Chudu (Dagestani Flatbreads)

Name: Chudu (Dagestani Flatbreads)
Ingredients: 200 ml fermented dairy product (kefir, ryazhenka, etc.); 300 g flour (approximately); 0.5 tsp baking soda; 0.5 tsp salt; 500 g mashed potatoes; 200 g brynza (brine cheese), Adyghe cheese (or cottage cheese mixed half-and-half with cheese); butter for spreading (50–100 g); sour cream for serving

Chudu (Dagestani flatbreads) are thin unleavened flatbreads filled with various fillings. The filling can be anything you like — I made mine with potatoes and cheese, but you can also do a meat version (with browned ground meat, for example), or with herbs and cheese, or even pumpkin. All variations are delicious — it just depends on what you enjoy most. By the way, this type of dish exists across many cultures: for example, khychiny from Karachay-Balkar cuisine, Moldovan placinte, Bashkir kystybyi, Azerbaijani qutabs, and similar dishes can also be found in Turkish and Indian cooking. The fact that so many different peoples have a version of this dish only proves how truly delicious it is. What I especially love about these flatbreads is that they're cooked on a completely dry pan — no oil needed. That's actually why I love Pancakes so much more than classic pan-fried fritters cooked in oil. This recipe makes 10 pieces.

Ingredients:

200 ml fermented dairy product (kefir, ryazhenka, etc.)
300 g flour (approximately)
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt
Filling:
500 g mashed potatoes
200 g brynza (brine cheese), Adyghe cheese (or cottage cheese mixed half-and-half with cheese)
Also:
butter for spreading (50–100 g)
sour cream for serving

How to cook chudu (Dagestani flatbreads)

Pour the fermented dairy product into a bowl (I used ryazhenka this time). By the way, plain water is often used instead of a fermented dairy product, and baking soda is omitted altogether. Using kefir with baking soda makes the finished flatbreads slightly softer, but water works great too. Add most of the flour, the baking soda, and the salt.

Mix well with a spoon.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead thoroughly until it no longer sticks to your hands but remains soft. You may need a little more or less flour depending on its absorption capacity. Cover with a plastic bag and let the dough rest for 20–30 minutes — this makes it much easier to roll out.

Add the crumbled cheese to the mashed potatoes. Brynza (brine cheese) or Adyghe cheese (which should be salted additionally) works best. But this time I didn't have either on hand, so I used cottage cheese mixed with regular cheese. It comes out delicious with any filling.

Mix the filling together well and season with salt if needed.

Divide the dough into 10–12 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece as thin as possible.

Spread the filling over one half of the dough circle.

Fold the other half over the filling and press the edges together to seal. Trim off any excess dough — I used a decorative pastry wheel.

Place the flatbread on a preheated, completely dry skillet and cook over medium heat until golden spots appear on the bottom.

Flip and cook the other side the same way. At this point the flatbread usually puffs up nicely.

Transfer the finished chudu to a container with a lid and immediately brush generously with butter.

Stack them on top of each other, brushing each one with butter. Keep them covered so they stay warm. Chudu that have been brushed and soaked with butter come out wonderfully soft. They're best served hot.