Khachapuri, Georgian Cheese, Bread and Egg Awesomeness

I could be Georgian. According to a 2009 survey, 88% of Georgians prefer khachapuri to pizza. If being Georgian meant that I would always get to consume a dish filled with runny rich eggs, doughy baked bread, and gooey cheesy deliciousness, then dammit, call me Georgian. By Georgian I don’t mean that state north of Florida either, I mean the Republic of Georgia located right in the middle of Europe and Asia. Such simple yet fabulous cuisine.

I ran across a recipe from my favorite blogger, Lady and Pups, specific to this dish. It took me a while to get around to making it with baby Arya monopolizing so much of my time these days. It is a pretty tall order to add new recipes to my repertoire being a new dad and all. Really the dish is as easy as could be, if you’ve made pizza before you can make khachapuri. You prepare a dough, make a thick bechamel laced with tons of cheese, form the dough, spread some salty oily tapenade on the dough, fill with cheese mixture, bake and top with a raw egg yolk, at least that’s the version I made. Depending on the region, the make up of the dish will vary, just like pizza. Heh.

You can adapt this any way you please and it will be phenomenal. I added some pink peppercorn on top along with the grated nutmeg.

-note to self, I NEED TO MAKE THIS AGAIN SOON!

Here are the steps I used from Lady and Pups (note I separated this into 3 portions and baked them on my Baking Steel):

THE DOUGH:

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270 grams) whole milk
• 2 tsp instant dried yeast
• 2 tbsp (27 grams) olive oil
• 3 cups (400 grams) bread flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

THE CHEESE FILLING:

• 2 tbsp (28 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp (16 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (183 grams) whole milk, cold
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to top
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups (320 grams) of equal parts of shredded gruyere, gouda and dried mozzarella cheese
• 4~6 tbsp store-bought or homemade tapenade/black olive pesto

TO FINISH:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• Chili flakes to sprinkle

Instructions

1. TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Warm whole milk in the microwave for 40~50 seconds until it’s warm to the touch (but doesn’t burn, around 110F/45C). Stir in the instant dried yeast and let sit for 10 min until dissolved, then add the olive oil to the milk. In a large bowl, or stand-mixer bowl with dough-hook, combine bread flour, sugar and salt. Add the warm milk-mixture then knead for 3 min until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover the bowl with plastic-wrap and let proof for 2 hours at a warm place until doubled.
2. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide in half. Fold the dough over itself a couple times, then shape them into 2 balls. Cover with plastic-wrap or a large bowl, and let proof again for 30~40 min. The dough should expand again but not doubled.
3. TO MAKE THE CHEESE FILLING: While the dough is proofing, cook/stir unsalted butter and all-purpose flour in a pot over medium heat for 1 min. Add the cold milk and whisk the mixture continuously until it starts to simmer and thicken. The consistency should be like mayonnaise. Add the grated nutmeg then season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Let the sauce COOL COMPLETELY, then evenly mix in the shredded cheese (the cheese should not melt). Set aside.
4. If you’re making your own tapenade: In a food-processor, combine 1 1/4 cup (155 grams) pitted black or green olives, 6 tbsp (80 grams) extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp (15 grams) raisins, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 fillets of anchovy, 3/4 tsp white wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Puree the mixture as smoothly/finely as you can. Taste and season with salt if needed. Set aside.
5. TO MAKE BAKE THE BREAD: Preheat the oven on 500F/250C, with a pizza-stone or large inverted cast-iron skillet in the middle.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large oval with pointy tips, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Rub 2~3 tbsp of tapenade over the dough, then pile 1/2 of the cheese-mixture across the middle. Fold the dough over to partially cover the cheese, then bring the 2 ends together and tuck the tips underneath itself, then pinch at the bottom so it sticks. Repeat with the second one.
7. Slide the parchment with the bread on top, onto the pizza-stone or inverted cast-iron skillet. Bake for 10 min until golden browned on all sides. Place a large egg yolk, and 2 tbsp of unsalted butter in the center of each bread, then grate a bit of nutmeg and sprinkle some chili flakes over the top (plus some flake-y sea salt if needed).
8. To serve, stir the yolk into the cheese and dig in.