Adjaruli khachapuri
აჭარული ხაჭაპური
Georgian cheese bread boat with a raw egg yolk and a knob of butter stirred into the molten cheese at the table.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: აჭარული ხაჭაპური.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr 15 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Adjaruli khachapuri is a boat-shaped bread filled with a mix of salty and stretchy cheese, baked until the crust is blistered and the cheese bubbles, then finished with an egg cracked into the centre and a slab of butter. The eater stirs egg and butter into the hot cheese with a torn-off piece of crust. In Georgia the cheese is sulguni, a brined stretchy cheese, mixed with imeruli, which is fresher and saltier. Low-moisture mozzarella and feta together are the standard stand-in abroad and work well. The dough is a simple yeasted bread dough. Bake it as hot as your oven goes.
What you'll need
12 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Filling
- To finish
Ingredients
Dough
- Wheat flour, strong white500 g
- Water, lukewarm150 ml
- Milk, lukewarm150 ml
- Yeast, instant dried7 g
- Sugar4.9 ml
- Salt7.4 ml
- Neutral oil30 ml
Filling
- Mozzarella, low-moisture block, coarsely grated300 g
- Feta, crumbled200 g
- Egg, beaten, half into the filling, half for the crust1
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and milk. Add flour, salt and oil and knead to a soft, smooth dough, about 8 minutes. Cover and rise until doubled, 1 to 1.5 hours.
100 min
Step 2
Mix the grated mozzarella, crumbled feta and half the beaten egg. Heat the oven to its maximum, 250°C or more, with a heavy tray or stone inside.
5 min250°C
Step 3
Divide the dough in 4. Roll each piece into an oval about 25 by 18 cm. Roll the two long edges inwards towards the centre to form thick rims, leaving a wide channel, then pinch the ends together hard and twist to make points.
12 min
Tip: Pinch the points properly. A boat that opens in the oven leaks cheese everywhere.
Step 4
Fill the channels with cheese, mounding it. Brush the rims with the remaining beaten egg. Slide onto the hot tray.
5 min
Step 5
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling and spotted brown.
15 min250°C
Step 6
Pull out, make a well in the cheese with a spoon and crack an egg into each boat. Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes so the white just starts to set while the yolk stays raw.
2 min
Watch: Eggs are eaten barely cooked. Use very fresh eggs.
Step 7
Put a piece of butter on each. Serve immediately. Tear off the point of the boat, stir egg and butter into the cheese and eat the rest with your hands.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 1165 kcal
- Protein
- 47.9 g
- Carbs
- 103.1 g
- Fat
- 61.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 33.1 g
- Fibre
- 3.9 g
- Sugar
- 6.5 g
- Sodium
- 1875 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Mozzarella and feta → Sulguni, or halloumi and mozzarella
Halloumi gives the salt and squeak of sulguni; mozzarella gives the stretch.
Tips
- Drain the feta on paper first. Wet cheese makes a soggy channel.
- Smaller boats, about 15 cm, make a starter for a table of people.
- A little grated hard cheese mixed into the filling adds the sharpness that imeruli has and feta half does.
History & culture
From Adjara on the Black Sea coast, around Batumi, where the boat shape is said to echo the fishing boats and the egg the sun. Now served everywhere in Georgia and in Georgian restaurants from Moscow to New York. One boat is a meal; it is not a side. Eaten with the hands.
Khachapuri in its many regional shapes is old Georgian bread, named for khacho, curd. The Adjaruli open boat is a coastal variant, probably 19th century, that became the photogenic face of Georgian food in the 2010s. Georgia declared khachapuri part of its intangible cultural heritage in 2019.
Traditional — Mozzarella and feta stand in for sulguni and imeruli. Georgian shops and some Eastern European grocers sell sulguni; if you find it, use 500 g sulguni alone, grated.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Adjaruli khachapuri take?
2 hr 15 min all in — 30 min prep, 15 min cook, 1 hr 30 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 boats. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Rolling pin, Baking tray, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
How much sugar?
1 tsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Mozzarella and feta → Sulguni, or halloumi and mozzarella. Halloumi gives the salt and squeak of sulguni; mozzarella gives the stretch.
What should I watch for?
Eggs are eaten barely cooked. Use very fresh eggs.
Any tips from this recipe?
Drain the feta on paper first. Wet cheese makes a soggy channel. Smaller boats, about 15 cm, make a starter for a table of people. A little grated hard cheese mixed into the filling adds the sharpness that imeruli has and feta half does.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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