One of the peak experiences of my adult life was accompanying a friend from college to the Republic of Georgia when she adopted a baby girl. In addition to seeing my friend realize her dream of being a mother, the breads of Georgia were a revelation. Some were flatbreads baked on the sides of giant tandoors. Khachapuris were cheese-filled breads. Some were similar to calzones, others open-faced. We devoured them all.
Last Saturday we were downtown and passed the Georgian coffee house we found back in April. Julian turned to me and asked, “So when are you going to make me a khachapuri?” I resisted the urge to exclaim, “Poof! You’re a khachapuri!” However, the thought of trying it grew until yesterday morning when I had a day off for the July 4 holiday.
Yeast Mode needed to be fed, so I used the discard to create a sponge. After a bike ride, I finished the dough with a little added yeast. The dough rose a couple of times, then I made the cheese filling by mixing together some mashed goat and sheep cheese, grated Monterey Jack, the dregs of some bleu cheese, beaten egg, and sour cream. I shaped the bread dough into the traditional boat shape and filled the middle with the cheese. After about 30 minutes of rising, I baked it at 375° for 30 minutes. Julian liked it so much that he thought that I should use this “recipe” for future pizza crusts.
Dinner was also in a Georgian theme. I grilled some chicken and slathered it at the end with tkemali, a Georgian sour plum sauce. I’d bought a bottle at Skalka in April. Quite tasty.
Yes, that’s the Georgian language underneath the Russian.
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