Khachapuri, Georgia's iconic cheese-stuffed bread, comes in many regional variations. The imeruli version, from the Imereti region, is a flat bread filled with buttery cheese curds and cooked on the stovetop. It is the most commonly consumed type in Georgia itself.
The dough can be made with or without yeast. For a soft, tender result, a baking soda or yoghurt-based dough works well. Felicity Cloake's preferred recipe uses yoghurt, butter and egg yolk, yielding a rich, fluffy texture reminiscent of Irish soda bread. She simplifies the dough by using only butter instead of a combination of egg yolk and sunflower oil.
The filling is the trickiest part for cooks outside Georgia, as Imeretian cheese is hard to find in the UK. A combination of feta and mozzarella gives a salty, gooey result that works as a substitute. The bread is best served warm, straight from the pan.
