Megrelian Khachapuri: The Double-Cheese Version Georgians Argue About

If Imeretian khachapuri is the everyday workhorse and Adjarian is the dramatic showpiece, Megrelian khachapuri is the indulgent middle ground that people in Samegrelo will tell you is the only one worth eating. It's essentially an Imeretian khachapuri with a layer of melted sulguni blanketed across the top — cheese inside, cheese outside, cheese as the entire point. Think of it as a Georgian double-cheese pizza, except better, because the dough-to-cheese ratio is more aggressive and the cheese is actually good.

Why Megrelian Khachapuri Exists

Samegrelo — the western Georgian region also known as Megrelia — is the dairy heartland of Georgia. This is where sulguni cheese comes from. This is where elarji (the absurdly stretchy cheese-cornmeal dish) was invented. Megrelians treat cheese the way Italians treat olive oil — it goes in everything, on everything, and there's never enough.

So of course their version of khachapuri has extra cheese on top. It's not a gimmick or an upgrade. It's a Megrelian inevitability. The cheese topping melts into a golden, bubbly crust that adds a completely different texture — slightly crisp, slightly caramelized — to the soft, molten interior. The two layers of cheese create a contrast that neither the Imeretian version nor the Adjarian boat can match.

The Khachapuri Family: How Megrelian Fits In

Georgia has at least a dozen regional khachapuri variants. Here are the three you'll encounter most, and why Megrelian occupies its own niche.

The Cheese — Two Roles, Two Textures

What makes Megrelian khachapuri different isn't just "more cheese" — it's that the cheese plays two distinct roles. The filling cheese is a blend of Imeretian cheese and sulguni, mixed with egg into a soft, cohesive mass. When baked, it melts into a gooey, stretchy interior. The topping cheese is pure sulguni, grated and scattered across the surface. It melts, bubbles, and develops golden-brown spots — a completely different texture from the cheese inside.

The interior is soft and yielding. The top is slightly crisp and caramelized. When you cut a wedge, you get both textures in every bite. That contrast is the entire point.

Choosing Your Cheese

The Dough

The dough is identical to Imeretian khachapuri — a simple yeasted milk dough. Nothing fancy. It should be soft, pliable, and slightly tacky without being sticky. The goal is a dough that stretches thin enough to act as a container for the cheese without tearing.

A note on the reduced salt: the filling and topping have about 430g of brined cheese. If your dough were salted like normal bread, the whole thing would be too salty. Half a teaspoon is enough to give the dough structure without competing with the cheese.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the Dough (10 minutes + 1 hour rise)

Dissolve the sugar in warm milk, stir in the yeast, and set aside for 5-10 minutes until it foams. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, oil, and yeast mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes. You want smooth, soft, slightly tacky dough — not stiff, not sticky. Add flour only if it's sticking to your hands after 3 minutes of kneading. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1-1.5 hours until doubled.

Step 2: Prepare Two Cheese Mixtures

This is where Megrelian diverges from Imeretian. You need two separate cheese preparations:

Filling: Grate the Imeretian cheese and 150g of sulguni on the large holes of a box grater. Add one egg and mix with your hands until the cheese clumps into a cohesive, slightly sticky mass. If using the feta-mozzarella substitute, crumble the feta first, then mix with grated mozzarella and egg.

Topping: Grate the remaining 80-100g of sulguni separately. Set aside. This goes on top, unwashed by egg — you want it to melt into an uninterrupted cheese crust.

Step 3: Shape the Khachapuri

Preheat your oven to 220°C (430°F) with a baking sheet inside — a hot pan gives a crispier bottom crust.

Punch down the risen dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 30cm (12 inches) in diameter. The dough should be thin but not translucent. Pile the cheese filling in the center, leaving a 6-8cm border of bare dough around the edges.

Gather the dough edges up and over the filling, pleating and pinching as you go. The goal is a sealed pouch with no gaps where cheese can escape. Twist the gathered top gently and tuck it under. Flip the whole thing seam-side down.

Now gently press and roll it out to about 25-28cm (10-11 inches) — a flat round disk about 2-3cm thick. Don't be aggressive or you'll tear the dough and cheese will leak. Cut a small steam vent in the center with a knife tip.

Step 4: Add the Cheese Top (The Megrelian Move)

Scatter the reserved grated sulguni evenly across the entire top surface. Press it down gently so it adheres to the dough. You want full, even coverage — not patches. Some people brush the dough surface with beaten egg yolk before adding the cheese to help it stick; this is optional but effective.

Step 5: Bake

Transfer the khachapuri to the hot baking sheet (on parchment paper) and bake for 12-15 minutes. You're looking for:

Brush any exposed dough edges with butter immediately after removing from the oven. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes — the cheese inside is volcanic right out of the oven. Cut into wedges and serve.

Stovetop Method

Many Georgian cooks make this on the stove rather than in the oven. The process is the same through shaping, but instead of baking, you cook it in a dry or lightly oiled heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium heat.

Cook the bottom side for 5-6 minutes until deeply golden. Flip carefully with a wide spatula. For the Megrelian topping, you have two options: either add the cheese to the raw top before flipping (so it melts against the pan on the second side), or after flipping, scatter cheese on the now-upward cooked side and finish under a broiler for 2-3 minutes until bubbly.

The stovetop method gives a crispier, more bread-like crust. The oven method gives a softer, puffier result with more evenly melted topping. Both are legitimate.

Megrelian Khachapuri in Context: Samegrelo's Cheese Obsession

Samegrelo is to Georgian cheese what Emilia-Romagna is to Italian cheese — the region that takes it more seriously than anywhere else. Sulguni originates here. So does elarji, the cornmeal porridge stretched with so much sulguni that it becomes a cheese delivery system you eat with your hands. Megrelians also make gebzhalia — rolls of fresh cheese soaked in a mint-cream sauce — and sulguni in butter, which is exactly what it sounds like.

The Megrelian khachapuri is part of this tradition. More cheese is not just a preference in Samegrelo — it's a worldview. If you order "khachapuri" at a restaurant in Zugdidi (Samegrelo's capital), you'll get the Megrelian version by default. They don't consider it a variant. It's just khachapuri, and everyone else is doing it wrong.

Serving and Pairing

Tips and Common Mistakes

Storage and Reheating

Nutrition

Look — this is a cheese-filled, cheese-topped bread. It is not health food. But it's also not a daily indulgence for most Georgians (despite what Instagram food accounts suggest). One large Megrelian khachapuri realistically feeds 2-3 people as part of a meal with vegetables and salad.

Frequently Asked Questions