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    Home » Diet » Vegetarian

    Feb 2, 2021 · Modified: Jun 4, 2021 by Mariam · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Zaatar Manakeesh Flatbread

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    zaatar manakish pinterest pin

    Growing up Lebanese means zaatar manakeesh flatbreads have been a breakfast staple for as long as you can remember. Zaatar is a Lebanese spice mixture made up of dried thyme, sesame, sumac, salt, and olive oil. It is used to make this delicious flatbread that is so popular in Lebanon. And if you like zaatar manakeesh, check out our cheese manakeesh recipe.

    cooked manakeesh on a plate

    What I Love About This Recipe

    Manakeesh zaatar are made with simple ingredients but taste heavenly. The smell of thyme infused with olive oil on dough as it bakes in the oven is something else. We're all used to buying manakeesh zaatar from our local bakery but it's also so simple to make them at home. The taste is just as divine and the process can bring the whole family together.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Dry zaatar spice: Zaatar is a mixture of dried thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. You can buy ready-made zaatar mixes available in Middle Eastern grocery stores, trader joes, or online. I mix my own blend at home. This is just because it allows me to determine the flavor my family likes by adding less sumac and salt. If you want to customize the blend's flavor according to your taste, I recommend that you buy the zaatar blend ingredients separately and combine them at home. If you would like to make your own za'atar spice, see the section below.
    • Olive oil: I like to drizzle a little bit of extra olive oil on each flatbread before popping it into the oven.
    • Teta's homemade dough (ajeen recipe): My favorite recipe for Lebanese dishes. Its ingredients are as follows: active dry yeast, vegetable oil, milk, salt, sugar, flour, egg, and water. If you are short on time, you can use ready-made pizza dough, whole wheat biscuit dough, and dinner roll dough.
    • manakeesh dough balls on a marble surface
    • zaatar and olive oil

    How To Make Zaatar Manakeesh

    Prepare the dough (or use store-bought dough). To make homemade dough, place the dry ingredients (flour, active dry yeast, salt, and sugar) in a bowl. Create a well in the middle. Crack the egg and pour all the liquid ingredients (lukewarm water, milk, and vegetable oil) into the well.

    • egg on top of the dry flour ingredients for ajeen dough
    • the liquids added to the dry ingredients in a bowl

    Scrape the sides into the liquid ingredients and combine everything together. Then start kneading the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a floured countertop. Continue kneading by hand for up to 10 minutes.

    the dough is mixed together

    Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and a towel, and let rest for a minimum of 1 hour so the dough can rise.

    • wrap the dough in plastic wrap
    • cover the dough with a kitchen towel

    While the dough is resting, mix the dry zaatar spice with olive oil. Heat the oven to 350 ℉ (180 ℃).

    zaatar and olive oil in a glass bowl

    After the dough rested, knead for 5 more minutes. Then, split the manakeesh dough into even balls (about 10). Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into similar-sized circles.

    • rollings out manakeesh dough into flat bread
    • manakeesh dough that's been rolled flat

    Spread about 2 and ½ teaspoons of zaatar and olive oil mixture on each circle. Add some parchment paper to a baking sheet. Place the zaatar manakeesh on the baking sheet leaving some distance between each.

    • zaatar olive oil mixture on top of the dough
    • zaatar and olive mixture spread all over the dough

    Pop the manakeesh into the middle of the oven at 350 ℉ (180 ℃). Check on the manakeesh after 12 minutes. They should take around 15 to 2o minutes to cook completely.

    side view of cooked manakish on a plate

    Tips and Tricks

    • The secret is all in the dough: The more we let it rest, the better. Kneading it a few times during the resting phase also makes a huge difference.
    • If short on time, use store-bought dough. This recipe is the best when making the dough from scratch, however, if you are short on time, use store-bought dough. Suitable options are pizza dough, whole wheat biscuit dough, and dinner roll dough.
    • Watch that oven: I always make sure I don't over bake manakish. All they need is around 12-20 minutes in the oven (just until the dough is done).
    • Don't overdo it with the zaatar mixture: I spread a teaspoon of zaatar mix on every rolled-out dough portion (a circle that's usually double the size of my palm). If I add more the mixture will end up drenching the dough or running over its sides. So always make sure to keep the amount of zaatar mixture you add proportional (this changes depending on the size of your dough).
    zaatar and olive oil on the dough

