I have seriously, and I don’t mean this facetiously, I have always wanted to make a khachapuri for the blog. Ever since I tried one years ago and fell in love with it. I have this notes page on my phone where I add all of my blog post ideas. I’ve had it for years and now it’s very long. I’ll randomly get an idea, either when I’m laying in bed about to go to sleep, or when I’m working out or in the shower. It’s always very random and out of nowhere and so I’ll quickly write it in my notes. They’re not all the greatest of ideas, which is why there are a few that have literally just been sitting there for years. Anyhow, I’m digressing. I’ve had khachapuri on the list for a while and it’s always been there staring at me. I think I’ve kept it on the list because I wanted to add a twist to the traditional version because I can’t leave well enough alone. Let me rewind though, for those of you that don’t know, khachapuri is a traditional Georgian bread (shaped like a boat) filled with lots of cheese, butter and eggs. It is beyond delicious! So with that being said, I present to you this Spinach Artichoke Khachapuri. It’s like a spinach artichoke dip in an edible bread vessel. It literally doesn’t get any better than this.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, combine the all-purpose flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar and salt.
**Tip: Just make sure you don’t add the salt on top of the yeast or allow them to touch before mixing because it’ll kill it. I like using instant yeast because you don’t have to bloom it. If you only have active dry yeast, you’ll have to bloom it in the warm milk with a bit of sugar and allow to sit until foamy.**
Add the warmed milk and softened unsalted butter and mix with a wooden spoon just until the dough comes together. You just want to help it along a bit before using the stand mixer.
Attach the dough hook, increase speed to medium, and beat until a soft and smooth dough forms, about 10 minutes.
**Note: You’ll know it’s done when the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. It should be slightly sticky when you touch it but mostly it should be smooth and soft.**
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat both sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a clean towel, and place in a dry, warm place. Let stand until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, let’s make the filling. Place the thawed spinach into a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.
**Note: Do not skip this step at all. You want to make sure you wring it out because if you don’t you’ll add too much liquid/moisture to the filling which will make your bread soggy.**
Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the artichoke, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, parmesan, feta, mozzarella, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and crushed red pepper flakes until well combined.
**Tip: You can make the filling ahead of time and just cover it with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until ready to use. It’ll keep for a couple of days.**
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide into 6 even portions. Roll each piece into a ball. Place balls on a baking sheet or wooden board, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let stand in a dry, warm spot until slightly springy, about 20 minutes.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Working 1 dough ball at a time, roll into an oval shape with a maximum length of 10 inches and maximum width of 4 inches. Roll dough borders up and toward center of oval, and pinch dough together at ends to create a canoe shape.
**Tip: Make sure you pinch the corners very well because if you don’t they’ll run the risk of opening up and unfolding in the oven. Don’t be afraid to really squeeze them together.**
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the spinach artichoke mixture into the center and spreading it out to the edges. Repeat with remaining dough balls and cheese mixture.
Place three khachapuri on each prepared baking sheet, spacing them out evenly. Brush the edges with 1/3 of the melted butter and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove baking sheets from the oven. Place an egg yolk in the center of each khachapuri. Brush crusts evenly with 1/3 more of the melted butter.
**Tip: It might be easier to separate the egg yolks right before adding it to the khachapuri just because it might be a bit difficult to move the egg yolks once they’re separated.**
Return to oven, and bake until dough is golden brown and yolks have set, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven once more and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and brush evenly with the remaining butter. You can also top each with an extra pat of butter while they’re still piping hot. There is no such thing as too much butter.
Although the yolks (or sometimes entire eggs) are traditional, you can omit them and just have the khachapuri with the cheesy spinach artichoke filling. That would also make them easier to reheat if you plan on saving some for later.
You’re supposed to rip off the corner pieces of bread and then use it to mix the egg yolk into the cheesy filling and use those same corner pieces to mop up the filling. It is incredible! It’s like spinach artichoke dip in an edible buttery bread vessel. It’s a dream come true, really.
I hope you’ll give these a try because they’re seriously so good. And please please please don’t let the amount of butter and cheese scare you away. I mean, yes it’s a lot but we all deserve a treat every now and then, and these spinach artichoke khachapuri are definitely a treat. You’ll be so glad you tried it. Let me know if you have any questions or comments below. Stay safe out there my friends.
Spinach Artichoke Khachapuri
Ingredients
Dough:
- 31/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 teaspoons 2 packets instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
Filling:
- 2 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the milk and butter and beat on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until a soft dough forms, about 10 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat both sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a clean towel, and place in a dry, warm place. Let stand until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide into 6 even portions. Roll each piece into a ball. Place balls on a baking sheet, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let stand in a dry, warm spot until slightly springy, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, let’s make the filling. Place the thawed spinach into a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much of the liquid as possible. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the artichoke, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, parmesan, feta, mozzarella, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and crushed red pepper flakes until well combined.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Working 1 dough ball at a time, roll into an oval shape with a maximum length of 10 inches and maximum width of 4 inches. Roll dough borders up and toward center of oval, and pinch dough together at ends to create a canoe shape. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the spinach artichoke mixture into the center and spreading it out to the edges. Repeat with remaining dough balls and cheese mixture.
- Place three khachapuri on each prepared baking sheet, spacing them out evenly. Brush the edges with 1/3 of the melted butter and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Carefully remove baking sheets from the oven. Place an egg yolk in the center of each khachapuri. Brush crusts evenly with 1/3 more of the melted butter. Return to oven, and bake until dough is golden brown and yolks have set, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven once more and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and brush evenly with the remaining butter. Serve immediately and enjoy!
