Imeretian Khachapuri

Prepare all the ingredients for Imeretian khachapuri according to the list.

To allow the dough to rise faster, it is advisable to make a sponge. For this, dissolve the yeast, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of flour in warm milk (in cold, the yeast will not work, and in hot, above 50 degrees, they will cease to function). Use a whisk to break up all lumps and leave the mixture on the table covered with a towel.

After about 10-15 minutes, the sponge will be bubbly and rise.

Immediately in the mixing bowl, stir the salted eggs.

Melt the butter intended for the dough, and when it cools down, pour it into the egg mixture.

Transfer the sponge here as well.

Sifting it through a sieve, add all the flour at once - with this amount, the dough will not be too stiff.

Immediately, while there is a lot of liquid in the mixture, stir the dough with a spoon.

Next, transfer the semi-finished dough onto the table and start kneading it by hand, stretching it over the surface, lifting it, and gathering the sticky mass into a ball again. Gradually, after about 7-10 minutes, the dough will become smooth and homogeneous, and will nearly stop sticking to hands.

Place it in an oiled bowl, where it will proof.

The most suitable microclimate for yeast dough is a warm, non-dry environment. Therefore, it is better to place it under a cover in the microwave. Also place a cup of boiling water there, the heat and steam of which will help the yeast work faster.

After one and a half hours, the dough will rise and double in size.

It’s time for the filling - grate all kinds of cheese coarsely and mix.

Divide the mass into 4 parts, then shape each into a ball. The oven can already be preheated to 190 degrees.

Pinch off 1/4 of the dough, form a ball, and flatten it with your palms into a small flatbread, the diameter of which is slightly larger than that of the cheese ball. Dust the working surface and hands with flour.

Place the ball of filling in the center of the flatbread.

Lifting the edges of the dough over the cheese ball, pinch them together at one point.

Turn the flatbread seam-side down and gently start to flatten it by hand, evenly distributing the cheese throughout the circle.

Then take a rolling pin and roll out the dough to a thickness of 10-15 mm, being careful not to tear the dough, as most of the filling will leak out through openings.

Make a small hole in the center for steam to escape.

Transfer the dough onto a lined baking sheet. Dilute the yolk with a spoon of water and stir. Grease the top side of the flatbread with it.

Bake the khachapuri for 15 minutes - the dough should be baked but not dried out.

Once you take the product out of the oven, immediately soak it with butter.

Stack the Imeretian khachapuri on top of each other. The dough of the hot flatbreads is soft, it simply steams, and the cheese palette, uniting into a whole, is simply delightful. Imeretian khachapuri can be eaten cold or hot, with any dishes or even separately. Undoubtedly, this is the most delicious flatbread that must be tried!