Personally, I think any variation of bread and cheese is suitable for most meals, but it usually functions as a snack, a companion dish, or an appetizer. Finally, I’ve had a cheese bread that feels like a meal: khachapuri. This brilliant Georgian dish is all the melted cheese you could ever want, surrounded by carbs. And with this pizza dough hack, you don’t even have to let the bread rise for hours.
How to Make Great Pizza with Pre-Made Dough
Khachapuri originates from Georgia (the country, not the state) and is so beloved that it is the national dish of Georgia. This particular type of khachapuri is Adjarian khachapuri, named after the region of Georgia. The bread is shaped like a boat and the passengers are a puddle of cheese, an egg yolk or whole egg, and a pat of butter. This is a boat I would like to be on.
Traditionally, the bread portion is a yeast dough made from scratch in a fairly typical fashion: kneading, proofing, deflating, shaping, and proofing again. While I’ve seen recipes that call for milk, sugar, or yogurt, many are simply flour, liquid, yeast, and salt. Perfect. Your grocery store sells bread like this, and the hard part is already done. Grab a ball of pizza dough from the freezer or refrigerated aisle. Let’s build a boat.
If you are using frozen dough, you will need to thaw it first. I usually refrigerate it overnight, but if you are short on time, use this water bath method. Divide the dough ball. One 20 ounce dough ball will make four personal khachapuris, or you can cut the dough in half for two large ones to share.
