Adjarian khachapuri is the most instantly recognizable of Georgia’s many khachapuri styles, thanks to its shape: an open boat of yeasted dough filled with melted cheese and a raw egg that finishes cooking right in the hot filling at the table. It comes from Adjara, a region on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, and the boat shape is said to be a nod to that coastline.

The dough is a simple yeasted dough, similar to pizza dough but slightly richer thanks to the vegetable oil worked in. Letting it rise fully matters here: a well-proofed dough gives a soft, faintly airy crumb on the inside while the shaped edges of the boat bake up dense and crisp, exactly what you want for dipping into the molten filling.

The traditional filling is sulguni, a brined cheese that goes wonderfully stretchy when melted, similar in behavior to mozzarella. It’s often mixed with imeruli cheese, which adds a salty edge and a slightly crumblier texture. If Georgian cheeses aren’t easy to find, a mix of mozzarella and a firmer brined cheese like halloumi or even a mild feta blend makes a reasonable substitute.

The trickiest part is timing the egg: it goes into the nearly finished, still-hot filling and bakes for just a few minutes, long enough for the white to set while the yolk stays runny. Serve khachapuri immediately with a pat of butter dropped in the center — the idea is for whoever’s eating it to stir the yolk, butter, and cheese together right in the boat, then tear off pieces of crust to dip into the rich, creamy filling.