Best for: A pull-apart cheese bread to tear into while the skewers finish.
Khachapuri is Georgia’s great cheese bread, and a fixture of celebratory tables across the region. Framed honestly as a grill adaptation, the dough bakes on a screaming-hot stone or cast-iron surface on the grill — this version skips the traditional yolk so the filling stays simple and sliceable.
Grill: Indirect high heat with a pizza stone or cast-iron griddle; 500°F surface. Equipment: Covered grill, pizza stone or large cast-iron griddle, parchment, rolling pin.
Ingredients
Rise: 1 hour 5 minutes. Rest: 5 minutes. Total: 1 hour 47 minutes.
Dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Cheese filling
- 8 oz suluguni or low-moisture mozzarella, grated
- 4 oz feta, crumbled
- 2 oz farmer cheese or ricotta
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted, for finishing
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and rest for 5 minutes, until foamy. Mix with the flour, salt, and olive oil and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth. Cover and rise for 1 hour.
Set a pizza stone or cast-iron griddle on the grill and heat, lid closed, to a 500°F surface.
Stir the mozzarella or suluguni, feta, and farmer cheese together.
Divide the dough in half. Roll each piece into an oval, roll the long edges inward to form a boat rim, and pinch the ends. Fill the centers with the cheese mixture.
Slide the boats onto parchment and then onto the hot stone. Close the lid and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese bubbles.
Rest for 5 minutes. Brush the rims with melted butter, scatter parsley if using, slice, and serve hot.
Grilling tip: A ripping-hot surface is non-negotiable — a lukewarm stone makes pale, bready crust instead of blistered edges.
