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Georgia · Samtskhe-Javakheti

Meskhetian Khachapuri

Make Meskhetian khachapuri, a turban-shaped Georgian cheese bread with thin hand-worked dough, clarified butter and a soft cheese centre

Georgian home recipeGeorgian dish
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Wide rustic board holding three individual coiled Meskhetian khachapuri, with a torn edge showing the cheese.
Yield6 generous individual khachapuri
ServingOne bread
DifficultyChallenging
DietVegetarian; contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg
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The dish

About Meskhetian Khachapuri

A flaky, turban-shaped cheese bread from Samtskhe, made with thin hand-worked dough, clarified butter and a stretchy cheese centre.

Meskhetian khachapuri, also called chalma khachapuri, is a regional Georgian cheese bread known for its fine layers and coiled shape. The dough is stretched very thin, brushed with fat, folded several times, then wrapped into a loose turban around the cheese filling.

The Samtskhe-Javakheti version is shaped differently from the familiar round Imeretian bread and the open Adjarian boat. Its layers come from repeated buttering and folding rather than puff pastry. Meskhetian cooks use local fats and cheeses such as tenili, chechili, chogi or kalti, often with fresh cheese as well.

This home version makes six generous breads with young sulguni and low-moisture mozzarella, a practical pairing when Meskhetian cheeses are not available. The thin dough bakes into crisp, buttery layers around a soft, stringy centre. Keep each portion covered as you work and bake until the thickest dough is cooked through.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Meskhetian Khachapuri

Dough

  • 500 gstrong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 3 ginstant yeast
  • 5 gfine salt
  • 250 mlwarm water, about 35–40°C
  • 1large egg, about 50 g without shell, beaten

Cheese filling

  • 250 gyoung sulguni, pasteurized and coarsely grated
  • 250 glow-moisture mozzarella, pasteurized and coarsely grated; use a dry block, not fresh mozzarella packed in liquid

Lamination

  • 200 gclarified butter, melted and warm

Glaze

  • 1egg yolk, about 18 g, beaten
  • 20 gfull-fat sour cream
Method

Method

  1. Mix and knead the dough. Stir the flour, yeast and salt together. Beat in the egg and gradually add the warm water. Knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and fairly firm. Cover and leave in a warm, draft-free place for 60 minutes, until visibly expanded.

  2. Divide and relax. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Keep the portions you are not using covered.

  3. Roll and fold. Roll one ball into a very thin rectangle, about 30 × 35 cm, stretching gently by hand if needed. Brush with about one-sixth of the warm clarified butter, fold in thirds, cover and rest for 7–8 minutes. Roll it out again, brush with another share of butter, fold crosswise and rest another 7–8 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and butter, covering each sheet so it does not dry.

  4. Coil and fill. Shape each folded piece into a loose coil or turban-like ring, leaving a pocket in the centre. Divide the grated cheeses into six equal mounds. Put one mound in each pocket, draw the dough over it and pinch the seam closed. Turn seam-side down and gently flatten to a round about 15–17 cm across. Make a small vent in the centre or prick the top several times with a fork.

  5. Glaze and heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the breads on parchment-lined baking sheets with space between them. Stir the egg yolk and sour cream together, then brush a thin coat over each top.

  6. Bake. Bake for about 18–22 minutes, rotating the sheets once if using two oven levels, until deeply golden and cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving warm.

  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 hot and at least 74°C in the centre, checked with a food thermometer.

Practical guidance

Tips for success

  • Keep dough balls and rolled sheets covered so their surfaces do not dry and crack.
  • Brush the dough lightly and evenly with warm clarified butter; let each fold rest briefly so it can relax before rolling again.
  • Seal the filling securely and make a small vent so steam can escape during baking.
Practical guidance

Practical guidance

Stretch without tearing. Let the dough relax under cover if it keeps shrinking as you roll. Lift and stretch the sheet gently from the edges; patch any small holes before brushing with butter.

Choose a dry, stretchy cheese. Meskhetian fresh cheese and tenili are traditional choices. Where they are unavailable, young sulguni and low-moisture mozzarella give a mild, stretchy filling. Drainage matters: watery cheese can make the centre wet before the layered dough is baked.

Use a dry filling. Grate the cheese while cold and keep it chilled until you shape the breads. If the cheese releases liquid, drain it well so the centre does not make the dough soggy.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

  • Serving size: 1 of 6 breads
  • Calories: About 880 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: About 66 g
  • Protein: About 31 g
  • Fat: About 53 g
  • Fibre: About 2 g
  • Sodium: About 900 mg

Approximate estimate for one bread, using generic strong white flour, egg and yolk, low-moisture mozzarella as the composition proxy for both cheeses, clarified butter, sour cream, yeast and all added salt. The batch estimate is divided by six. Cheese moisture, fat and sodium vary substantially, so the actual values will differ.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg. Use pasteurized commercial cheeses and sour cream, and keep them refrigerated until preparation. Bake the layered dough fully through; a browned top alone does not confirm that the centre is cooked. 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 additional allergens and cross-contact.

The result

The result

  • A thin, golden outer crust breaks into buttery layers around a soft cheese filling.
  • The coiled shape and regional cheese pairing distinguish this Meskhetian bread from other Georgian khachapuri styles.
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