Khachapuri is one of the most famous Georgian dishes. This type of pastry is baked from dough based on yogurt, yogurt or sour cream and stuffed with a lot of cheese. Khachapuri can be in the form of a cheesecake or flatbread, an open boat pie, or a small pizza. The appearance and filling of products varies depending on the region. For example, Mengrelian khachapuri are prepared with a lot of suluguni or feta cheese, which serve not only as a filling, but also as a decoration for the finished product.
Features of Mingrelian khachapuri
Classic Georgian khachapuri are baked on the basis of yogurt. This fermented milk product provides the dough with the necessary taste and texture - very delicate and viscous. When preparing khachapuri, strictly observe the proportions of the ingredients - flour, fermented milk products, eggs. Another important point is the amount of cheese. In khachapuri, it is cheese that is the main element of the dish; its weight should be about twice as much as flour.
For Megrelian khachapuri, use only feta cheese or suluguni. European hard cheeses will distort the taste of the dish.
The main feature of Mingrelian khachapuri is their shape. These products are made in the form of a flat round pie stuffed with cheese. On top of the khachapuri it is smeared with an egg and sprinkled with another portion of cheese to form a golden brown crust. Products are baked on charcoal or on a regular stove, but you can cook khachapuri in the oven as well.
Today, khachapuri is prepared not only from unleavened yogurt-based dough, but also from puff or yeast dough.
Delicious khachapuri: the secrets of Mingrelian cuisine
Make classic Mingrelian khachapuri from unleavened dough. If the yogurt is not at hand, replace it with fresh yogurt (preferably homemade). For more airiness of the dough, soda is added to it, but if you do not like the characteristic taste, exclude it from the recipe.
You will need:
- 1 glass of yogurt;
- 2 cups of flour;
- 2 eggs;
- 0.5 teaspoon of baking soda;
- 0.25 teaspoon of salt;
- 500 g feta cheese or suluguni;
- 1 egg for lubrication;
- 1 tablespoon of butter.
In a deep bowl, combine yogurt, eggs, salt and baking soda. Pour in the sifted flour in portions. Knead a very light dough - it should come off your hands, but not too dry.
Take care of the stuffing. If the cheese is too salty, cut it into medium-sized chunks and place in cold water for 2 hours. Then drain the water, grate the cheese on a coarse grater. Set aside some for sprinkling.
Roll the dough into a cake, put the cheese filling in the center. Pinch the edges carefully, and then roll the khachapuri with a rolling pin, giving it the shape of a cake. Place the product in a greased frying pan, make a hole in the center of the cake. Beat the egg and brush over the surface of the khachapuri, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Preheat oven to 220 ° C and place a frying pan in it. Bake the khachapuri for about 20 minutes, then brush with butter and serve hot.
