Cheese Boat (Khachapuri)

Khachapuri (known as cheese boat in America) is a traditional Georgian dish, often considered a type of cheese-filled bread. The dough is shaped into a boat-like form and filled with a mixture of cheeses, eggs, and other ingredients. The most common types include Imeretian (cheese-only) and Adjarian (with a raw egg on top). This flavorful and comforting dish is popular in Georgian cuisine.

Making khachapuri (cheese boat) at home can be very easy, especially if you know how to work with the bread dough.

This recipe is one of the best cheese boats I’ve ever tried. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Let’s get to baking 

Ingredients

Main Dough

• 150g lukewarm water
• 150g lukewarm milk
• 5g dry instant yeast
• 500g bread flour
• 30g sugar
• 10g salt
• 30g oil without flavor

Filling 

• 800g of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 200g feta cheese 
• 4 egg yolks for topping 
• 40g butter for topping 
• 1 egg for egg wash 

Directions 

• Pour milk and water into the bowl, add dry yeast and sugar, flour, and salt knead for 3-5minutes in your mixing machine, or 5-7 minutes by hand. Add oil and continue kneading until dough will come up together and become nice and smooth. It might take up to 10 min in your KitchenAid, or 20 min by hand.
• Cover the dough, let it proof in warm spot for 1-2 hours until it will double in volume.

• Divide the dough into 4 x 215g pieces. Round each dough piece and let rest covered for 15-20min
• Prepare the filling by mixing both cheeses together.
• Preheat oven to 550F for about 30 min( the hotter your oven will be the better result you’ll get)
• Take dough ball and roll it into a circle( about 25cm/9.8 inches in diameter)
• Spread about 250g of cheese on top, all over the surface ( leave about 1 cm/0.5 inch edge uncovered)
• Fold the sides of the dough over the filling, leaving the center exposed.
• Pinch and seal the edges to create a boat-like shape. The ends can be slightly tapered or pointed.

• Repeat the same with the rest of the the dough.
• Spread egg wash all over the edges. 
• Transfer your cheese boats into the hot oven.
• Bake for about 10-12 minutes until cheese will start to bubble and edges will become golden brown. 
• Meanwhile separate egg yolks.
• During the last minute of baking, remove cheese boat from the oven, and carefully slide egg yolk on top of hot cheese. And return cheese boat to baking for about 1 more minute.
• Remove from the oven, add 10g piece of butter in the middle.

Serve while it’s hot.

Enjoy!