Name: Lechkhumi Lobiani: Georgian Bean Bread with Walnut and Tkemali
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 16 h 20 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 300 g dried red kidney beans, sorted, rinsed, soaked at least 12 hours and drained; About 2.4 L water, for soaking and simmering; use additional water as needed; 180 g yellow onion, finely diced; 15 ml neutral oil, for the onion; 70 g walnuts, finely ground; 10 g garlic, finely grated; 5 g ground coriander seed, preferably freshly ground; 2 g ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli), optional; do not substitute ordinary fenugreek; 2 g freshly ground black pepper; 60 g tkemali, added gradually; check the label for ingredients and cross-contact; 15 g fresh cilantro, finely chopped; 10 g fine salt, divided: 6 g for the filling and up to 4 g to adjust the beans; 600 g all-purpose wheat flour, plus a little for dusting; 360 ml warm water, about 38°C/100°F; 7 g instant yeast; 8 g granulated sugar; 8 g fine salt; 30 ml neutral oil, for the dough; 15 ml neutral oil, for brushing the hot breads

Wide view of whole and sliced Lechkhumi lobiani on a wooden table, with tkemali, walnuts and a mountain view.

Yield2 medium round breads, cut into 12 wedges

Serving basis6 servings, 2 wedges each

DifficultyModerate; shaping a generous bean filling takes a light touch

Dietary classificationMeat-free; contains wheat and walnuts

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The dish

About Lechkhumi Lobiani: Georgian Bean Bread with Walnut and Tkemali

Lobiani is Georgian bean-filled bread associated with Racha-Lechkhumi. Racha's best-known version often includes smoked ham, while Lechkhumi's lechkhumurad is a bean-filled bread baked in a tone, a deep clay oven; versions may be meat-free or include ham. This recipe is a meat-free home version with red beans, walnuts and tkemali, and family recipes vary.

The filling should taste boldly seasoned and feel thick enough to stay inside the dough. Mash the beans while they are hot, then mix in the softened onion, finely ground walnuts and plum sauce. Add tkemali gradually because products vary in acidity and salt. Cool the filling until it is no longer steaming before you shape the breads, or the dough may soften and tear.

A preheated baking stone or steel helps the base set quickly and brown well in a home oven. Keep the dough evenly thick, seal it fully around the filling and flatten with your hands rather than pressing hard with a rolling pin. A small vent lets steam escape; a few shallow slits help the bread bake evenly. A tone oven is not required for this home method.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Bean filling

300 gdried red kidney beans, sorted, rinsed, soaked at least 12 hours and drained
About 2.4 L water, for soaking and simmering; use additional water as needed
180 gyellow onion, finely diced
15 mlneutral oil, for the onion
70 gwalnuts, finely ground
10 ggarlic, finely grated
5 gground coriander seed, preferably freshly ground
2 gground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli), optional; do not substitute ordinary fenugreek
2 gfreshly ground black pepper
60 gtkemali, added gradually; check the label for ingredients and cross-contact
15 gfresh cilantro, finely chopped
10 gfine salt, divided: 6 g for the filling and up to 4 g to adjust the beans

Yeasted dough and finish

600 gall-purpose wheat flour, plus a little for dusting
360 mlwarm water, about 38°C/100°F
7 ginstant yeast
8 ggranulated sugar
8 gfine salt
30 mlneutral oil, for the dough
15 mlneutral oil, for brushing the hot breads

