SOURDOUGH LEAVENED KHACHAPURI

Sourdough Leavened Khachapuri image

Khachapuri is irresistible, with a perfectly cooked egg in a pool of melted cheese, and surrounded by flavorful bread that's also stuffed with cheese. This dreamy dish is a staple in Georgia and comes in many variations. Try the Adjaruli-inspired version here, or experiment with fillings from different regions of the country or from your own imagination.

Provided by Melissa Johnson

Categories Recipes

Time 1h18m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

Ingredients for 4 khachapuri (approx 210g dough each)
450g flour (I used a 50:50 mix of bread flour and bolted durum flour) (3 1/3 cups)
315g water (1 1/3 cup)
75g sourdough starter (1/4 cup)
8g salt (1 1/2 tsp)
Filling
400g shredded mozzarella (14 ounces)
170g full-fat ricotta (6 ounces)
170g crumbled feta cheese (6 ounces)
1 egg
Optional: 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Topping (select what you prefer)
4 eggs
4 pats of butter
2 Tbsp chopped chives or scallions
2 Tbsp zhoug sauce
Baker's Percentage
100% flour
66-74% water (depending on the flour selection)
17% starter
2% salt

Steps:

Dough
Mix all the dough ingredients in a bowl until they're well incorporated.
Lightly flour your countertop and removed the dough from the bowl. Knead it for 3-5 minutes, adding more flour if needed.
Let the dough ferment for several hours until it has almost doubled. The total bulk fermentation time will range from 4-8 hours depending on your room temperature and starter liveliness. Use the dough bubbliness and expansion as your guide.
I often let the dough rise for several hours and then refrigerate it for one or more days. On the day I plan to bake, I remove the dough bowl from the refrigerator, fold and flip the dough so the wetter base is now the top of the dough, and let it warm up and expand for several hours.
Filling
In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses, egg and optional spices (if using).
Assembly (See the Photo Gallery also)
Place a pizza stone or large upside down baking sheet in your oven and preheat to 500°F (450°F if a non-stick sheet) for about 30 minutes.
Flour your countertop and scrape the dough out onto it.
Divide the dough into four pieces and roll them into balls.
Cover the balls loosely with a damp tea towel and let the gluten relax for about 15 minutes.
Prepare four pieces of parchment about 12"x15".
Re-flour your countertop and roll each ball into an oval that is about 3/8" thick. Transfer each oval of dough to a sheet of parchment paper. You can roll the dough on the parchment if you prefer.
Lay cheese filling along two opposing edges of the doughs.
Fold the dough over the cheese filling.
Pinch and twist the ends of both sides of crust together, making a boat shape with two bread handles on each end. Make sure the edges of the "boat" don't have a low point that a cracked egg would flow out of.
Divide the filling roughly in fourths and add it to the center of each dough.
Baking (two at a time)*
Using a pizza peel or upside down baking sheet, load two khachapuri onto your preheated stone.
Bake for 12 minutes and then open the oven briefly to crack an egg onto the center of each khachapuri. If you're worried you may get egg shells on the khachapuri, pre-crack your eggs in two small bowls.
Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, or longer if you prefer a more done egg.
Remove from the oven and add a pat of butter to the surface of each khachapuri.
Repeat with the other two khachapuri.
*If using a lower oven temp, bake until the cheese is completely melted and there are light brown spots on the dough edges, then add the cracked egg and bake 2-3 more minutes.