middle eastern morning goodness

the following flatbread, called mana'esh or manakish, is one which is extremely popular as a morning breakfast snack as is usually flavoured with either the savoury blend of spices called za'atar or some kind of [arabic] melted cheese. the same dough can also be topped with a spicy ground meat mixture and is then called lahm b'ajin. all three preparations are very popular.

za'atar, a type of oregano and a much loved herb and spice mixture, is something which can be bought in more upscale grocery stores these days but it is much cheaper to buy in larger quantities at a middle eastern, and sometimes mediterranean stores. it can also be made at home. see the last 1/3 of my previous post to find recipes and learn more about this herb itself and the spice mix.

the following recipe can be made in a snap and doesn't require hours of proving the dough. it is quite labour un-intensive and can be made in a matter of a few hours leaving you with excellent results. the manousheh can be flattened, spread with the za'atar mix and then immediately frozen and then taken out later to be baked.

these manousheh (plural of manakish) are baked in the oven very quickly at a high temperature. in reality, they are quickly baked on a rounded heated surface which is called a saaj, almost like an inverted wok. you can see examples of it here and here. this site shows how someone is making them on the back of a fry pan! it's in arabic, but you can still get the idea from the pictures.

whichever way you make them, they taste wonderful — especially at breakfast time.

this is a short article about the bread and a vegan* recipe for it [mine uses an egg].

manakish (bil) za'atar مناقيش
lebanese herb flavoured flatbreads


ingredients:

1 c warm water
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp sugar

1 egg* [refer to above link]
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

3 1/2 - 4 c AP flour

for the herbed oil:

6 tbsp za'atar
1/2 tsp salt
7 tbsp veg or olive oil

method:

add water, yeast and sugar to a bowl and let sit 10 minutes.

add the egg, oil and salt and mix well.

add the flour until you get a soft dough. knead the dough for about 5 to 10 minutes and add more flour, if needed. note that this dough is a little on the sticky side; it is supposed to be that way — though it should not be "wet". . do not add too much flour {refer to "this is a short article" link above in the recipe instructions if you want further confirmation! ;P}.

let the dough sit covered for 40 minutes in a warm spot.

after 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 450 F.

put the dough on a counter surface and shape it into a very thick rough rectangle. cut the dough in half lengthwise and then each half into three equal pieces (sun was going down when i shot these pictures!).

line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. lightly grease the foil, if you are using that.

make the za'atar oil mixture by mixing together the salt, za'atar and oil. [restir it each time you use it to redistribute it as the ground spices will settle at the bottom.]

take a piece of dough, covering the others, and press it down with your fingers spreading it to a very thin 1/4 inch. do this to the others, depending on how many you will be able to fit on the baking sheet. they should be about 6 to 7 inches wide.

you can also cut each of the six pieces in half again and make mini manousheh if you like.

stir the oil-za'atar mixture again well, and spread a full tablespoon on each round of bread dough. using the back of a spoon or your fingers spread the mix all over the dough.

let this sit for 10 minutes to rise a bit.

before putting them in the oven, use your fingers to press down into the dough to dimple it so it doesn't puff up too much in the oven.

before

bake for 10 minutes and let cool on a rack.

after

these are at their best when warm or at room temperature. they are often served with feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumber slices, etc...

enjoy!