Tender Lebanese flatbread called manoushe is slathered with a mixture of zaatar spice and olive oil, a delicious appetizer or breakfast on the go. Vegan & gluten-free adaptable.
Warm, tender, pillowy Lebanese flatbread brings back many happy memories for me as a kid. I’m not sure why it has taken me this long to post the recipe, but I was craving it a few days ago, and well, here we are.
Why You’ll Love This
- Rich with flavor! Seasoned with a robust za’atar paste, made with spices and oil.
- Incredibly versatile. Serve as an appetizer or enjoy as an on-the-go breakfast!
- Dietary friendly. Vegan and gluten-free adaptable.
- So many variations! Bake with cheese, turn into a wrap, serve with eggs, or grill it!
But first, What is Manoushe?
Manoushe (also spelled man’oushe or man’ouche) is a traditional Lebanese flatbread known for its versatile and flavorful nature. It is a popular street food in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries, often enjoyed for breakfast or as a quick snack. It is different from pita bread as it does not have a pocket.
The dough for manoushe is typically made from basic ingredients like flour, water, yeast, and a pinch of salt, creating a warm, tender, and pillowy texture. What sets manoushe apart is the za’atar paste spread on top before baking—a fragrant blend of thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and olive oil. The combination of these spices imparts a robust and tangy flavor that is both aromatic and delicious.
Manoushe Ingredients
- Flour: Use bread flour, all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. If you have both bread and all-purpose flour, you could mix a little of both or even add spelt or whole wheat.
- Instant yeast: You can sub active dry yeast, mixing it with lukewarm water and sugar first, in a medium bowl, until frothy and activated before adding to the flour mixture. This type of yeast will lengthen the prep time.
- Salt, sugar, and oil
- Zaatar Paste: Made with a za’atar mixture (use our Middle Eastern spice blend with sesame seeds, thyme or marjoram, cumin, and sumac), extra virgin olive oil, sumac, and salt.
- Garnish: Parsley, mint, or Aleppo chili flakes for fresh, herbal flavor and a bit of heat.
How to make Man’oushe
Step 1: Make the dough. Place flour in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Drizzle in the olive oil and water, starting with 1 cup and adding more as needed. Use a wooden paddle or the dough hook to mix the dough, using just enough water to incorporate all of the flour.
Step 2: Knead and let rise. Knead 8-10 minutes with damp hands or the dough hook until it is silky smooth. Lightly oil all sides of the dough and place in the bowl to rise with a damp kitchen towel over top. Let rise 2 hours- the dough should be at least doubled in size.
Step 3: Preheat. Preheat the oven to 450F. Use a pizza stone if you have it!
Step 4: Prep dough. Knock back the dough and pour onto a floured surface. Divide into 8-10 equal portions and shape into balls. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan, seam side down. Cover the pan with a damp towel and let sit 15 minutes.
Step 5: Prepare Zaatar Paste. Mix zaatar spice blend, olive oil, salt, and sumac in a small bowl.
Step 6: Bake. Roll out a “tester”, 6-8 inches in diameter, no more than 1/4-inch thick. Place on parchment or a pizza peel. Spoon a little zaatar paste on top, leaving a 1/2 inch around the edges. Transfer to a sheet pan or pizza stone and bake until bubbly and golden. Once done, determine if you want the rest of the batch to be thicker or thinner. Then roll 2-3 at a time and bake in batches. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
Step 7: Serve. Place warm Manoushe bread in a towel-lined basket or platter, stacked or arranged.
Variations
There are many different things you can do with manoushe. Here are a few ideas:
- Bake it with melty mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and olives for a delicious Lebanese pizza.
- Roll man’oushe out thin and crispy to use as a wrap- like this halloumi wrap (below) with your favorite sandwich fillings – or wrap up falafels, cauliflower shawarma, Easy Grilled Chicken Shawarma or grilled eggplant!
- Top manoushe with a sunny-side-up egg for breakfast.
- Manoushe can be baked or grilled!
FAQs
Crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, topped with aromatic spices.
Yes! Preheat grill to medium-high. Leave the paste off the dough, then use a pizza peel to transfer the manoushe to the hot grates. Once grill marks are visible and the dough is toasty (about 4 mins), flip it. Brush with zaatar paste and grilled until dough is golden (another 4 mins).
Yes, we tried this with Namaste’s organic, gluten-free flour blend- and though the texture was slightly stiffer, we enjoyed it. Be careful not to overbake, as it may get tough.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored wrapped up in the refrigerator for 5 days. Reheat in a warm oven or toaster oven. Manoushe can be frozen for up to 6 months. To freeze, separate each piece with parchment and wrap tightly.
Enjoy this Manoushe recipe and please let us know what you think in the comments below! xoxo
More recipes you'll love!
Use this manoush recipe to make our halloumi wrap- so delicious!
Man’oushe Recipe
- Prep Time: 35
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: bread, baked
- Method: baked, grilled
- Cuisine: Lebanese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Tender Lebanese flatbread called manoushe is slathered with a mixture of zaatar spice and olive oil, a delicious appetizer or breakfast on the go. Vegan & gluten-free adaptable. Allow 2 hours rising time.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour, spooned and leveled – bread flour, all-purpose flour (420 grams)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (see notes)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1– 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
Zaatar Paste
- 1/3 cup za’atar – a Middle Eastern spice blend with sesame seeds, thyme or marjoram, cumin, sumac. Make homemade zaatar spice here.
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Garnish: parsley, mint, or Aleppo chili flakes
Instructions
- Place the flour in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Drizzle in the olive oil and water (start with 1 cup), adding more as needed to saturate the flour. Using the dough hook or a wooden paddle, begin mixing the dough, adding just enough water to incorporate all the flour- it should start pulling away from the bowl.
- Knead for 8-10 minutes using floured hands or the dough hook until the dough is silky smooth. Make a ball, lightly oil all sides of the manoushe dough, and place in the bowl to rise, covering with a damp kitchen towel, until at least doubled, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450-500F ( if you have a pizza stone– use it!) Convection is good too.
- Knock back the dough and pour it onto a floured surface. Divide into 8-10 equal pieces and shape into balls. Cover with a kitchen towel for 15 minutes- or place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, seam side down, covered with the damp towel in the fridge for up to a few hours.
- Mix the zaatar spice blend with the olive oil, salt and sumac in a small bowl.
- On a floured surface, roll out a “tester ” 6-8 inches in diameter (no more than 1/4 inch thick). If the dough resists, let it rest for a couple of minutes, then roll again. TIP: For very thin manoushe (to use for wraps), aim for 10 inches in diameter, ⅛ inch thick. This will require some rolling/resting/ stretching.
- Place it on parchment (or a pizza peel) spreading a little of the zaatar paste all around the top leaving ½ inch space around the edges. Lift onto a sheet pan or pizza stone and bake it until bubbly and golden on edges. Decide if you want to roll them thicker or thinner. Then roll out 2-3 at a time, and bake in batches. Keep them warm wrapped in a kitchen towel.
- To serve, place warm Manoushe bread, in a towel-lined basket or platter, either stacked or arranged. Wrap them up with a towel to keep them warm.
Notes
Yeast: If using active dry yeast, mix it with lukewarm water and sugar first, in a medium bowl, until frothy and activated before adding to the flour mixture. This type of yeast will lengthen the prep time.
Flour: If you have both bread flour and AP flour, you could mix a little of both, or feel free to use half whole wheat or spelt. I’ve also made this with Namaste Foods gluten-free flour blend.
Sourdough: If you want to try this with sourdough, skip the yeast, mix ¼ cup active sourdough starter with ¾ cup water and the olive oil, and mix this with the flour and salt. Add more water as needed to incorporate the flour. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until almost doubled in size roughly 8-10 hours.
Storage: Leftovers will last 5 days wrapped up in the refrigerator. Reheat in a warm oven, or toaster oven. Manoushe can also be frozen for up to 6 months- separate each piece with parchment, and wrap tightly.
To Grill: leave the zaatar paste off the rolled dough. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Using a pizza peel place the manoushe directly on the hot grates. Once good grill marks appear and the dough is toasty, flip it over (roughly 4 minutes). Then brush manoushe with the zaatar paste, grilling until dough is cooked through and golden, another 4 minutes.
So I made the Manoushe last night but they came out more like pita bread. Just too thick and hard, so I wasn’t able to bend them to wrap around the lamb like a tortilla. I guess I should roll them thinner next time, but the issue might be how long they were in the oven? Any suggestions so they turn out more like tortillas? I wanna try them with the halloumi too!
Hi Todd, I will add some more notes to the recipe card. Yes, you must roll them very thin to get it like the photo. Let the dough rest for a few minutes, if it resists, then roll again!
Beautiful bread!!! 😍 Will make Lebanese pizzas for lunch this week. So good with the za’atar. Thank you for sharing your culture/memories with us!!
Awesome to hear Angeli! The pizza’s are fabulous!
Could you use sourdough discard instead of yeast in this recipe and if so, how much would you use?
Hi Julie- I don’t see why not!? I added some notes in the recipe card for you!
Just wondering if the individual dough balls can be frozen?
Hi Janice, I haven’t personally tested freezing the dough, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work ok?
If you were to do this GF what. Flour would you choose?
Hi Jane- I made this with Namaste organic GF flour blend- the texture was a little chewier- but still good! I used this GF version in the photos of the Halloumi Wrap which I will be posting shortly- I made them thinner, and they were perfect. 🙂