Name: Penovani Khachapuri
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 54 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 500 g chilled, ready-rolled unsweetened puff pastry (2 sheets); 200 g Imeretian cheese, drained if wet and crumbled; 200 g sulguni, coarsely grated; 1 large egg (about 50 g), cold; 15 ml cold water

Golden penovani cheese pastries, including one cut open, in a wide table view.

Yield8 pastries

Serving basis1 square pastry, about 115–125 g baked

DifficultyModerate; keep pastry cold and seal the folds carefully

Dietary classificationContains wheat/gluten, milk and egg

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The dish

About Penovani Khachapuri

Georgian flaky cheese pastries · ფენოვანი ხაჭაპური · Makes 8 · Moderate · 54 minutes

Penovani khachapuri belongs to Georgia’s wide family of cheese breads. Its defining feature is flaky, layered pastry rather than soft yeasted dough. The name points to those layers. The pastries are often folded into compact squares or envelopes, making them easy to bake individually and serve warm.

The pastry may be laminated by hand, but chilled ready-rolled puff pastry is a useful home-kitchen route to the same crisp, lifting layers. This version fills eight small squares with Imeretian cheese and sulguni. Imeretian cheese brings a mild, crumbly body; sulguni melts into a more elastic centre. Their saltiness varies, so the filling needs no added salt.

Some accounts associate penovani with Samtskhe-Javakheti, while cheese-filled puff-pastry versions are documented more widely. Bakery shapes and fillings vary. Dill appears in one modern published version; other home recipes use different cheese blends or a large covered pie. This recipe keeps to a plain cheese filling and individual square folds, so it is distinct from round Imeretian or boat-shaped Adjarian khachapuri.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Georgian flaky cheese pastries · ფენოვანი ხაჭაპური · Makes 8 · Moderate · 54 minutes

Makes 8

500 gchilled, ready-rolled unsweetened puff pastry (2 sheets)
200 gImeretian cheese, drained if wet and crumbled
200 gsulguni, coarsely grated
1large egg (about 50 g), cold
15 mlcold water

Method

Heat the oven and tray. Set a conventional oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Put a heavy baking sheet on the middle rack while the oven heats. Lay baking parchment on a flat board or a second tray for assembly.
Prepare the cheese and egg wash. Combine the crumbled Imeretian cheese and grated sulguni in a bowl. Beat the cold egg with the water in a small bowl. Keep it refrigerated until needed; it will seal the pastry and glaze the tops.
Cut the pastry. Work with one sheet at a time and keep the second chilled. Lightly roll each 250 g sheet to about 24 × 24 cm and 3 mm thick. Cut each into four 12 cm squares, eight total. If the pastry softens or turns sticky, chill it for 10 minutes before filling.
Fill and fold. Put 50 g cheese mixture in the centre of each square, keeping the edges clear. Brush the edges lightly with beaten egg. Bring the four corners to the centre so they overlap, then pinch the seams firmly closed. Place each square seam-side down on the parchment. Cut two small vents through the top of each pastry so steam can escape.
Glaze and bake. Brush the tops with remaining egg wash. Transfer the parchment and pastries onto the hot baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 22–26 minutes, rotating the sheet after 14 minutes, until the pastry has risen into distinct layers and is deep golden on top and underneath. Seams should remain closed and cheese should be hot. Check a centre pastry with a clean instant-read thermometer; the filling should reach at least 71°C.
Rest briefly. Move pastries to a rack and leave them for 5 minutes. Serve warm; the filling will be very hot straight from the oven.

Excerpt

Crisp, layered pastry encloses Imeretian cheese and sulguni in these Georgian penovani khachapuri. Chilled ready-made puff pastry makes the folded squares practical for a home oven.

Practical guidance

Keep pastry cold and handle it briefly. Warm pastry stretches and sticks, and its butter layers can merge before they reach the oven. If a sheet tears, press the tear closed with a small pastry patch and pinch the seam; do not patch with extra cheese.

A little cheese escaping is harmless, but an open seam can drain much of the filling. Keep each mound compact, leave a clear border, and press the four folds together rather than laying them over one another. Two small vents let steam escape without opening the envelope.

Bake on a fully heated, sturdy tray for a crisp base. If the tops brown before the layers have lifted, lower the tray one rack and continue until the sides and bottom are crisp. Ovens and pastry thickness vary, so use the visual cues together with the thermometer check.

These pastries are at their flakiest soon after baking. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, refrigerate in a shallow covered container at or below 4°C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 180°C until crisp and hot throughout; check that the centre reaches 74°C. A microwave warms the cheese but softens the layers. Do not leave egg-glazed pastries at room temperature for an extended serving period.

For the most Georgian-forward flavour, use Imeretian cheese with sulguni. If unavailable, firm low-moisture mozzarella with a smaller share of feta can approximate the mild, stretchy and salty balance, but changes the flavour and sodium. Keep the same total cheese weight; do not add salt unless the cheese tastes mild.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 pastry, about 115–125 g baked
Calories: approximately 500 kcal
Carbohydrate: 31 g
Protein: 16 g
Fat: 34 g
Fibre: 1 g
Sodium: approximately 590 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg. Check packaged pastry and cheese labels for additional allergens and cross-contact statements. Keep raw egg and chilled pastry refrigerated, wash hands and utensils after handling egg, and do not taste uncooked pastry dough. Bake until risen and deeply golden, then verify that a centre pastry reaches at least 71°C at the filling. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4°C, use within 3–4 days and reheat throughout to 74°C.

Closing notes

Expect eight crisp, square pastries with a soft, savoury Georgian cheese centre.
Cold pastry, firmly pinched folds and a fully heated baking sheet help the layers rise and stay crisp.

About Penovani Khachapuri

Ingredients

Makes 8

Method

Excerpt

Practical guidance

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Closing notes

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