Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)

Khachapuri?

What is that? Accordingly to Wikipedia, Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური) is a Georgian cheese bread, bread that is filled with cheese from Georgia. Khachapuri is typically leavened, allowed to rise, shaped in various ways and filled with cheese, eggs and maybe other ingredients. The cheese filling that is most commonly used is known as sulguni, a creamy salted cow's-milk cheese which can be either fresh or aged.

I have never been to Georgia before and know nothing about Georgian food and culture. This Epicurious Georgian bread recipe, my love for cheese and curiosity are the reasons why I'm baking this interesting bread. As mentioned in this recipe, a blend of Havarti and mozzarella will produce a similar velvety texture like sulguni.

Velvety cheese???... Sounds heavenly! I'm curious to try...

Khachapuri - Love baking and eating this interesting bread :)

According to Epicurious recipe, combining these 2 cheese can produce similar texture of sulguni

Proving bread dough for 2 hours

Shaping the bread

I brushed my bread with oil before baking...

The finial finish - a big cross! Ready to bake now!

The cheeses were bubbling inside the bread while baking!

Velvety texture? I'll say that the bread is extremely cheesy!

Dad: Is this a pizza?
Boy: NO! This a volcano bread...

Mum with a cheeky smile: ...erupting with lots of cheese!

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Here's the recipe from Epicurious
(with my note and modification in blue)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (a 1/4-ounce package)
7 tbsp warm water (105-115°F)
1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
(I used a combination of 50g Italian "OO" flour and 200g bread flour)
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
125g Havarti cheese, coarsely grated
125g salted mozzarella, coarsely grated
(I used the fresh white kind)
1 tsp unsalted butter, melted
(replaced with rice bran oil) 

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in 1 tbsp flour. Let stand until creamy, about 5 mins.

Stir together salt and remaining flour in a large bowl, then stir in egg and yeast mixture to form a dough.

Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and turn to coat with flour, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 mins. Form into a ball and dust with flour. Let dough rest in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, punching down with a wet fist every hour, at least 2 hrs and up to 3.

Instead of kneading by hand or using an electric mixer, I have used a bread maker to knead my bread dough. I have added wet ingredients (water and egg) first, then followed by the dry ingredients (flour, salt and yeast), mixed and kneaded all into a smooth and elastic dough. The dough was first proved for 1 hr or until doubled in size. The dough was punched down and proved again for another hr.

Preheat oven to 500°F (my oven can't go this high temperature and preheat at only 220°C fan forced) with rack in middle.

Turn out dough onto floured pizza pan, turning to coat, then flatten with your fingers into a 7-inch disk.

Toss together cheeses and press into a compact 3-inch ball with your hands. Place ball in middle of dough, then gather dough up around ball of cheese, squeezing excess dough into a topknot. Press down on topknot with a damp fist to press cheese out from center. Continue to flatten dough and distribute cheese evenly, pressing outward from center, until dough is an 11-inch disk.

Cut a 6-inch X through top of dough to expose cheese. *Bake until pale golden, 10 to 12 mins. Brush surface of dough with butter and bake until golden and cooked through, 3 to 5 mins more. 

*At this stage, I brushed my bread dough with 1 tsp of rice bran oil. I have lowered my oven temperature to 220°C fan forced and bake my bread for 20 mins.
 
Serve cut into wedges.

Happy Baking
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