Flatbread with Za'atar (Lebanese Manakish)

lebanese-manakish Manakish za'atar are delicious flatbread from the Levantine region topped with olive oil and za'atar. The oil and herbs add lots of aromatic flavour, making this bread perfect to snack on either as-is or with simple toppings. One of the most popular traditional uses for za'atar spice blend is on top of a simple flatbread. It's a simple combination, but with delicious results.

Manakish Origins: The origins of manakish (also called manakeesh, manaeesh or manaquish, singular man'ousheh or manoushe, depending where you are) are a little vague. Some say it's a modern invention, but more likely, they have been around for many centuries. The ingredients are certainly not new in the region.

They are most popular these days in Lebanon and firmly considered a core part of Lebanese cooking. It's a popular choice for breakfast, for example. You will also find the bread in other countries in the Levant region, such as Syria and Palestine, where some say it originates.

Za'atar is the most popular topping for this bread, but it's not the only one. Some use the oil and za'atar as a base or simply add other toppings instead. Common additions/ alternatives are cheese, minced lamb, spinach or chili. The lamb version is very similar to lahmacun (and in fact that name is often used).

Bread:
1 tsp. active dried yeast or instant
1 tsp. Monk Fruit sweetener
¾ cup + 1 tsp. water, or a little more/less as needed (185 mL)
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (315 g)
1 tsp. sea salt
1-2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Topping:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. za'atar (the blend rather than herb, see notes)

Mix together the yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes to foam up while you measure and mix other ingredients.

In a larger bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and oil then mix everything together and bring the dough together in a ball. If it's not all coming together, add a little more water.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for around 3-5 minutes just to get the gluten going. Bring the dough into a ball. (Alternatively, you can mix and knead the dough with a stand mixer). Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl, rolling in the oil, then cover with cling wrap/film and leave to double in size, around 90 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, knock it back gently and divide into 6 pieces (or 4 if you want larger-sized bread). Roll each into a ball and then cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise again, around 20-30 minutes. If you prefer, you can just leave them 10min or so to relax, then roll and leave to rise more later (see post above). As the dough is rising, mix together the oil and za-atar for the topping in a small bowl.

Roll each of the balls of dough into a flat, relatively thin circle (if you make six, they should be around 6in/15cm in diameter). Transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets.

Spread the oil-za'atar mixture over the middle of each round of dough, leaving a rim around the edge of each without any of the mixture (~ ⅔"/2 cm). Leave the breads to rise slightly more, around 10 minutes or so as you pre-heat the oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7).

Once the oven has come to temperature, bake the breads for around 10 minutes until they are starting to turn golden brown around the edges and have a hollow sound when tapped. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:

You can use active dried or instant (rapid rise) yeast for this, as you have/prefer. If you use instant, there is no need to add to water first, you can just mix everything but it's worth mixing all dry ingredients first to ensure they are more evenly distributed.
I use homemade za'atar spice blend for this which is really easy to make. You can also buy the blend, if you prefer, but do check ingredients to avoid versions without 'filler' ingredients.