Georgian Shoti Bread (Shotis Puri)

Name: Georgian Shoti Bread (Shotis Puri)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Georgia
Ingredients: 4 cups (500 g) bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting; 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) lukewarm water, about 95°F (35°C); 2 1/4 tsp (7 g) instant dry yeast; 2 tsp (10 g) fine salt; 1 tsp (4 g) sugar; 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil, for the bowl; 2 tbsp (18 g) cornmeal or extra flour, for dusting; 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water, for steam

შოთის პური shotis puriSay it: SHOH-tees POO-ree

By the Passport Plate editors. Published November 9, 2026.

Jump to recipe Pin it

Shotis puri is Georgia's everyday bread: a lean dough of flour, water, salt and leaven, shaped into a long canoe with pointed ends and a deep channel pressed down its middle. It is traditionally slapped onto the hot clay wall of a tone, a cylindrical tandoor-style oven, which gives it a blistered top, a firm crust and a chewy, slightly sour crumb. It appears at every Georgian table, from breakfast with cheese and herbs to supper alongside stews, torn apart by hand while still warm.

Georgian Shoti Bread (Shotis Puri)

შოთის პური, shotis puri

Pronounced SHOH-tees POO-ree

Serves: 4
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 45 min
Level: Medium

Also nut-free and egg-free.

Allergens: contains gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.

Ingredients

4 servings

Dough

4 cups (500 g)500 g (4 cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 1/3 cups (320 ml)320 ml (1 1/3 cups) lukewarm water, about 95°F (35°C)
2 1/4 tsp (7 g)7 g (2 1/4 tsp) instant dry yeast
2 tsp (10 g)10 g (2 tsp) fine salt
1 tsp (4 g)4 g (1 tsp) sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml)15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil, for the bowl

For baking

2 tbsp (18 g)18 g (2 tbsp) cornmeal or extra flour, for dusting
1 cup (240 ml)240 ml (1 cup) boiling water, for steam

Method

Stir the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a large bowl, then pour in the lukewarm water. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains at the bottom of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky; it should spring back slowly when pressed with a finger.
Shape the dough into a ball, rub it with the vegetable oil, return it to the bowl and cover. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size and the surface shows small bubbles.
Punch the dough down, divide it into 4 equal pieces (about 7 oz / 200 g each) and roll each into a loose ball. Cover and rest for 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the loaves stretch without tearing.
Flatten each ball into an oval, fold the long sides into the center and roll it back and forth with your palms into a log about 10 inches (25 cm) long, pressing harder at the ends so they taper to points. Set the loaves on a peel or a parchment-lined board dusted with cornmeal.
Press a deep channel down the length of each loaf with your fingertips or the floured handle of a wooden spoon, pushing almost to the bottom and leaving a raised rim on either side. Cover loosely and rest for 25-30 minutes, until the loaves look puffy.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with a baking stone or an inverted heavy baking sheet inside for at least 40 minutes. Put a shallow pan on the bottom rack and pour in the boiling water just before baking.
Slide the loaves onto the hot stone, spacing them apart, and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown with darker, crisp pointed tips and a hollow sound when tapped underneath. Re-press the channel after the first 3 minutes if it puffs shut, then cool the loaves on a rack so the crust stays crisp.

Regional variants

In Georgia the loaves are baked directly on the wall of a tone, which blisters the crust faster and gives a smokier flavor. Home bakers without a stone can bake on a preheated cast-iron skillet or heavy tray, still at maximum heat with a pan of water below.

Cook's notes

High heat and steam do the work of the tone: keep the oven fully preheated and don't open the door for the first 8 minutes.
Press the center channel firmly with floured fingers; it keeps the loaf flat-topped and gives the characteristic ridge-and-dip profile.
For a chewier, more rustic crust, brush the shaped loaves with water and dust lightly with flour before baking.

Serve with

Tear into pieces while warm with sulguni or imeruli cheese, fresh herbs and a bowl of lobio, or simply with butter and salt.

Make ahead and storage

Best the day it is baked; wrap leftovers and refresh at 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes, or freeze the baked loaves for up to 1 month.

Georgian Shoti Bread (Shotis Puri)