Name: Megruli Khachapuri
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for dusting; 250 mL whole milk, warm at about 35–38 °C; 7 g instant dry yeast; 8 g sugar; 6 g fine salt; 25 mL neutral sunflower oil; 400 g fresh, mild Georgian chkinti-style cheese, pasteurized, drained and coarsely grated or crumbled; 1 large egg, about 50 g without shell, beaten; 150 g pasteurized Sulguni cheese, coarsely grated; 1 egg yolk, beaten and mixed with the topping cheese; 20 g unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the exposed crust after baking

A round Megrelian cheese bread with a browned Sulguni topping and a wedge revealing the inner cheese.

Yield1 large khachapuri, 6 servings

Serving basisone-sixth of a 28 cm bread, cut into six wedges

DifficultyIntermediate

Dietary classificationVegetarian; contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg

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The dish

About Megruli Khachapuri

Soft milk dough seals a fresh, mild cheese filling inside this round khachapuri from Samegrelo, while grated Sulguni and egg yolk form its golden top. One large bread cuts into six wedges for a shared meal.

Megruli Khachapuri (მეგრული ხაჭაპური) is the Samegrelo version of Georgia's much-loved cheese bread. Its defining feature is cheese in two places: fresh cheese inside the soft dough and a second layer of Sulguni on top. Older Samegrelo preparations use a soft dough kneaded with milk or whey, fresh chkinti cheese inside, and Sulguni on top, sometimes mixed with egg yolk. This home-oven recipe follows that double-cheese identity while using a practical round, sealed shape.

Keep the dough soft and slightly tacky so it stretches around the filling without tearing. Let it rise until roughly doubled, then seal the edges completely and flatten the filled round gently. A small steam vent helps release pressure as the cheese heats.

Use fresh, mild Georgian chkinti-style cheese for the filling and reserve Sulguni for the top. Brined cheeses vary in salt, so taste them before mixing and do not add salt to the filling. The centre contains egg; bake until it reaches 71 °C / 160 °F on a clean instant-read thermometer. Brush the exposed crust with butter after baking, then rest the bread briefly before cutting so the hot filling can settle.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Megruli Khachapuri: Georgian Double-Cheese Bread

Milk dough

400 gall-purpose flour, plus a little extra for dusting
250 mLwhole milk, warm at about 35–38 °C
7 ginstant dry yeast
8 gsugar
6 gfine salt
25 mLneutral sunflower oil

Cheese filling

400 gfresh, mild Georgian chkinti-style cheese, pasteurized, drained and coarsely grated or crumbled
1large egg, about 50 g without shell, beaten

Sulguni topping and finish

150 gpasteurized Sulguni cheese, coarsely grated
1egg yolk, beaten and mixed with the topping cheese
20 gunsalted butter, melted, for brushing the exposed crust after baking

Method

Mix and knead the dough. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm milk and sunflower oil and mix to a soft dough. Knead on a clean work surface for about 8 minutes, until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. If it feels dry, wet your hands rather than adding a large amount of extra flour.
Let the dough rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave in a warm, draft-free place for about 70 minutes, until roughly doubled in volume.
Prepare the filling and heat the oven. Grate or crumble the fresh chkinti-style cheese and mix it with the beaten whole egg. Keep the Sulguni separate for the top. Set a heavy baking tray on the middle rack and heat the oven to 220 °C.
Fill and shape. Turn the risen dough onto lightly floured parchment and roll it into a circle about 30 cm wide. Pile the cheese filling in the centre, leaving a wide border. Gather the dough edges over the cheese and pinch firmly to seal. Turn the bread seam-side down, then gently flatten it to about 28 cm. Make a small steam vent in the centre with the tip of a knife.
Add the Sulguni topping. Mix the grated Sulguni with the beaten egg yolk. Spread it evenly over the top, leaving the outer dough rim exposed. Press the cheese lightly so it adheres.
Bake until cooked through. Slide the parchment and khachapuri onto the hot tray. Bake at 220 °C for 20–25 minutes, until the dough rim is deep golden and the top cheese is melted with golden spots. Through the steam vent, check the centre of the egg-containing filling with a clean instant-read thermometer; it must reach 71 °C / 160 °F. If the topping browns first, loosely cover the bread with foil and continue baking.
Butter, rest and serve. Brush the exposed crust with all 20 g melted butter. Rest the bread for 5 minutes, then cut into six wedges and serve warm.

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Serve warm after the short rest, cut into six wedges. Megruli Khachapuri is rich, so fresh vegetables or other Georgian dishes make useful optional accompaniments; they are not included in the yield or nutrition estimate.

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered shallow container at 4 °C or below within 2 hours. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat individual wedges in a dry skillet over medium-low heat or in a 180 °C oven until hot throughout. A skillet or oven keeps the base crisper than a microwave.

For advance preparation, mix the dough the night before and refrigerate it covered. Let it warm until pliable before shaping. Grate and refrigerate the cheeses separately, then assemble shortly before baking. Baked, cooled wedges can be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month for best quality; thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.

If fresh chkinti-style cheese is unavailable, use 300 g low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella plus 100 g feta for the filling. Replace Sulguni with low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella. These are practical substitutes, not Georgian cheeses. Taste the cheeses first; their salt levels vary, so the filling needs no extra salt.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: one-sixth of the large bread, including filling, Sulguni topping and butter finish
Calories: 610 kcal
Carbohydrate: 54 g
Protein: 28 g
Fat: 30 g
Fibre: 2 g
Sodium: 1,050 mg

Allergens and food safety

This recipe contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg. Use pasteurized cheeses and eggs. Keep raw egg and flour away from ready-to-eat food, wash hands and equipment after handling them, and clean the thermometer probe before and after checking the filling.

Bake the egg-containing filling to at least 71 °C / 160 °F, checked at the centre with a food thermometer. Refrigerate cooked leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours, hold them at 4 °C or below and use within 3–4 days.

Closing

A soft milk dough, fresh cheese filling and golden Sulguni topping give this Samegrelo khachapuri its signature double-cheese character.
Seal the dough well, check the egg-containing centre reaches 71 °C / 160 °F, and rest the bread for 5 minutes before cutting.