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Swap equal parts to substitute.
    • Sprinkle some chia or flax seeds into this dough to add to its nutrition value.
    • Use oat flour or gluten-free flour to make this gluten-free.
    • Manouche zaatar extra: This manouche version gets its name from local bakeries where it is sold packed with vegetables and "extras" or additions. From fresh mint to tomatoes and even cheese the Lebanese add pretty much everything to their manouche.
    • Zaatar w Labneh: This is one of my favorite versions. To make it basically add some labneh, a thick Lebanese strained yogurt, to the manouche.

    How To Serve Manakeesh?

    Manakeesh can be served and eaten all by itself especially if we're grabbing it from a bakery on a busy day. However, when we do have time to sit down for a manakeesh breakfast feast, we do it right. There's an array of dishes that work really well on the side of a plate of manakeesh. These include labneh (Lebanese dip made with strained cow milk's yogurt), Lebanese white cheese chunks, and marinated olives.

    I often eat zaatar manakeesh with a side green salad or sometimes even a bowl of fatoush. I also sometimes serve mini manakeesh pastries alongside hot and cold mezze. No matter what I've served these with, they've always made for an incredible addition.

    sliced cucumbers and tomatoes in a bowl

    FAQs

    Is manakeesh healthy?

    Though zaatar manakish is considered a calorie-packed breakfast, it does boast several healthy elements. For one, the zaatar is super healthy and includes several ingredients that are packed with antioxidants. These include the dried herb and sumac. In Lebanon, we also serve manakish zaatar filled with greens, tomatoes, and other vegetables. This adds to the health benefits related to this dish.

    How do you use zaatar?

    There are many uses for zaatar such as being sprinkled on pita chips, labneh dip, or used in zaatar and cheese spring rolls. The most popular way of eating zaatar spice is mixing it with olive oil, then eating it with bread.

    How do you make zaatar spice from scratch?

    Homemade zaatar spice is easy to make, just mix 1 heaped tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sumac, and a dash of salt.

    Recipes With Zaatar

    • Labneh Pita Sandwich With Za'atar
    • Fried Cheese and Za'atar Spring Rolls
    • The Best Pita Chips (Baked & Fried Pita Bread)
    • Killer Lebanese Fattoush Salad

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    cooked manakeesh on a plate

    Zaatar Manakeesh (Thyme Flatbread)


    ★★★★★

    5 from 6 reviews

    • Author: Mariam
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 10 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
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    Description

    Zaatar manakeesh, or manouche, are Lebanese thyme and olive oil flatbreads. 


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Homemade Dough Ajeen Recipe (or store-bought dough, see note 1)

    • 4 cups of all-purpose flour (about 480 grams)
    • ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
    • ¾ cup lukewarm water
    • 1 large egg
    • ½ cup of milk (any type)
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 tsp of salt
    • 1 tsp of sugar

    Zaatar and Olive Oil Topping

    • 3 tbsp dry zaatar mixture (see below)
    • ¼ cup olive oil

    Homemade Dry Zaatar Mixture 

    • 1 heaped tablespoon dried thyme
    • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    • 1 tablespoon sumac
    • a dash of salt

