Imeretian Khachapuri
Georgia’s Imeretian cheese bread: simple in shape, generous in filling and built around the contrast of soft dough and salty melted cheese.
About this dish
Khachapuri is a family of Georgian cheese breads with strong regional identities. Imeretian khachapuri is round and encloses the cheese completely inside the dough, unlike the boat-shaped Adjarian form that has become especially recognizable abroad. Traditional Imeretian cheese is difficult to source in many U.S. kitchens, so this adaptation uses a mozzarella-and-feta blend while clearly acknowledging the change.
Why this dish matters
Georgia Travel describes Imeretian khachapuri as one of the country’s most beloved regional forms and notes that older preparations were baked in a clay ketsi. The bread’s everyday reach is as important as its fame: it appears in homes, bakeries and restaurants and acts as a point of regional pride. The filling traditionally relies on local fresh cheese whose salt and acidity differ from supermarket mozzarella, which is why a blended substitute works better than mozzarella alone.
The mozzarella-and-feta filling is a U.S.-friendly substitute, not a claim to duplicate fresh Imeretian cheese. If you can obtain appropriate Georgian cheese, use it instead and adjust salt accordingly.
Preparation notes
A slightly tacky dough bakes more tenderly than one stiffened with excess flour.
If using fresh mozzarella, drain and blot it well so steam does not split the bread.
Pinch the gathered dough closed before flattening or melted cheese will escape during baking.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm whole milk or water
- 2 tbsp neutral oil or melted butter
- 12 oz low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
- 8 oz feta, crumbled
- 1 large egg, optional, for binding the filling
- 2 tbsp melted butter, for brushing
Method
- 1.Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add warm milk and oil and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- 2.Knead 7–9 minutes by hand or mixer until smooth and elastic. Checkpoint: the dough should feel soft and slightly tacky but pull cleanly away from the bowl or work surface.
- 3.Cover and let rise 60–75 minutes until roughly doubled.
- 4.Mix mozzarella and feta; add the egg if using. Divide the filling into two equal mounds.
- 5.Divide dough in half. Roll one piece into a roughly 11-inch circle. Place one mound of cheese in the center.
- 6.Gather the dough edges over the cheese like a purse and pinch firmly closed. Turn seam-side down and rest 5 minutes.
- 7.Gently press and roll into a 9- to 10-inch round, working from the center outward. Checkpoint: the filling should be evenly distributed without tearing through the dough.
- 8.Repeat with the second bread. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and prick a tiny vent in the center of each.
- 9.Bake at 475°F for 12–16 minutes, one sheet at a time if necessary, until deeply golden with scattered brown blisters.
- 10.Brush immediately with melted butter. Rest 5–10 minutes before cutting so the cheese settles slightly but remains molten.
Worth finding before you cook
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