Georgian · Lunch & handhelds

Lobiani bean bread

Name: Lobiani bean bread
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 14 h 15 min
Yield: 2 large breads
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 12 ounces dried red kidney beans; 6 cups water, plus more for soaking; 2 bay leaves; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 1 large yellow onion, finely diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground blue fenugreek; 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons instant yeast; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 1/3 cups warm water; 2 tablespoons neutral oil

Georgian yeasted bread enclosing an equal, generous layer of textured kidney beans seasoned with browned onion, coriander, blue fenugreek, and butter.

About 14 hr 15 minTotal

About 1 hr 15 minActive

$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 2 large breads

Equipment

A sound steel or stone works; give it the full preheat and allow for slower stone browning.
Best high-heat home-oven steel
NerdChef Steel Stone Pro, 14.5 by 16 Inches · 3/8-Inch Steel
View at Amazon
Another workable path: A sound steel or stone works; give it the full preheat and allow for slower stone browning.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the recipe's ten-inch pizza and hour-long high-heat preheat to the exact 14.5-by-16-by-0.375-inch Pro variation, then verified its current Amazon identity, steel construction, handling holes, weight burden, and category-level independent testing. Kwilt has not baked with this steel.
NerdChef Steel Stone Pro, 14.5 by 16 Inches · 3/8-Inch Steel: The 14.5-by-16-inch surface readily fits the recipe's ten-inch pizza, while the three-eighth-inch steel retains strong heat through the long preheat and gives the crust rapid oven spring before its restrained toppings overcook. Trade-off: At roughly twenty-three pounds it is substantially heavier than a quarter-inch steel or ceramic stone, needs occasional cast-iron-style care, and should remain on a rack rated for the load.
Another workable path: Use a sound baking steel or pizza stone already owned, preheat it for the full hour, and expect a stone to recover and brown the base more slowly than steel.
Sources
Epicurious pizza-steel testing and handling comparison
Amazon exact NerdChef Steel Stone Pro listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 2 large breads

12 ounces dried red kidney beans
6 cups water, plus more for soaking
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground blue fenugreek
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons neutral oil

Instructions

Soak beans in abundant water 12 hours. Drain, add 6 cups fresh water and bay leaves, and simmer until completely tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Drain well, discard bay, and mash to a textured potato-like consistency.
Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter until deep gold, 12 minutes. Add garlic, coriander, and blue fenugreek for 30 seconds. Mix into beans with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper; cool completely.
Mix flour, yeast, sugar, remaining salt, warm water, and neutral oil into a soft dough. Knead until smooth, cover, and rise until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes. Divide into two balls and rest 10 minutes.
Flatten each dough ball, place half the bean filling in the center, gather and seal the edges, turn seam-down, and gently flatten to a 10-inch round without tearing. Cut a tiny center vent.
Bake at 450°F on a until browned and cooked underneath, 18 to 22 minutes. Brush hot breads with remaining butter, rest 10 minutes, and cut into wedges.

GeorgiaGeorgian bakery and household cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Lobiani means bean bread and is eaten throughout Georgia, especially for Barbaroba; this meatless bakery-style form keeps the kidney-bean filling and Georgian blue fenugreek distinct from smoked-pork Rachan versions.

Lobiani means bean bread and is eaten throughout Georgia, especially for Barbaroba on December 17. Rachan versions may cook beans with smoked ham or pork fat. This meatless bakery-style version keeps the nationally recognizable kidney-bean filling and Georgian blue fenugreek. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Choose the widespread meatless form and retain the most culturally specific seasoning, while documenting rather than blending in the distinct Rachan smoked-pork variation.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe