays in place.
  • Crack the egg into a small cup before pouring it into the hot boat, this keeps shell bits out and the yolk intact.

The variations

  • Swap the feta for crumbled sheep's milk cheese if that's what you have, the salty flavor stays close to the original.
  • This recipe is already vegetarian, you can make it creamier by stirring a spoonful of cream cheese into the filling.
  • For a quicker kid friendly version, shape smaller individual boats, they bake faster and everyone gets their own.

What to serve it with

  • Lemony green salad
  • Hot black tea
  • Diced cucumbers and tomatoes

Storage

Khachapuri is best eaten the same day once it's filled, the runny egg doesn't keep well. You can make the dough and the cheese mix the day before, store them separately in the fridge in a sealed container, and shape the boats right before baking.

Questions about this dish

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can knead the dough the night before and let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight. Take it out an hour before shaping the boats so it comes back to room temperature.

What cheese replaces Georgian sulguni?

A mix of mozzarella and feta mimics the stretchy, slightly salty taste of sulguni, which is hard to find outside specialty stores. It's the simplest choice for a family kitchen.

How do you keep the egg from overcooking?

Watch closely during the two minutes after cracking in the egg, the white should just set at the edges. Pull the boat out while the yolk is still nicely runny in the middle.

Can you freeze khachapuri?

The dough filled with cheese, without the egg, freezes well before baking. Bake it straight from frozen with a bit of extra time, then add the egg at the end as usual.

How long does it take to make an Adjarian khachapuri, the cheese and egg boat bread, with a side salad?

Count 1 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in an Adjarian khachapuri, the cheese and egg boat bread, with a side salad?

About 630 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does an Adjarian khachapuri, the cheese and egg boat bread, with a side salad cost?

About €2.40 per serving, or €9.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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