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.