Cooking time: 50 minutes
Prep time: 20 minutes
Portions: 12
Khachapuri was a popular street food in Moscow when I was a student. I used to buy this homemade pastry in college as I was walking back to the student dorm rooms. The Georgian clerk was always flirting with me in his southern accent, and offered to give me a ride home while giving me change. As it turned out, he had been flirting with all my girlfriends. Nevertheless, I had to stop buying this delicious pastry from that shop…..but many, many years later, I learned to make it on my own.
Khachapuri has many layers of puffed pastry dough with cheese filing in between. Here is my adaptation of this recipe: 2 layers of dough with one layer of filling. It takes some skill, but it is definitely worth the effort!
The essential ingredient for the dough is tvorog (Russian ricotta cheese). For the filling: suluguni cheese (lightly salted feta or mozzarella.) You can buy both of them at any Russian store or European Deli. If you don’t feel adventurous, just get ricotta for the dough and mild feta or Muenster cheese for filling.
Ingredients:
- 250 gram of tvorog or strained ricotta cheese
- 150 gram of soften butter
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 cups of flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 250 gram of suluguni
- 1 Tbsp of sour cream
- 1 clove of garlic, pressed
Directions
Make the dough first by mixing together soften butter, ricotta, one egg, salt and baking powder with a mixer on low. Finish by kneading the dough slightly on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in two parts and wrap with plastic. Place in fridge.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Grade the cheese in a medium size bowl, add one egg, 1 table spoon of sour cream and press the garlic clove. Mix thoroughly. You can do all the prep work a day ahead.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease the baking sheet. On a floured surface, roll one part of the dough. It usually rolls very smooth so don’t press too much to avoid making holes. Even if it happens you can start all over. I get mine about 22 inches in diameter, not too thin. Then I transfer it on the baking sheet with a roller pin.
Then spread the filling, leaving half inch space along the edges. Roll the second part of the dough same size as the previous one and place on top with the help of a roller pin as well.
Now pinch the edges together. Using pastry brush wash a lightly beaten egg and poke holes with fork here and there so the hot air can get away.
Bake for 40-45 minutes till the top gets golden brown.
Let it cool before serving. Khachapuri tastes great with any vegetable soup and sweet hot tea.