Hachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)

Jennie made these for us when we were in Maine last summer and Chauncey and I just loved them. They are a Nigella Lawson recipe. They are wonderful hot and really good cold. They are simple to make and they don’t take to long.

Bread

5 1/2 cups flour

2 cups yogurt

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl whisk the flour, soda and salt.

In a bowl whip the yogurt, eggs and butter with a whisk until nice and smooth.  Add in the flour mixture a cup or so at a time. You may need to add more flour, mine worked out fine.

Knead the dough about 8 times and roll it into a ball and flatten a little. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Filling

7 oz Ricotta Cheese

7 oz Mozzarella, grated

1 lb Feta Cheese

1 egg

Herbs of choice, I used Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder

Black olives, chopped (I used 1 can)

In a large bowl whip the Ricotta cheese and the egg, mix in the Mozzarella and the Feta Cheese, seasonings and olives and mix well.

To Assemble

On a floured surface cut the dough into 6 or 8 wedges. Roll them out one at a time into a circle. Put a glob of the filling in the center and then just tuck all the edges up to the middle. I kind of pinched them all together, then I turned them upside down on a cookie sheet. bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.