Megruli Khachapuri

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbwheat flourall-purpose
• 1⅛ cupsmilklukewarm, partly replaceable with water
• waterlukewarm, as part of the liquid (optional)
• ¼ ozdry yeastor fresh yeast
• ⅓ ozsugarto feed the yeast
• ⅓ ozsalt
• 2⅔ tbspvegetable oilfor dough, bowl and hands
• 1¾ ozbutterin the dough and for brushing the baked breads
• 1⅛ lbsulguni cheesecoarsely grated; keep about 150 g for the topping
• 8¾ ozImeretian cheesesubstitute mild feta with mozzarella
• 2eggone binds the cheese filling, one for dough or egg wash
• 5¼ ozmatsonimakes the dough softer and tangy (optional)
• Ground coriandercilantro, finely chopped, in the filling (optional)

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk — you can swap part of it for lukewarm water — and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the surface is foamy.
2. Mix the flour with the salt, add the yeast mixture, the vegetable oil or soft butter and, if you like, an egg and the matsoni. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, supple and barely sticks to your hands.
3. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in volume.
4. Coarsely grate the sulguni and the Imeretian cheese and mix them, setting aside a portion of the sulguni for the topping. Work an egg into the filling, along with finely chopped cilantro if you want it, until the mixture holds together.
5. Knock the risen dough back, divide it into equal pieces and let them rest briefly. Roll out each piece into a circle with a rolling pin, or stretch it with oiled hands.
6. Pile the cheese mixture into the middle, draw the edges up over it and pinch them tightly shut. Turn the parcel seam side down and gently roll or press it out with your palms into a flat round.
7. Cut a small hole or a few slits in the top so steam can escape, brush the surface with beaten egg if you like, and scatter over the reserved grated sulguni.
8. Bake the breads on a preheated tray or in a hot pan in the oven at 180 to 480 °F for 10 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and the cheese on top is bubbling and molten.
9. Brush the hot breads with butter, let them settle for a moment and serve at once — traditionally on a round wooden board with a handle.

Tips and variations

Instead of the oven you can bake the bread in a non-stick pan on both sides, scattering the topping cheese on when you flip it; in the oven, you can also add that cheese only a few minutes before the end of baking. For a yeast-free version, make a dough from curd cheese with kefir and baking soda, or from matsoni, curd cheese and oat flour — and if you're in a hurry, shop-bought yeast dough does the job. The dough also works with matsoni and melted butter rather than oil alone, and in Georgian villages it has always been stretched by hand, with no rolling pin at all. The filling can be made with sulguni only or Imeretian cheese only, with chopped herbs or without. Serve it hot, with matsoni or a hot drink alongside.