Manakish - Lebanese zaatar bread

Man'oushe is a symbolic Lebanese street food. Its full name is man'oushe b zaatar and it consists of disc of dough pressed flat and topped with a mixture of zaatar blend (thyme, sumac and sesame seeds) mixed with olive oil then baked in a brick oven or rolled out thin and cooked on a top of a saj. In Lebanon, you can find man'oushe literally everywhere, all around the country, at the fanciest breakfast gatherings to the poorest neighborhoods.

This Lebanese pizza, easily carried and eaten on the go, became a breakfast staple. I still remember the smell of man'oushe b zaatar at home when I was a kid, and this smell takes me back in time to great childhood memories. Every Saturday, my mom used to prepare her different toppings at home and head to the bakery so that the baker do the rest of the job.

The bakery was also a meeting place, people discussed politics, women gossiped and enjoyed a subhiyeh (morning meeting) while the baker prepared the dough.

I really enjoy breakfasts in Lebanon, manakish bi zaatar, manakish bi jibneh (with cheese), served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mint, labneh, olives... and tea!! And this is what makes man'oushe more than just bread!!

Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups water
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp instant yeast

For the topping
3/4 cup Zaatar mix (buy it from your Middle-Eastern suppliers)
1/2 cup olive oil

Bloom the yeast to make sure it is alive. Add the yeast to the water with the half teaspoon of sugar. Cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Prepare the dough by mixing the oil with the flour and slowly mix in the yeast-water mixture. Add salt and knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover and keep aside to rise for an hour.

Begin forming the manakish by flattening out some dough and spreading it on a tray using the tips of your fingers. Top with zaatar mix and bake in a preheated oven 12 to 15 mn at 400ºF (200ºC).

Ingrédients:

550 g de farine

175 ml d'huile végétale

415 ml d'eau

1 càs de sel

1 càc de sucre

1 càs de levure instantanée

Pour la garniture

3/4 tasse de Zaatar

115 ml d'huile d'olive

Délayer la levure avec l'eau et le sucre. Couvrez et laissez reposer 5 à 10 mn.

Préparez la pâte en mélangeant l'huile avec la farine. Versez doucement le mélange levure-eau. Ajoutez le sel et pétrissez 10 à 15 mn jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit lisse et élastique. Couvrez et laissez-la reposer une heure.

Formez des disques de pâte en utilisant la pointe de vos doigts. Garnissez de la préparation de zaatar et enfournez 12 à 15 mn dans un four préchauffé à 200ºC.