    Instructions

    1. Make the dough recipe. Or, use store-bought dough (see note 1). Measure out the flour and place it in a bowl. Add dry yeast, sugar, and salt. Combine all the dry ingredients together using a spoon. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Crack the egg in the well. Add in the milk, oil, and a little bit of water (save the rest and use only if needed). Start folding in the flour sides and use your hands to combine everything. When the dough's texture is pretty soft, form it into a ball. Place the dough ball on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Roll the dough in any shape you want to and cover it with cling film (plastic wrap). Then wrap it up with a kitchen towel and leave it out to rest for one hour. 
    2. After the dough has risen, knead for 5 minutes. Then, shape the dough into a large ball. Shape into smaller individual portions (around 10). Roll each portion into a proportional circle.
    3. Mix the dry zaatar mixture with olive oil in a bowl. Spread about 2 and ½ teaspoons of zaatar and olive oil mixture on each circle. Add some parchment paper to a baking sheet. Place the zaatar bread on the baking sheet leaving some distance between each.
    4. Pop the manakeesh into the middle of the oven at 350 ℉ (180 ℃). Check on the manakeesh after 12 minutes. They should take around 15 to 2o minutes to cook completely.
    5. Remove the manakeesh from the oven. Serve hot alongside some chopped vegetables.

    Equipment

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    Parchment Paper

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    Kitchen Scale

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    Ceramic Measuring Cups

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    Baking Sheet

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    zaatar spice

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    Notes

    • If not making the dough from scratch, there are a couple of substitutions for store-bought dough. Pizza dough, whole-wheat biscuit dough, and dinner roll dough are all suitable options for this recipe. 
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: Lebanese

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 piece
    • Calories: 331 calories
    • Sugar: 1 g
    • Sodium: 157 mg
    • Fat: 18 g
    • Saturated Fat: 2 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 35 g
    • Fiber: 2 g
    • Protein: 6 g
    • Cholesterol: 19 mg

    Keywords: manakish, manakeesh, zaatar bread, lebanese flat bread, zaatar bread recipe, zaatar manakish, zaatar bread recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

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    « Teta's Manakeesh Dough (Ajeen)
    Egyptian Spinach With Tomato Sauce »

    About Mariam

    I am Mariam Nabbout, a writer and content creator. I’ve spent years dedicating research, digital, and filmmaking skills to come up with content that's just as meaningful as it is inspiring. A few of my obsessions include good branding, films, photography, design, art, and of course, food.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth Sachs says

      February 14, 2021 at 11:51 am

      A great flatbread recipe. The whole family loved it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        February 15, 2021 at 1:08 am

        Thanks you!

        Reply
    2. Laura says

      February 14, 2021 at 11:40 am

      I have been looking for this recipe for a while now. I had this bread at a Lebanese friend's house. I love it. Thank you for posting it

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        February 15, 2021 at 1:08 am

        Thanks for your comment! Manakish is one of my favorite Lebanese recipes!

        Reply
    3. Jenn says

      February 14, 2021 at 10:45 am

      I love trying new recipes and this one caught my eye! I'm going to make the dough from scratch as you suggest, just so I get the extra aroma factor. Can't wait!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        February 15, 2021 at 1:07 am

        Hope you like it!

        Reply
    4. Valerie says

      February 14, 2021 at 8:51 am

      I don't believe I've had manakish before. I love the smell of freshly baked bread, this one sounds super easy to make.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        February 14, 2021 at 9:42 am

        It's easy and delicious!

        Reply
    5. Krissy Allori says

      February 14, 2021 at 8:45 am

      That zaatar spice has the best flavor! Fantastic recipe.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        February 14, 2021 at 9:43 am

        Thank you! Zaatar is one of my favorite spices!

        Reply
    6. Claudia Lamascolo says

      February 14, 2021 at 7:01 am

      I absolutely love this flat bread my aunt taught me years ago the flavors in yours are perfect and a little different than hers I am trying this today I have everything you brought back great memories.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        February 14, 2021 at 9:43 am

        I'm so happy to hear that!

        Reply

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    I've been cooking things up ever since I was a kid. I'm a Lebanese American from Texas. My kitchen, or "matbakh", is a hodgepodge of delicious cultural recipes from the US and Mediterranean regions.

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