Bread, bacon and gooey cheese combine to make an over-the-top holiday appetizer

Winter has finally set in, bringing with it the year's most indulgent holidays. And what better way to indulge than with rich, gooey cheese bread.

Of course, cheese bread means many things to many people. It can be anything from a garlic bread, lightly dusted with Parmesan, to a mozzarella-stuffed pizza crust, to a Cheddar-flecked quick bread. While any of these would make a cheese lover happy, there is one version that might top them all: Khachapuri.

The national dish of Georgia (the country, not the state), Khachapuri is an over-the-top, decadent bread. Calling it bread might be a misnomer, though, as it's just as much cheese as it is bread.

It starts with a pizza-like dough that's shaped into a canoe. An inordinate amount of shredded cheese (we're talking a pound, folks) is piled high inside the canoe and baked until brown and bubbly.

And while that on its own would easily classify as decadent, Georgians take one extra step that transforms the cheesy filling into one the best cheese dips you'll ever eat. When the bread is hot out of the oven, they vigorously stir in an egg yolk and, of course, butter into the cheese. The process creates a creaminess and unexpected lightness to the filling, making it deliciously easy to dip into with a chunk of the crust.

Is that gilding the lily just a bit? Oh yes, unashamedly so. And since we've already crossed the Rubicon with this dish, it seems fair game to load it up with a few more flavorful ingredients — caramelized onions and bacon.

A more authentic version of Khachapuri would include a mixture of Georgian cheeses that would be difficult to locate in most grocery stores. Luckily, we can get close by using a mixture of shredded mozzarella (the block form, not fresh) and crumbled feta. It works because mozzarella melts beautifully and provides a wonderful cheese pull (that stretchiness you get when you pull a slice of pizza away from the pie), and feta brings a briny saltiness, which bumps up the flavor factor.

Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a main dish.

Note: Decadent and ultra-cheesy, this dish is perfect as an appetizer, with guests pulling apart the edges and dipping them into the gooey center. It could also be served as a main dish, along with a crisp green salad. This recipe needs to be made in advance. From Meredith Deeds.

• 2 c. flour

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

• 1/2 c. plus 3 tbsp. water

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• 2 c. (8 oz.) whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter

• 1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the water and oil and mix together until a ragged dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured counter and knead until elastic and smooth, about 5 minutes, adding only as much additional flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Form dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses. Set aside.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured 16- by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle the top lightly with flour. Roll dough into an 11- by 13-inch oval. Spread the onions onto the dough, leaving a 2 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle the bacon over the top. Pile the cheese over the top of the onions and bacon. It will seem like a lot of cheese, piled high on the onions, but it will melt down as it bakes and settle into the canoe. Roll edges of dough 2 1/2 inches toward center, around the cheese. Twist ends to form a canoe shape.

Transfer parchment with dough to a rimmed baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise until puffy, but not doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes. While the dough is rising, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bake until crust is browned and cheese is completely melted down and bubbly and browned in spots, about 17 to 20 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and add egg yolk, butter and 1 tablespoon parsley to cheese filling and quickly begin to stir with a fork, vigorously, until fully incorporated and cheese is creamy and stretchy. Transfer cheese bread to a serving platter. Garnish with an additional sprinkle of parsley and serve immediately.