Kubdari: Georgian Meat Pie

Hailing from the mountainous Svaneti in the northwest of Georgia, this meat-filled bread is packed with flavour and fun to make.

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Servings 8

Prep Time 30

Additional Time 1 30

Total Time 2 30

Ingredients

Dough

90 ml (6 tbsp) whole milk
25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
250 g (2 cups) bread flour
4 g (1 ⅓ tsp) instant yeast
5 g (1 tsp) salt (see note 1)

Filling

1 yellow onion finely diced
5 g (1 tsp) salt divided (see note 1)
5 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp blue fenugreek (see note 4)
½ tsp ground coriander seed
¼ tsp chili flakes
500 g (1 lb) minced lamb (see note 5)
10 g (2 tbsp) fresh coriander/cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

Add the milk and the butter to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Gently heat the milk only until the butter is melted. Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until combined.
Add the flour and yeast and stir with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula (or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook) until just combined and no dry spots remain. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for fifteen minutes.
Add the salt and knead briefly until fully incorporated into the dough. Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead until the dough is smooth, supple and elastic - about 10-15 minutes (see note 2). Avoid adding any extra flour unless the dough is unmanageably sticky. If using a stand mixer, knead on medium for 8-10 minutes.
Gather the dough into a tight ball. Add it to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size - about 1 hour (see note 3).
Meanwhile, make the filling. Add a tablespoon of neutral oil to a large skillet and set over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion along with ¼ of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, fenugreek, coriander seed and chili flakes and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Add the meat to a large mixing bowl along with the remaining salt and a generous grind of pepper. Stir to combine, then scrape in the onion mixture and the cilantro. Stir until well incorporated.
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. When the dough has risen, lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough, pressing lightly to de-gas. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an even circle about 5mm (roughly ¼ in) thick. Be careful not to use too much flour, as this can make it difficult to seal in the filling. Pile the filling into the centre of the dough, leaving a roughly 8 cm (3in) border.
Fold the border of the dough over the filling, pinching to encase the filling completely in the dough. Flip the dough over and gently roll out until it reaches about 25-30 cm (10-12 in) in diameter. Cut four 2 cm long (¾ in) slits in the centre of the dough, for steam release. Move to a parchment-lined baking tray and allow to rest until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
Move to the oven and bake until it's puffed, golden and crisp, about 20-25 minutes. Allow the kubdari to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing into 8 wedges and serving.

Notes

For best results, measure salt by weight, as different salts vary in crystal size and density.
You’ll know the dough is properly kneaded when it passes the windowpane test. Pinch off a ping-pong ball-sized piece of dough and gently stretch it between your fingers. The dough should stretch into a thin, translucent sheet that lets light pass through without tearing.
I like to take a photo of the dough before letting it rise to gauge how much it has risen, as the time it takes can depend on the ambient temperature of the room.
Use regular fenugreek if you cannot find blue fenugreek.
I like lamb in this recipe, but you can swap in beef or even use a mixture of lamb and pork or beef and pork if you desire.

Nutrition

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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