Ajarski khachapuri — also called Adjaruli khachapuri — is the version of the iconic Georgian cheese bread that has taken the world by storm. Shaped like a boat, it's filled with a bubbling mixture of molten cheese, finished with a raw egg cracked right into the center, and topped with a generous pat of butter. You tear the crust, dip it into the molten filling, and eat it immediately. There is nothing like it. It's deeply beloved across the South Caucasus and has been a staple in Armenian homes and restaurants for generations.
What Makes Ajarski Different
There are many styles of khachapuri — the round pan-fried Imeruli, the stuffed Megruli — but Ajarski is the showstopper. The boat shape isn't just for looks. It creates a vessel that holds the filling while the edges bake into a puffy, golden crust perfect for tearing and dipping. The filling is traditionally made from sulguni cheese — a brined, stretchy Georgian cheese — but a combination of mozzarella and feta works beautifully and is much easier to find. The egg yolk, stirred into the molten cheese at the table, makes the whole filling silky and rich.
Khachapuri is one of those dishes that looks impressive but is surprisingly forgiving. Once you've made it once, it becomes effortless.
Ingredients
- For the dough: 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- For the filling: 1½ cups low-moisture mozzarella, shredded (or sulguni, if available)
- ¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 egg, beaten
- Pinch of salt
- To finish: 2 eggs, one per khachapuri
- 2 tbsp butter
- Flaky salt
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water (about 105–110°F). Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy on top — if it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead and you need a fresh packet.
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, and olive oil. Mix until a soft, shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky but no longer sticky.
- Let it rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Make the filling. While the dough rises, mix the shredded mozzarella, crumbled feta, and beaten egg together in a bowl until evenly combined. Taste — it should be pleasantly salty from the feta; add the pinch of salt only if needed.
- Shape the boats. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with a baking stone or heavy baking sheet inside to preheat as well. Punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into an oval roughly 10–12 inches long and ½ inch thick.
- Fill and seal the edges. Spread half the cheese filling down the center of each oval, leaving a 2-inch border of bare dough. Roll the long edges up and over the filling toward the center, then pinch and twist the ends firmly to seal — the filling should stay visible in the center, fully contained within the dough walls so it doesn't leak while baking.
- First bake. Carefully slide the boats onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and puffed and the cheese is fully melted and bubbling at the edges.
- Add the egg and finish baking. Remove from the oven, make a small well in the center of the molten cheese, and crack one egg into each boat. Return to the oven for 3–4 minutes, just until the egg white is set but the yolk is still runny — check at the 3-minute mark since ovens vary.
- Finish and serve. Pull the boats from the oven, add a pat of butter to each one, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately: stir the egg yolk and melting butter into the cheese with a fork, tear off pieces of the crust, and dip. Eat directly from the boat — this is not a fork-and-knife dish.
Tips for the Best Khachapuri
Don't skip the yogurt in the dough — it adds a slight tang and keeps the crust tender inside while it crisps outside. Get your oven as hot as it will go and preheat at least 30 minutes (a baking stone helps enormously), since khachapuri needs high heat to puff and char properly. Keep a close eye on the egg during the second bake — it should still be runny when pulled, since a fully set yolk turns the filling grainy instead of silky. And if you want to feed a crowd for mezze, divide the dough into four pieces for smaller individual boats, cutting the first bake to about 10 minutes and the egg bake to 2 minutes.