Russian Cheese Stuffed Flatbread
I need to learn my Russian food history better. The fact of the matter is, I don’t know exactly where this Cheesy Stuffed Flatbread originates. I’ve heard it called Khachapuri, made in Georgia. My husband also ate something very similar in Osetia, which they called Pirogi.
On one of the mission trips to Russia, Osetia, 2008, to be exact, my husband got to try this specialty. It was usually served with a whole cluster of herbs on the side, along with the main meal, quite often lamb. I’m pretty sure they prepared it very differently, even possibly with other ingredients. I didn’t have this food blog at the time, so he didn’t get the recipe for me:). When I spotted the recipe online, I was really intrigued and had to give it a try.
It reminds me of a stuffed pizza, except the dough is tender and soft, sort of like shortbread with such a creamy, cheesy and scrumptious filling.
I thought I would include a few pictures of that mission trip that Sergi went on, Northern Osetia, 2008. Enjoy.
Recipe from Videoculinary.com.
Ingredients:
Flatbread:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 oz farmer’s cheese (1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups)
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, softened
1 egg
Cheese Filling:
6 oz cheese (Monterey Jack, mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, etc.), finely grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg
1 Tablespoon sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 Tablespoon water
Optional Garnish:
Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cheese Filling:
Start by making the Cheese Filling, so it’ll be ready to go as soon as you make the bread dough.
Combine the finely grated cheeses, egg, sour cream and minced garlic clove and mix. Set aside.
Bread Dough:
Farmer’s cheese is usually very stiff and dense, so I usually like to pulse it a few times in the food processor, so it will be easier to mix thoroughly in the dough.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, farmer’s cheese, softened butter and egg. (I forgot to take a picture of the egg in the dough:(. Oops.) 
Mix it gently, until a soft dough forms. 
Assembling the Bread:
Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller piece of dough into an approximately 11 inch circle. Place in on top of the prepared baking sheet. 
Spread the cheese filling over the dough, leaving a small border. 
Roll out the second part of dough on a lightly floured surface as well, this time into an approximately 12 -13 inch circle. Place it over the filling and tuck the edges of the top under the bottom piece of dough. 
Brush with an egg wash and poke the top of the bread with a fork all over the surface.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. Serve the bread with a garnish of fresh minced parsley and more finely grated Parmesan cheese.
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 8 oz farmer's cheese (1½ - 1¾ cups)
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 6 oz cheese (Monterey Jack, mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, etc.), finely grated
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Start by making the Cheese Filling, so it'll be ready to go as soon as you make the bread dough.
- Combine the finely grated cheeses, egg, sour cream and minced garlic clove and mix. Set aside.
- Farmer's cheese is usually very stiff and dense, so I usually like to pulse it a few times in the food processor, so it will be easier to mix thoroughly in the dough.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, farmer's cheese, softened butter and egg. Mix it gently, until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller piece of dough into an approximately 11 inch circle.
- Spread the cheese filling over the dough, leaving a small border.
- Roll out the second part of dough on a lightly floured surface as well, this time into an approximately 12 -13 inch circle. Place it over the filling and tuck the edges of the top under the bottom piece of dough.
- Brush with an egg wash and poke the top of the bread with a fork all over the surface.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Serve the bread with a garnish of fresh minced parsley and more finely grated Parmesan cheese.
41 Comments
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Valentin Goncharenko
This cheese bread is incredible!!! The sharpness of the Parmesan cheese is offset by the savory taste of the dough. Definitely a win anytime! Fantastic implementation of the recipe Olga!! Wonderful work!! Love it!!!
olgak7
Thanks, Valentin! The Parmesan cheese definitely gives it a punch.
natalya wilson
Olga..question. …where do you buy Farmers cheese besides russian (international) store? I been looking at our grocery stores and can’t find…:( this dishs looks and sound sooo delishious! Want to try it!! Its just russian store its kind of far away from me… can I use different cheese like ricorra or cottage cheese insread?
olgak7
I actually buy it in Publix, a local grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can use cottage cheese, just squeeze out all the liquid, because it’s much more wet than farmer’s cheese.
natalya wilson
Thank you…will try with cottage..let you know how its turned out. .I am pretty suee its goint to be awesome..
