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Tushetian Kotori

Make Kotori, Tushetian thin stuffed flatbread filled with dry curds and clarified butter, then pan-cooked until golden

Georgian home recipeGeorgian dish
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Four browned Kotori flatbreads on a wooden plate beside a frying pan and clarified butter.
Yield4 generous kotori
Serving1 flatbread
DifficultyModerate
DietVegetarian; contains wheat (gluten) and milk
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The dish

About Tushetian Kotori

A thin, pan-cooked Tushetian flatbread filled with dry curds and clarified butter.

Kotori is a Tushetian filled bread made from very thin, unleavened dough. Its filling is based on aged curds or kalti, a dried Tushetian dairy product, mixed with clarified butter. The dough is sealed around the filling, rolled thin again and cooked on both sides in a pan.

The dough is deliberately simple: flour, milk, oil and salt, with no yeast. In Tusheti, kotori has been linked with ritual and hospitality customs, though the occasions and household practices vary. This version focuses on the widely described thin, stuffed, pan-cooked form.

This home recipe uses full-fat dry-curd cottage cheese when kalti is unavailable. Drain it well and mix it with clarified butter for a compact filling that stays inside the thin dough. Cook over moderate heat so both faces brown while the centre warms, then brush the hot breads with a little more butter.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Tushetian Kotori

Dough

  • 500 gwhite bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 250 mlpasteurized whole milk, warm but not hot
  • 50 mlneutral oil
  • 3 gfine salt

Curd filling

  • 500 gfull-fat dry-curd cottage cheese, drained or squeezed if wet
  • 3 gfine salt, only if the cheese is unsalted
  • 30 gclarified butter, melted and mixed into the curds

Cooking and finishing

  • 40 gclarified butter, for lightly greasing the pan and brushing the cooked kotori
Method

Method

  1. Make the dough. Mix the flour and 3 g salt. Add the oil and gradually work in the warm milk. Knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and firm. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

  2. Prepare the filling. If the cottage cheese is wet, drain or squeeze it until dry and crumbly. Mix with 30 g melted clarified butter and up to 3 g salt only if unsalted. Divide into four equal portions.

  3. Divide and roll. Divide the rested dough into four equal balls. Keep unused balls covered. On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball into a very thin round sheet about 1–2 mm thick.

  4. Fill and seal. Place one portion of filling in the centre. Draw the dough edges together over it and pinch the seam closed. Turn seam-side down and gently roll to a thin round about 18–20 cm across. Take care not to break through the dough. Repeat with the remaining portions.

  5. Pan-cook. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. Brush it lightly with some of the 40 g clarified butter. Cook one kotori at a time for about 2–3 minutes per side, turning once, until both faces have golden-brown patches and the thin dough is cooked through. Lower the heat if the surface browns before the filling warms.

  6. Butter and serve. Brush the hot kotori with a little of the remaining clarified butter. Stack briefly under a clean towel to keep them warm and supple, then serve hot.

  7. Cool and reheat leftovers. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours at or below 4°C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat until steaming and at least 74°C at the centre, checked with a food thermometer.

Practical guidance

Tips for success

  • Keep the dough covered during the rest and while you shape the kotori so it stays pliable.
  • Use a dry, crumbly curd filling; squeeze out excess liquid before mixing in clarified butter.
  • Roll gently after filling. If the dough breaks, patch the hole before placing it in the pan.
Practical guidance

Practical guidance

Keep the sheets thin but intact. Roll from the centre outward and turn the dough as you work. If a small hole appears after filling, patch it with a scrap of dough before cooking.

Adjust salt for the cheese. Kalti is usually salted, while cottage cheese can be mild. Add the measured filling salt only to unsalted curds, and taste a tiny cooked sample if you are unsure.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

  • Serving size: 1 of 4 kotori
  • Calories: About 880 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: About 102 g
  • Protein: About 29 g
  • Fat: About 39 g
  • Fibre: About 3 g
  • Sodium: About 1,000 mg

Approximate estimate for one kotori, using generic white bread flour, whole milk, neutral oil, full-fat cottage cheese, clarified butter and 6 g added salt. The batch estimate is divided by four. Kalti and cottage cheese vary in moisture, fat and salt, so actual values may differ.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat (gluten) and milk. Use pasteurized milk and keep cottage cheese refrigerated until preparation. Cook both faces until the thin dough is fully cooked and the filling is hot; if the outside browns too quickly, lower the heat. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours at or below 4°C, use within 3–4 days and reheat to at least 74°C at the centre with a food thermometer. Check product labels for other allergens and cross-contact.

The result

The result

  • The thin, browned dough wraps a compact, buttery curd filling.
  • A brief brush of clarified butter adds shine and a rich Tushetian finish.
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