Name: Rachuli Lobiani with Rachan Smoked Ham
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h 55 min
Total time: 17 h
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour; reserve 15 g from this amount for shaping; 300 mL lukewarm water, about 35–38 °C; 7 g instant dry yeast; 9 g fine salt; 15 mL neutral sunflower oil; 250 g dried red kidney beans, picked over and rinsed; 200 g Rachan smoked ham (Rachuli lori), or fully cooked smoked pork ham as a practical substitute, finely chopped; 2 bay leaves; 2 g fine salt; use less if the ham is strongly salted; 1 g freshly ground black pepper; 25 g rendered pork lard, divided: 15 g for the filling, 5 g for brushing before baking and 5 g after baking

Wide view of Rachuli Lobiani with Rachan Smoked Ham on a rustic table, with the serving setting visible around it.

Yield2 round breads; 8 servings total

Serving size1 of 8 wedges, about 190 g depending on bean moisture and ham cure

DifficultyIntermediate

Dietary notesContains wheat/gluten and pork; dairy-free and egg-free when product labels confirm; not vegetarian

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The dish

About Rachuli Lobiani with Rachan Smoked Ham

Two round, yeast-raised breads enclose a smooth red-bean filling with chopped Rachan smoked ham and a little pork lard. The home-oven method makes eight substantial wedges and keeps the filling soft while the crust bakes golden.

Lobiani means bean-filled bread, and Racha has a well-known version called Rachuli Lobiani or bachulebi. Its defining contrast is a soft, lightly yeasted wheat crust and a generous filling of cooked beans with Rachan smoked ham. Rachan ham, or lori, is salted, cured and smoked; its savory, gently smoky flavor carries through the bean filling.

The bean choice varies. Georgian cultivars such as Batumura and Chita-Kvertskha are valued for this bread, but small red kidney beans are a practical stand-in elsewhere. Cook the dried beans until very soft, then press them through a food mill or sturdy sieve to remove most loose skins. This creates the paler, smoother texture associated with Rachan lobiani. Chopped ham, a little pork lard, salt and black pepper season the filling without covering the bean and smoke flavors.

A carved wooden stamp and a tone oven belong to traditional Rachan baking. This home version uses the same round, enclosed shape in a regular oven. Pinching the dough closed before pressing it into a disk helps keep the filling inside; a few fork pricks at the centre let steam escape. Brush the baked breads with lard for a soft, savory finish.

Dried red kidney beans need careful cooking. Soak them, discard that water, and boil them in fresh water for a full 30 minutes before simmering until completely tender. A slow cooker does not reach the required boiling temperature for this step. Plan ahead: the beans soak overnight, and the cooked filling must cool before it goes into the risen dough.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Rachuli Lobiani: Georgian Bean-Filled Bread from Racha

Yeast dough

500 gstrong white bread flour; reserve 15 g from this amount for shaping
300 mLlukewarm water, about 35–38 °C
7 ginstant dry yeast
9 gfine salt
15 mLneutral sunflower oil

Bean and ham filling

250 gdried red kidney beans, picked over and rinsed
200 gRachan smoked ham (Rachuli lori), or fully cooked smoked pork ham as a practical substitute, finely chopped
2bay leaves
2 gfine salt; use less if the ham is strongly salted
1 gfreshly ground black pepper
25 grendered pork lard, divided: 15 g for the filling, 5 g for brushing before baking and 5 g after baking

Method

Sort, rinse and soak the beans. Pick over and rinse the beans, about 5 minutes. Cover generously with cold water and soak for at least 12 hours. Drain and discard the soaking water. If the kitchen is warm, soak them in the refrigerator.
Boil, change the water, and simmer. Put the beans in a heavy pot and cover with fresh water by at least 5 cm. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 30 minutes. Drain and discard that water. Return the beans to the pot with fresh hot water, the bay leaves and ham. Simmer gently for about 50–60 minutes, until the beans crush easily between two fingers. Add hot water if they are not covered. Do not cook dried kidney beans only in a slow cooker.
Mash and cool the filling. Lift out the ham and bay leaves. Reserve up to 120 mL of the bean cooking liquid, then drain the beans well. Press the warm beans through a food mill or sturdy sieve to separate most loose skins. Finely chop the ham and fold it into the beans with 15 g lard, the 2 g salt and black pepper. Add reserved cooking liquid 15 mL at a time only if needed for a thick, spreadable paste. Spread the filling in a shallow tray and cool for 30 minutes before shaping; do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Mix and proof the dough. Stir the yeast into the lukewarm water. Combine with the flour, salt and sunflower oil. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave until doubled, about 75 minutes.
Divide and rest. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, shape each into a ball and cover for 10 minutes so it relaxes. Divide the cooled filling into two equal portions.
Fill and shape the breads. Use the reserved flour lightly on the work surface. Flatten each dough ball into a 20 cm round. Set one filling portion in the centre, draw the dough edges up and pinch closed. Turn seam-side down and press gently into a 24–25 cm disk, keeping the filling enclosed and the thickness even.
Bake until browned and hot through. Heat a conventional oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan) with a heavy baking sheet or baking stone inside for at least 25 minutes. Set the breads seam-side down on parchment, prick the centre several times with a fork and brush each with 2.5 g lard. Bake until the tops and undersides are evenly deep golden, about 20–24 minutes. Check that the centre of the filling reaches at least 74 °C.
Rest and serve. Brush the hot breads with the remaining 5 g lard, rest for 10 minutes, then cut each into four wedges and serve warm.

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Serve the wedges warm on their own or with pickled jonjoli. The pickle is an optional accompaniment and is not included in the yield or nutrition estimate.

Cool leftovers in shallow covered containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep them at 4 °C or below and use within 3–4 days. Reheat wedges in a 180 °C oven until the centre reaches 74 °C / 165 °F. Do not use a slow cooker to reheat them.

For a make-ahead option, cook and season the bean filling up to 1 day in advance. Cool it promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate; make the dough on baking day. If Rachan lori is unavailable, use fully cooked smoked pork ham as a practical substitute, recognizing that its cure and flavor differ. Taste the filling before adding all the salt because ham saltiness varies. Keep pork lard for this defining version; oil would make a different variation.

Freeze fully cooled baked wedges, wrapped airtight, for up to 2 months for best quality. Reheat from frozen in a 180 °C oven until the centre reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

If the beans remain firm after the simmer budget, keep them covered at a gentle boil and check every 15 minutes. Older beans can take longer; do not shorten the initial 30-minute full boil. If the filling cracks while shaping, knead in reserved bean liquid 15 mL at a time until it holds together. If the dough tears, patch it with a small piece of dough and press gently; do not stretch a thin spot over the filling.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 wedges from two breads, including dough, beans, ham and lard
Calories: 410 kcal
Carbohydrate: 68 g
Protein: 18 g
Fat: 7 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: 850 mg

Allergens and food safety

This recipe contains wheat/gluten. It contains pork but no milk or egg in the listed ingredients; check packaged ham labels for added ingredients and cross-contact warnings.

Dried red kidney beans must be soaked, the soaking water discarded, and boiled in fresh water at a full boil for at least 30 minutes before simmering until soft. Do not cook dried kidney beans only in a slow cooker. Keep the cooked filling out of room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Refrigerate baked leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, hold them at 4 °C or below for 3–4 days, and reheat to 74 °C / 165 °F.

Closing

Rachan smoked ham and softly mashed beans give these round Georgian breads their savory regional character.
Boil the dried beans fully, cool the filling, and seal it inside the dough before pressing the breads into disks.