Khachapuri (Cheese Bread with Egg) Draft

Name: Khachapuri (Cheese Bread with Egg)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 5 khachapuri
Ingredients: 7 cups all-purpose flour; ⅓ cup sugar; 1¼ oz fresh yeast (or 13 g (4 tsp) active dry yeast); 3½ tsp salt; 2–2½ cups lukewarm water; 9 oz Bulgarian feta cheese; 9 oz mild yellow cheese such as mozzarella; 5 large eggs; a little butter (to soften the crust)

My khachapuri, a nest of yeast dough filled with yellow cheese and feta with an egg cracked into the middle, brushed with butter straight out of the oven.

Prep30 min
Cook30 min
Rest40 min
Total1 hr 40 min
Makes5 khachapuri
KashrutDairy

What you need

Amount:5

Dough

Filling

9 oz Bulgarian feta cheese
9 oz mild yellow cheese such as mozzarella
5 large eggs

To finish

a little butter, to soften the crust

How I make it

Dough

Sift the flour into a deep bowl (a strainer works) and add the sugar.
Crumble the yeast into the flour and add the salt. Don't let the salt touch the yeast before mixing.
Add the water (another 50-100 ml, about ¼-⅓ cup, if needed), knead and set aside to rise.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a larger tub of hot water for 15-20 minutes.
Take it out of the water bath and prick the dough with a fork. Cover again with plastic wrap for another 15 minutes.

Shaping and baking

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Divide the risen dough into five balls and let them rise briefly, about 5 minutes, until the dough jiggles.
Roll each ball into a round ½-¾ inch (1-2 cm) thick.
Grate the yellow cheese and the feta and mix them together.
Spread about 2-3 tablespoons of cheese evenly over each round.
Fold the edges of the dough toward the center to make a nest, and crack an egg into the middle of each one.
Bake for 20-30 minutes.
As soon as the khachapuri come out, brush the hot crusts with butter.

What I've learned

When I want the dough to rise faster, I give it a warm water bath.
Butter on the hot crusts keeps them softer.

Source: ChefEf (chefef.com)