Best Manakeesh Zaatar Recipes

ZAATAR BREAD - MANAKISH/ MANAKEESH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and when it begins to froth, stir in the remaining water.
• Add 3 cups of flour slowly and stir it vigorously. Let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes till it froths.
• Stir in the salt and the 2 tbspns of the virgin olive oil and mix it well.
• Gradually add the remaining 3 cups of flour (you may need a little less or more flour)until you have a dough that makes a perfect ball. Keep kneading the dough continuously for a good 10-15 minutes till the dough becomes soft, very smooth and stops sticking to your fingers.
• Pour the remaining 1 tbspn of oil on this round soft dough to grease it evenly . Cover the doughball with clingfilm and leave for it to rise for 2-3 hours.
• Meanwhile you can take the zaatar topping ingredients (or a cup of zaatar mixture that can be easily found in any middle eastern store with the oil ) and mix it in a small bowl to make it an oily mixture.
• Once the dough has risen , you can roll the dough and divide into either small balls or 2-3 large balls ( we chose to make 2 big 12″ breads. If you wish to serve manakeesh as an appetizer for friends and family , you can make mini manakeesh breads served as small bites to eat.)
• Roll out the ball on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of about ¼ inch and roll it to as big/small as you wish. Take a fork and poke it all over the bread avoiding the dough to puff up while being baked .
• You can now preheat the oven to 250°C (450°F) for 15-20 minutes.
• Place a greaseproof paper on a round baking tray and gently pick the stretched round dough and place it on top of the greaseproof paper. Gently spread 1 spoon of the Zaatar mixture on the bread.
• Zaatar bread is ready to bake. Place it in the preheated oven and let it bake for 5-10 minutes or until you can see slight browning. Hot yumminess is ready to dive into. See it on my blog https://ayoodcooks.wordpress.com/

MANAKEESH ZAATAR

Steps:

• For the zaatar: Combine the sesame seeds, sumac, thyme and salt together in an airtight container.
• For assembly and serving: Preheat the broiler. After it has risen, divide the full dough recipe in half, reserving one half to make Spinach Fatayer (keep the extra dough covered until ready to use). Cut the remaining half into 6 equal portions and roll each into a small ball shape. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Flatten one ball with the rolling pin, then prick lightly all over with a fork to prevent puffing.
• Cook each dough round in the skillet over medium heat until toasted and browned in spots on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from the heat (the dough will only be cooked on one side). Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
• Meanwhile, mix 1/4 cup zaatar with 1/3 cup olive oil in a small bowl. Spread some of the mixture on the uncooked sides of the flatbreads, place on a baking sheet and broil until they are golden and crisp on top, about 2 minutes. Serve the manakeesh zaatar with sliced pickles, olives, tomatoes and mint.
• Mix the flour, yeast, olive oil and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the warm water, a little at a time, until the dough starts to come together into one mass and forms around the hook. Increase the speed to high and continue kneading for 4 minutes.
• Dust a work surface with flour and transfer the dough to it. Continue kneading by hand, then form the dough into a large ball, dust lightly with flour and place in a large bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.