Method

Soak and cook the beans. Soak the beans in plenty of water for at least 12 hours. Drain, cover with fresh water and bring to a vigorous boil. Keep the beans at a full boil for at least 10 minutes, then lower to a steady simmer and cook until completely tender, about 60–90 minutes depending on age and variety. Do not cook raw dried kidney beans only in a slow cooker. Drain very well, reserving a little cooking liquid, and mash the beans coarsely while hot.
Mix the dough and season the filling. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and 8 g salt in a large bowl. Pour in the warm water and 30 ml oil; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes. While it rises, cook the onion in 15 ml oil over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 8–10 minutes. Stir it into the hot mashed beans with the walnuts, garlic, coriander, blue fenugreek if using, pepper, tkemali and cilantro. Add 6 g salt, taste, then add up to 4 g more as needed. The filling should be cohesive and spreadable, not wet. Cool until no longer steaming.
Fill and bake. Heat the oven and baking stone or steel to 240°C/465°F for at least 35 minutes. Divide the dough and filling into two equal portions. Shape one dough portion into a round, place one portion of filling in the centre and bring the edges up to enclose it. Pinch the seam closed, turn seam-side down and press gently into a 25–27 cm round of even thickness. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Rest the rounds seam-side down for 15 minutes. Make a small central vent and a few shallow slits in each top. Bake one loaf at a time until golden and cooked through, about 20–23 minutes; rotate if your oven browns unevenly.
Finish and serve. Brush the hot breads lightly with the remaining 15 ml oil and rest for 10 minutes so the filling settles. Cut each bread into six wedges and serve warm with extra tkemali if desired. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or below; keep covered for 3–4 days and reheat until steaming hot.

Excerpt

Bake two soft, golden lobiani filled with tender red beans, onion, walnuts and plum tkemali. This meat-free home version uses a simple yeasted dough and a hot baking stone; soak and fully boil the beans before mashing.

Practical guidance

Success points

Soak dried kidney beans for at least 12 hours, then boil vigorously for 10 minutes before lowering the heat. Do not put raw dried kidney beans straight into a slow cooker.
Drain the cooked beans thoroughly and keep the filling thick; reserve a spoonful of cooking liquid only if the mash needs loosening.
Grind the walnuts finely so they season the beans without making the filling chunky or difficult to seal.
Let the filling cool until it is no longer steaming before placing it in the dough.
Heat the baking stone or steel for at least 35 minutes so the bottom crust begins baking as soon as the loaf lands.

Practical guidance

Start the bean soak the evening before. You can cook the beans and make the filling while the dough rises, but let the filling cool before shaping.
If the mash is too stiff to spread, add reserved bean liquid 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is loose, cook it briefly over low heat, stirring, until excess moisture evaporates; cool it again before filling.
If you do not have a baking stone or steel, preheat an inverted heavy baking sheet for 30 minutes. Slide the bread onto it on parchment and watch the browning closely.
Tkemali varies by brand. Start with less if the sauce is very sharp or salty, then adjust after tasting the filling.
Some Lechkhumurad versions include ham, but this version is meat-free. If you add ham, keep it separate from the base recipe and recalculate salt and nutrition.

Troubleshooting

The dough tears around the filling: the filling may be too hot or the dough stretched too thin. Cool the filling fully and leave a slightly thicker rim before gathering the dough.
The filling leaks: it may be too wet or the seam may not be pinched closed. Drain the beans well, evaporate excess moisture over low heat and seal the seam firmly before flattening.
The base stays pale: preheat the stone or steel for the full 35 minutes and bake on the lower-middle rack.
The top browns before the centre is baked: lower the oven to 220°C/425°F and continue until the dough is baked through; loosely cover the top if needed.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 2 wedges, one-sixth of the two-bread batch
Calories: About 720 kcal
Carbohydrate: About 116 g
Protein: About 25 g
Fat: About 19 g
Dietary fibre: About 17 g
Sodium: About 1,300 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat (gluten) and walnuts (tree nuts). Check the yeast and tkemali labels for additional declared allergens or cross-contact. Soak dried red kidney beans for at least 12 hours and boil them vigorously for at least 10 minutes before simmering until fully tender; do not cook raw dried kidney beans only in a slow cooker. Handle the beans and dough with clean hands and utensils. Refrigerate leftover bread within 2 hours at 4°C or below, use within 3–4 days and reheat until steaming hot.

To finish

Serve the wedges warm, with the plum tang of tkemali beside the savoury bean and walnut filling.
For a neat slice, let the bread rest for 10 minutes after baking so the soft filling can settle.

About Lechkhumi Lobiani: Georgian Bean Bread with Walnut and Tkemali

Ingredients

Bean filling

Yeasted dough and finish

Method

Excerpt

Success points

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

To finish

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