Sunday, June 08, 2008

Happy Cheese Bread

Georgian Cheese BreadAndrew and I are pretty fond of bread. And of cheese. So cheese bread is the perfect marriage in our dairy-lovin' opinions.

Anyway, I came across this recipe at Epicurious and I'll tell you it lived up to every expectation I had. I did a couple things slightly different than what they called for and was highly satisfied with the results--a wonderfully chewy texture.

Epicurious called this "Georgian" cheese bread (not sure why as mozzarella cheese is hardly a Russian invention). I figured I should probably call it something else since this is slightly different from their recipe and "happy" pretty much sums up how I feel when I'm eating it.

1 cup warm water
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 lb mozzarella, grated
olive oil cooking spray

Put the water, flour, salt, eggs and yeast in the bucket of your bread machine in that order then set the machine to the "dough" cycle and let it run.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (yea you read that right, watch the eyebrows when you open the door).

Georgian Cheese BreadTake the dough out and divide it into two equal sections. Press each section into a 7-inch circle on a greased cookie sheet. If the dough sticks to your hands run them under some water and your wet fingers will slip right off the dough.

Divide the grated cheese into two equal portions. Take each portion and squeeze the grated cheese into a ball--see picture to left. Set each ball of cheese on each circle of dough then gather the edges of each circle of dough up around the ball, making sure to seal the extra dough at the top.

The grated cheese ball is now encased in dough.

Georgian Cheese BreadPress the ball dough cheese and dough flat with your hand--wetting your fingers as necessary to prevent them sticking to the dough. Press the ball down evenly so that the cheese gets mushed down in the center and you create a new circle of cheese-filled dough that's about 7 or 8 inches in diameter (you don't want to break it up so get it as flat as you can without tearing it up).

Once it's flattened, take a sharp knife and slash an "X" across the top of the dough so that the cheese gets exposed a big as you see in the picture on the right. Pop the breads into the oven to bake at 500 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Take them out of the oven and spray them with a bit of olive oil cooking spray then put them back in for another 3-5 minutes or until they're golden bubbly and nicely browned.

Cut the circles into wedges and enjoy--you're going to love them.

***

And here's something else that should make you happy--or at least make you chuckle:



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31 comments:

GreenishLady said...

Um... not being picky... but combine the cheeses? You only mention one cheese - mozzarella, right? Did you use another?

I am being picky, because I don't plan to make it. It sounds too delicious by far, and I live alone, so I'd probably eat it all, so I'm enjoying it vicariously admiring the photo!

Stephanie Wilson she/her @babysteph said...

Oh Scribbit you're such a temptress! This sounds wonderful. Do you dip it in a sweet tomato sauce? That's what I'm envisioning now... mmm...

Steph

Suburban Correspondent said...

I think it is called Georgian because it looks to be a variant of a bialy, which comes either from Western Russia or Eastern Europe...

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Got curious myself about this bread...types of cheese used, origin of the recipe, and found this:

The Recipe: Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)

Looks *so* tasty, Michelle; thanks!

Anonymous said...

Very funny video! lol
Your bread looks gorgeous, but I don't dare turn on the oven these days. NY is like a jungle. Temps in the 90's with a lot of humidity. Eating lots of salads and sandwiches ;)

calicobebop said...

I love cheese bread! My mom makes one that has blue cheese in the cheese mix and that gives a great "whang" to the flavor. It also has contributed to the size of my hips. ;)

Anonymous said...

MMmmMM what a great idea!! Thanks for sharing, I shall give this a try one morning before the a/c begins the cooling battle ;)

~~

Brooke - Little Miss Moi said...

Dear scribbit. OK I'm not trying to be picky either... Yes, mozzarella isn't Russian, but Georgia isn't Russia and never has been (it was part of the Soviet Union, of which Russia and Georgia were both republics).

Living in Ukraine, I can understand why Russia and Ukraine get mixed up (ethnically similar people and languages, Ukraine was part of the Russian empire and has only been it's own nation for 16 years). But Georgia is very different from Russia, linguistically, ethnically and food-wise. In fact, it's almost turkish or middle eastern in terms of the latter.

The cheese bread is Khachapuri - you can read about it here.

Sorry for getting all high horse and educational! And I agree, it's very delicious!

flip flop mama said...

That video was hilarious! And looks like yummy bread!

Ryan said...

Good food and good humor--It's the makings of the perfect blog post.

Very enjoyable. Thank you. And I may just try out the cheese bread this afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Cheese and bread, also a favorite in our house! Looking forward to filling up on this one!

Tara W said...

This looks delicious! I will definitely try it one day. I don't think 95 degree weather mixed with a 500 degree oven and no air conditioning will go over too well.

The Dunns said...

Oh, that looks and sounds delicious! I wonder where my breadmaker is...

Anonymous said...

Sounds yummy - in my book, there is no such thing as too much cheese, bread, or garlic (and one could certainly incorporate the latter into this recipe!). I too was wondering about the "combine cheeses" - is there supposed to be another cheese with the mozzarella?

Anonymous said...

You said "Combine the grated cheeses, mix them up...." Is there more than just the mozzerella? More cheese is always good.....

Just checking

Scribbit said...

My mistake--only mozzarella. Sorry! The original recipe called for different cheese.

wheresmymind said...

mmm...I made this a few weeks ago on my new grill and LOVED it!

Anonymous said...

I just got a bread maker, and have never used one before. Is there a reason I can't let the bread maker cook this as well as mix it? Thanks!

Beck said...

OOOOOOOOH, that sounds good...
and hey, I could MAKE THAT TOMORROW.
I am TOTALLY MAKING THAT!

Stephanie said...

Cheese + Bread...the perfect combination! It sounds delectable!

And I'm with Steph - dipping it in a sauce (perhaps marinara?) would be extra yummy.

Scribbit said...

No, I'm afraid this wouldn't work in the bread machine for baking. First, you need the high temp to get the chewy texture (rather like a pizza crust), second you couldn't maintain the cheese layer in the middle, it would get mixed throughout. You really will need to set the machine to dough and go from there--but at least that's the biggest part of the work.

Giulianna @ Family Blueprint said...

Ohhh you have set my mouth and mind to lusting for cheese bread now. I love to use my bread machine to make potato bread for the hubby (kiddies like it too). I am such a cheese luster, this sounds YUMMY!!! And thanks to the other posters for the tips and history lesson! I am always amazed at how little I know the more I learn!

Blessings to all!

Unknown said...

oh my, i will definitely be trying this one...

Mama Hobbit said...

Yum! I was just thinking about a good bread to go with a spicy soup I've got, this sounds perfect!

Unknown said...

Well, goodbye, my dear diet. I must have some cheese bread. This looks too good!!! I must make it right now! My mouth watered when I looked at the picture.Thats my que to the kitchen!

Killlashandra said...

Cute clip. A very true sentiment and why the US and guerrilla warfare tactics go so well together. :)

Great bread recipe too. I'm a big fan of cheese and bread. Now I have to find the time to make it too.

Kristin said...

Yum! Can't wait to make this. My husband will love it!!!

ames said...

Ack! Another bread machine recipe...alas I am without bread machine though I do have the Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook, does it do the same thing? Or does the bread machine also work some yeast-proofing magic?

AlaneM said...

Great video :)

That bread sounds delish. I have a question though. How would one do it without the machine? I only have hand power in the bread-making arena here.

~ej said...

oh yummy, cheese bread!! :) will save this for a cooler day (one when i can switch on the oven, so round about october i think, lol)...

Sergey said...

I prepared this dish. It was very tasty. Thank you for recipe!