Manakish Zaatar and Hummus

Hello HTS Community,

Manakish Za’atar (also known as Manakeesh or Manaqish) is a traditional Lebanese flatbread, often eaten at breakfast. This middle eastern delicacy is similar to pizza, made with a soft pita as base, and topped with with Zaatar, herbs or cheese, and can be served as a party appetizer with Hummus, Labneh and Tabbouleh.

Zaatar is a delicious blend, created with dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram, cumin , sesame seeds, sea salt and the most important Sumac. This is what brings that tangy hint to Zaatar, made with dried flower berries, it’s a complete hit and essential to making Zaatar. You can make it ahead and refrigerate. The dough is easy and can be quickly made with limited ingredients.

Pro-tip: These are an excellent element to serve on a party platter

Ingredients you will need

• All purpose flour- 3 cups
• Lukewarm water- 1 cup
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)- 1/2 cup
• Sugar- 1 tablespoon
• Active dry yeast- 1 tablespoon
• Salt- 1 teaspoon
• Zaatar– 1/2 cup

Steps to make Manakish Zaatar:

• To start making manakish, in a bowl mix together lukewarm water and sugar thoroughly. Once mixed well, add the yeast, stir and leave for 5 minutes to bloom.
• In another bowl, add together all purpose flour, salt and 1 tablespoon EVOO with your hands and slowly incorporate the water-yeast mixture. Use only the amount of water required to make a smooth and elastic dough. Grease the bowl and dough with a tablespoon of olive oil, and let the dough rest for 40-50 minutes. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap or damp kitchen towel.
• Now the dough should have doubled in size. Take it out on a floured surface and kneed for a minute, and divide in equal sixed balls, depending on the size on manakish you want to bake. Cover the dough balls for 10 minutes to rest.
• Pre-heat over at 180^oC.
• Mix the zaatar and rest of the olive oil in a bowl and keep aside.
• Shape each dough ball in a disc using your hands or a rolling pin with light pressure, should be about 1/4 inch thick. Create a few dimples with your fingers for zaatar.
• Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread a spoonful of zaatar-olive mix on top.
• Bake at 180^oC for about 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden.
• Serve with Tabbouleh, Hummus , Labneh or Tzatziki.