April
Here in Ohio all of the Amish stores carry farmer’s cheese. It was my Grandpa’s favorite cheese.
demelzabunny
I can often find farmer cheese (the brand is Friendship) in some local supermarkets, so you should look around. Also, if you have access to a Polish deli, they’ll stock it, too.
Chantel
If it’s actually tvorog then make it at home. You can either heat buttermilk from a carton until it separates then pour into a cheesecloth or thin kitchen towel lined colander to catch the curds. Squeeze out some liquid, tie a knot in the cloth so the curds don’t fall out and hang over your sink for 30 min to an hour. Ta da tvorog!
olgak7
Yep, Farmer’s cheese and tvorog are the same thing. I have the recipe already posted for making it at home. Recipe:
Georgene
This looks wonderful! Warm bread with melted cheese is my kind of comfort food. Thank you, Olga, for sharing!
demelzabunny
I believe this is khachapuri, originally from Georgia, but it’s popular all over Russia. In Russian, we would call this “pirog,” because anything that’s a stuffed bread-type item is a pirog, as I’m sure you know!
Natacha
Hi, it is actually originated from Georgia and is indeed called хачапури.
My mother-in-law who is from Tbilissi teached me how to make this bread And it is absolutely yummy
I also must say I love your site and recepies
Greetings from Belgium
olgak7
Thank you so much for your input, Natacha. That is so special that you learned how to make them from your mother in law.
Julia @Vikalinka
They look incredible,Olga! I’ve had them in Georgia when I was a little girl. I find it so difficult to know the origin of many things we eat and consider our own. When I first met my husband he was very excited to get me to try “pierogi” which he claimed to be a Canadian specialty! lol Anyway, I told him where they came from. 🙂 I just posted a family recipe of Sharlotka and was told by a Polish girl it wasn’t spelled right and it’s not Russian but rather Polish. Go figure 🙂
kamila
Have any idea what to serve it with? Or it has to go on its own? Wanted add it to some meal as additional dish..
olgak7
Hi Kamila,
You can serve it with a soup or salad, any grilled or roasted meat or fish.
Olya D
I thought kachapura was more like a cheese boat? So it’s not topped with dough, just melted cheese. That’s how I remember my aunt describing it from Georgia…
olgak7
Like I said in the introduction, I’m not sure exactly where it originates, although I’ve seen similar versions online that look just like this. My husband tried the Osetinsie Pirogi, and he said they looked and tasted like this. Oh, well. The most important thing is that it’s delicious and simple to prepare:).
Julia
Made this today and it was delicious! Out of my 3 kids, my almost 2-year-old loved it most; he kept calling it “pizza” and shoving pieces in his mouth 😀 I used my Kitchen Aid and the hook attachment on the lowest speed to mix the dough & it worked out great. Thank you!
olgak7
I’m so happy to hear that, Julia! It’s so sweet when little ones enjoy our food, right? I remember making my niece an omelet and she just gobbled it right up and it melted my heart:).
diana
There are many different types of khachapuri. My husband is from Tbilisi Georgia and they make these kind in Imereti region. It depends which region you come from ..if you come from adjara they make em boat sizes and different cheese. And in Georgia most men know how to make them..so im spoiled 🙂
olgak7
Thanks for the info, Diana. That’s very helpful.
diana
i made your ejeki tefteli today…ny i vkysnie polychilis…kak mamini i mame ne nado bilo zvanit i viprashivat retsepti…molodets ti voobshe !!! spasiba za retsepti vkysnie!!! ymnitsa..God bless
olgak7
I’m so happy to hear that, Diana! Thanks for taking the time to write. I’m thrilled to hear this awesome response.
Lana
What a great recipe:) this flat cheese bread is absolutely amazing Olga! Makes a very great appetizer. Quick question, 8 oz of farmers cheese equal 1 cup, but in your recipe you stated 8 oz = 1 1/2 to 1 3/4?
