‘Perfect blend of comfort and flavour’: How to make this delicious four-cheese egg bread

Social media star and baker Betul Tunc’s love of dough was sparked by the traditional Turkish recipes of her youth.

Now living with her family in the US state of Virginia, she uses social media to inspire her millions of followers to transform simple doughs into nourishing dishes.

Here, she shares a recipe for khachapuri, a cheesy egg bread from Georgia similar to Turkish pide, from her new cookbook, Turkuaz Kitchen.

Khachapuri

As a native Türk, it was a pleasant surprise when a recent genetic test revealed that I shared a significant number of genes with people from Georgia and neighbouring countries. This quirky connection might explain my fervent love for khachapuri, and I joke that it’s why I excel at making this delicious bread. Once you get a taste of it, I promise it will earn a top spot on your brunch or breakfast menu. A perfect blend of comfort and flavour, khachapuri might well be one of the first dishes on our menu if my team and I ever open a restaurant.

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 220g warm water (43C)
• 2¼ tsp (7g) instant yeast
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 520g bread flour
• 1½ tsp cooking salt
• 110g milk
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Filling and topping

• 240g shredded mozzarella cheese
• 180g crumbled feta
• 65g crumbled blue cheese
• 25g grated parmesan
• egg wash: 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 40g sesame seeds
• 4 large eggs

To serve

• butter, sliced
• fresh dill
• red chilli flakes

METHOD

1. To make the dough, combine the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Stir together and let rest for 5-7 minutes, until foamy.
2. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), whisk together the bread flour, salt and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Add the milk, yeast mixture, and oil to the dry ingredients. While still in the bowl, using your hands, knead for 4 to 5 minutes, until the dough is elastic and no longer sticky. (Alternatively, snap on the dough hook of your stand mixer and mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes.) Cover the dough with cling film and let rest for 20 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Continue to knead for another 4-5 minutes, until smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover the dough with cling film and let rest at room temperature, until almost doubled in size, for 50-60 minutes. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Round each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking tray and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature.
4. To fill the breads, combine the mozzarella, feta, blue cheese, and parmesan in a medium bowl. Set aside.
5. Cut four 30cm-square pieces of baking paper. On a floured work surface, roll a piece of dough into a 20cm × 30cm oval using a rolling pin. Transfer the dough to a sheet of baking paper. Leaving a 2.5cm edge around the dough, arrange one-third of the cheese mixture in the middle in 2 rows along the long sides of the oval. Roll the edges of the dough up over the cheese. Twist the smaller ends of the dough to form the khachapuri shape (like a small canoe). Add the remaining two-thirds of the cheese mixture to the centre of the dough and spread evenly. Carefully transfer the baking paper to a baking tray. Gently stretch the pointy ends of the oval to lengthen the khachapuri. Cover with a clean tea towel. Repeat to make the rest of the khachapuri, placing 2 khachapuri on each of two baking trays and leaving some space between them. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for 15- 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
7. Brush the outsides of the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
8. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, make a well in the centre of the khachapuri, and crack an egg inside each well, but hold back about half of the egg white in the shell (see Notes).
9. Return to the oven and bake for 2-3 minutes, or until the egg white is cooked to your preference.
10. Serve hot with butter, fresh dill, and red chilli flakes.

Notes:

• The reason for not adding all of the egg white on top of the khachapuri is that it can spread and cover the whole top. I like to save the extra bits of egg white to add to omelettes.
• If you know you won’t finish all the khachapuri in one day, only crack the eggs over those you will be able to eat. Store the cooled khachapuri (without egg) in an airtight storage container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To serve, crack an egg over the khachapuri and -warm by baking in a 160C fan-forced (180C conventional) oven for 5-7 minutes, until the cheese is melty, the egg is cooked, and the bread is warm.

Makes 4 pieces

This is an edited extract from Turkuaz Kitchen by Betül Tunç, published by Square Peg, $55.