About Kakhetian Dedas Puri (Shotis Puri), Home-Oven Adaptation
დედას პური · 2 loaves · Easy · 2 hours 10 minutes
Dedas puri means “mother’s bread”; Georgia Travel also uses the name shoti for the long Kakhetian loaf. Its recognizable form is slender and gently curved, with pointed ends and one edge fuller than the other. The traditional bread is slapped onto the hot inner wall of a deep, cylindrical clay tone oven and lifted off when baked. This recipe keeps the elongated shape and simple, savoury character while adapting the dough and baking surface for a household oven.
The dough here is a practical yeast-raised version made with bread flour, water and salt. It is kneaded until elastic, allowed to rise, then divided and shaped into two long loaves. A thoroughly preheated baking stone or steel gives the base strong initial heat. The result can be crisp and well browned, but it is not tone-baked and will not have exactly the same crust or aroma as bread cooked against the clay wall.
Use a peel to move each loaf onto the hot stone or steel, and bake them one at a time so there is room to load safely. The centre is kept relatively flat with shallow dimples while the edges remain more raised. Serve the bread warm, tearing it by hand. In Kakheti it is also enjoyed with fresh sunflower oil; bread flour varies in absorption, so hold back a spoonful of water if the dough feels unusually slack, or wet your hands lightly if it feels stiff.
