Chefs gave tips on making khachapuri

The cheese base of khachapuri should remain classic — a mix of Imereti cheese and suluguni, but for the depth of taste, you can add a little sheep's cheese or smoked cheese for a smoky note. The chefs of Russian restaurants told Izvestia about the secrets of cooking real khachapuri.

So, for a richer taste, you can use natural flavors — tarragon or lemon zest, said David Chelidze, brand chef of Hedonist restaurant (Moscow).

"For the dough, choose only high-quality flour with a good protein content. Give the dough time for cold fermentation, then its taste will become deeper, sourness and lightness will appear. I keep it in the fridge for 24 hours, but it's enough to leave it overnight," the source advised.

Special attention should be paid to the moisture balance in the filling, so if the cheese is too wet, add a little flour to it, and if, on the contrary, it is too dry, you can dilute it with milk or even water, recommends Mamiya Jojua, brand chef of the Kazbek restaurant (Moscow). Unsalted Imeretian cheese is always used as a base in Georgia, whereas suluguni is not very popular for filling, as it stretches a lot and cools down quickly. In Russia, on the contrary, suluguni stuffing is often preferred, so it's very important to find a balance that appeals to you.

"The ratio of filling and dough should not be less than 50X50. If you take 200 g of dough, then you need to use the same amount of cheese mixture. If you are preparing Megrelian khachapuri, then add about 10% more cheese on top of the molded flatbread, and lubricate the surface with egg yolk and sour cream," advised the brand chef of the Georgian houses "Dze" and "Dzemi" (Krasnoyarsk) Mikhail Mikhailov.

It is better to use unleavened dough for Adjarian khachapuri, and rich dough with butter and milk for Imereti and Megrelian khachapuri, the expert added. He also recommended combining cream and young cheeses to balance the fat content of the filling.

Read more in the Izvestia article.