Georgian Cheese Bread: the perfect food for an informal party or a laid-back lunch

This tasty Georgian cheese bread is the perfect food for an informal party or a laid-back lunch.

The dough is formed into a “boat” shape, which is filled with feta and mozzarella cheese and then cooked in the oven until the cheese has melted. An egg yolk is then added to the top, and cooked through.

The cheese bread can be sliced and served like pizza, or served whole for people to tear pieces of bread off and dip into the melted cheese and butter.

Instructions

Let's find out how to make this easy and tasty recipe step by step.

For the Dough:

Combine water and yeast in a bowl, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt, and sugar; stir until a ragged dough forms.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead with floured hands until smooth, elastic, and tacky but no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a medium bowl brushed with oil, turning dough to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

You can also refrigerate it until doubled in volume, at least 12 hours and up to 3 days (don’t forget to return to room temperature before using, around 1 to 2 hours.)

For the Filling:

Preheat oven to 500 F/230 C fan, with center rack lined with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Divide dough in half.

Place one half of dough on a lightly floured 8-by-13-inch sheet of parchment. Roll into a roughly 7-by-12-inch oval.

Stir together feta and mozzarella. Pack half of cheese mixture into center of oval, leaving a 1-inch border.

Fold edges of dough over cheese mixture; pinch ends together and twist to create a boat shape. Repeat with remaining half of dough and cheeses.

In a small bowl, whisk egg white with a fork. Brush over crusts. Slide breads (still on sheets of parchment) onto stone.

Bake until cheeses are melted and crusts are well browned, around 16 to 20 minutes.

Drop 1 egg yolk into center of each bread.

Bake until just warmed through, about 1 minute. Using a large flat spatula, remove breads from oven and transfer to a wire rack.

Brush crusts with melted butter and divide remaining 2 tablespoons room-temperature butter between fillings; let melt. Sprinkle with flaky salt and pepper.

Let cool slightly and serve.