Traditional Georgian Achma Recipe: The Ultimate Multi-Layered Cheese Bread

In a Georgian kitchen, Achma is more than a dish—it’s a labor of love. It’s the "queen" of cheese breads, built from silk-thin layers of dough, hand-boiled and bathed in melted butter.

Imagine dozens of velvety, tender sheets tucked between a crisp, golden crust and a molten heart of salty, stretchy cheese. It takes 150 minutes of patience, a little flour-dusted magic, and a lot of butter to reach perfection.

One bite of these buttery, steaming layers and you’ll understand why we say some things are simply worth the wait

Traditional Georgian Achma: The Ultimate Cheese Pastry

Difficulty: Challenging | Prep Time: 150 mins | Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• Flour: 1 kg

• Eggs: 5 large

• Water: 300 ml (can be substituted with Matsoni/yogurt for a richer dough)

• Butter: 350 g (melted and cooled)

• Cheese: 1.5 kg (traditionally a mix of Imeretian and Sulguni; if unavailable, use a mix of Mozzarella and Feta)

• Salt: To taste

Preparation Steps

1. Prepare the Dough & Cheese

• Whisk the eggs, then add water (or Matsoni), salt, and flour. Knead well until you have a smooth dough.

• Divide the dough into 7 to 9 pieces.

  • Note: Make 2 pieces larger than the rest—these will be your bottom and top layers.

• Grate the cheese and mix with a bit of salt if needed.

2. Layering the Base

• Grease a large baking tray generously with melted butter.

• Roll out the first large piece of dough (raw) and lay it on the tray. The edges should overhang the sides by 1–2 cm. Brush the surface thoroughly with melted butter.

3. Boiling the Inner Layers

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a separate bowl of cold water nearby.

• Roll out an inner dough piece as thinly as possible.

• Carefully drop it into the boiling water for 10–15 seconds.

• Lift it out with a strainer, immediately dip it into the cold water, and then let it drain.

• Place this boiled layer on top of the base layer in the tray. Brush with butter.

4. The Filling Process

• Add a layer of grated cheese over the buttered dough.

• Repeat the boiling and buttering process for the remaining inner layers, alternating with cheese.

• Pro Tip: It’s okay if the inner layers tear slightly, but keep the top and bottom layers intact.

• Important: Do not put cheese on the second-to-last layer.

5. Finishing Touches

• Roll out the final large piece of dough (raw). Cover the entire tray and tuck its edges under the very first layer to seal the cheese inside.

• Gently press down with your hands to level it. Brush the top with the remaining butter.

• For the best results, let it rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

6. Baking

• Before baking, pre-cut the Achma into square portions.

• Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 1 hour or until the top is golden brown and crispy.