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Khachapuri
Cheese Bread
1 C milk
2 pkgs. (.25 oz. each) active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. plus 1 TBS sugar
3 to 4 C flour
1/4 LB unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces & softened
1-1/4 LBS mozzarella or Muenster cheese, shredded
3/4 LB goat cheese (substitute with feta cheese if desired)
1 egg, beaten
Melted butter (for brushing)
In a saucepan, heat milk to lukewarm. Pour 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk into a bowl; sprinkle with yeast and the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve. Allow mixture to sit for about ten minutes; stir in the remaining milk. Add three cups flour to a large bowl; make a well in the center. Add milk and yeast mixture, the remaining sugar and softened butter pieces. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a dough ball. Place dough on a floured, flat work surface. Knead for about ten minutes. Add more flour to work surface if necessary to prevent sticking. When dough is smooth and elastic, place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with a kitchen towel; allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk in size, about one hour to ninety minutes. Punch down dough; allow to rise again until double in bulk, about forty minutes.
In a bowl, combine grated cheese with egg; add crumbled goat cheese or feta. Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Punch down dough; roll out on a lightly floured flat surface into a circle about 20-inches in diameter. Fold dough in quarters. Place dough point in the center of a nine-inch pan with an inch-and-a-half to two-inch sides. Unfold dough, allowing excess to hang over the sides. Spoon cheese mixture onto dough. Pleat hanging dough edges over cheese, making sure pleats form in the same direction. Gather ends of dough in the center; twist into a small knob. Allow dough to rest for about ten minutes. Brush top of dough with the melted butter. Bake in center oven for about one hour, or until golden. Allow bread to cool before cutting into squares and serving.
Suggestions: Serve Khachapuri with soup or a green salad.
*Khachapuri image (C) Shayat1 (2007). Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Related Link:
Food Fare Culinary Collection: Russian Kitchen
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