Georgian Khachapuri

An eggless version of Khachapuri, a Georgian cheese-stuffed bread with spinach!

An eggless, spinach version of Khachapuri, a Georgian cheese-stuffed bread!

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 45

Makes: 4 individual breads

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Ingredients

For the bread
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more if needed
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast*
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp oil
For the filling
200 gms mozzarella shredded*
150 gms ricotta
1 large bunch of fresh spinach chopped (about 300 gms)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic crushed
Butter salt and pepper, as needed

Instructions

First, make the dough. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand-mixer, combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Stir to combine.
In a separate bowl or saucepan, combine the milk and water and heat just till you can comfortably dip a finger in it, about lukewarm. Pour the warm liquid into the flour mixture.
Knead the dough using the dough hook (or your hands, though it will take longer), until it is almost smooth and elastic, though it will still be a little sticky. Pour in the oil and continue kneading. I needed to add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of flour at this stage, if your dough feels too oily or sticky, you may need to as well.
Knead the dough till it is completely smooth and soft, then turn out onto a lightly floured counter and shape into a ball. Lightly oil the mixing bowl, pop the dough back in and cover with clingfilm. Set aside to double for 1 to 3 hours, depending on the warmth in your kitchen. You can also turn the oven to 100C for a few seconds, turn it off and place the bowl inside to kickstart the rise.
While the dough is rising, combine the mozzarella and ricotta in a small bowl and set aside.
In a shallow pan on low heat, melt 1 tbsp butter and add the garlic. Fry till lightly golden, then add the spinach and cook till it's wilted and darkened. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Once the dough has doubled, press it down lightly with your fingers, cover again with clingfilm and set aside for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220 C.
Now transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface or silicone mat (for easy clean-up). Cut into 4 equal parts. Roll each part out into a roughly 9" circle, preferably on a silicon baking mat which you can transfer easily to a baking tray.
Roll the edges of the circle inwards and twist the ends together to create a 'boat' shape.
Fill the center with 1/4th of the cheese mixture, then top with 1/4th of the spinach. Slide the mat onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, rotating the tray halfway for even browning. I turned my oven to the broil setting for a couple of minutes for a little extra browning. For a little bit of a glaze on the crust, mix 1 tbsp cream with 1 tsp water, then brush it onto the edges.
Repeat with the remaining three portions of dough and dive in!

Notes

*Use a finer yeast like Kitchenart or Blossom if possible. Bluebird tends to have larger yeast granules and doesn't dissolve as easily. I've seen all of them on Big Basket. More details in the blog post above.

*Avoid using pre-shredded mozzarella, it generally comes with a coating to prevent it from sticking in the bag, and that causes the cheese to brown too fast in the oven and not become melty. It is best tob uy a block of mozzarella and shred it at home.

*Prep-time does not include rise time.