Georgian Cheese Bread: Traditional Cooking At Its Best
Time for some good old-fashioned cooking from Georgia... but we don't mean the state! The "other" Georgia, nestled between the Caspian and Black Seas in central Asia, is known for a delicious baked bread stuffed with cheese. This national dish also shows how versatile pizza dough can be.
You'll need:
- 1 round pizza dough
- 1 mozzarella ball, cut into pieces
- 5 dried tomatoes, halved lengthways
- 7 oz ground meat (beef or pork)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped up
- 2.75 fl oz tomato sauce or tomato puree
- salt
- pepper
- 3.5 oz grated cheddar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
Here's how:
- Roll out the pizza dough on a work surface dusted with flour. Now place the mozzarella on top in the shape of brackets on both sides of the pizza dough. Do the same with the dried tomatoes — they should be placed within the mozzarella brackets.
- Now carefully roll the pizza dough over the mozzarella and tomatoes, before slightly folding it in on itself. Then press each end together. The entire thing should now look a bit like a boat.
- For the filling, mix the ground beef with the onions, garlic, tomato sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Now spread the mixture inside the bread and level it out using a spoon.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the bread. Break an egg into the middle for the finishing touch.
- Bake the bread at 360°F for 25 minutes in a preheated convection oven.
Wow, check out the melted cheese oozing from the crust when you pull away the warm dough. As well as being a feast for the eyes (and stomach), this Georgian delicacy is also perfect for sharing with family and friends. Or, of course, you could keep it all to yourself!