Natalie
Hi, Olga!
I made this today for a ‘girls’ brunch’ and everybody loved it!
Will for sure make it again as I like dough recipes where no mixer is needed. I also prepared it ahead of time, froze it and baked it at my friend’s house. Fresh out of the oven, this cheese stuffed bread tastes amazing! Thank you!
olgak7
That’s good to know! I’m glad that it can be frozen. What a great idea to bring this to a girls’ brunch; sounds like fun, Natalie.
katy
Just saw this on the weather channel haha.. It DOES originate in Georgia.. It reminded me of your recipe.. I may have to try making it soon
http://www.weather.com/health/14-worlds-unhealthiest-foods-20140414?pageno=9
olgak7
Thanks to Georgians we can enjoy such a delicious dish:).
Nataliya
yummmm:) delicious and simple, love it!
anna
We make something very similar but the filling is only feta cheese and mozzarella. Ill have to try this recipe!
Kim
This reminds me of pagacz.
nada
Hey…..i am an indian and living in uzbekistan(new home maker)…. i like to try uzbek russian recipes….and ur blog is my fav… tried this recipe tday and it was reallyyy yummyyyy…..my hubby loved it so much :)….. i tried many of ur recipes and all the time it used to be big hit….yest made uzbek plov…recipe taken frm here….and i cant express my happiness that it was yummyy than restaurant one….thanks alot for ur step by step instructions and keep going…. w8ing for the new recipes to experiment….
ludmila
Hi olechka,
I have a question regarding cheese feelings. You listed 4 different cheeses 6 oz, but should I use all 4 cheeses or just one of them. Please let me know.
Thank you in advance !
ludmila
Olga please respond on my question I sent on November 12.
Thank you. Ludmila
dv8
made it for lunch today with a few changes.
dough: i used about 50 grams of butter but i think it could easily go without, not traditional, perhaps but a calorie saver nonetheless. replaced some of the flour with wholewheat.
filling: i used few slices of provolone and gouda cheese plus whatever what left from farmer’s cheese. added lots of garlic and parsley and used food processor to mix.
the result was delicious. i will definitely make again and tweak further. it’s a great base recipe to experiment with, really appreciate you posting it. thanks.
Barb Henderson
When I was little my grandmother made something similar. It had the same potato/cheese/onion filling as perogi. We made it every Easter and had it with homemade horseradish sauce and ham, as well as beets and pickled eggs. Oh so good memories. We called it Pagachi (?) spelling not sure of. When ambitious, I make it at Easter for our famly also.
olgak7
That sounds delicious!
Barb Henderson
Olga, my grandmother made what she called “Pagachi” and it was a rich roll dough that was rolled out thin and then she would spread the same potato cheese chive filling that she used in her perogies for the filling. I know how she made the filling because I watched her (of course she had no recipes!) but then I cheated and used Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix to make the dough and rolled it out as big as I could and spread half of it with filling and then folded over the other half, sealed and pricked like you did. Baked. OH MY, so good. We used to have pagachi every Easter with ham and fresh made horseradish. What great memories!
2nd generation
My grandmother made something similar and I’ve been experimenting to try and re-create it. She called it Bannock or Bannick because it was most simply a flat bread. It had large holes, cheese on top, and there would be cheese in the middle. The large holes made me think sourdough so I tried a sourdough ciabatta recipe with some cheese inside and on top. The bread rose too much as grandma’s was flatter. I tried the original Georgian recipe, but it didn’t have that chewy texture. That’s why I did sourdough. I think my next try will be sourdough focaccia bread because I remember her once poking holes in the top and then adding cheese on top. It was round, flat, and had cheese on top. It was chewy and crusty. I would say it had a good crumb. She had immigrated to the U.S. about 1918. Any other ideas?
Barb
My grandma made pagachi, I recreated it with Pillsbury’s Hot Roll mix. Rolled out as thin as I could. Spread half with potato cheese filling I use in perogi, the folded rest of dough over top, sealed edges. Poked all over with a fork. Baked till done. Turned out very close to my childhood.