Manakish (Za’atar Flatbread) 🫓 fluffy olive-oil dough 🇱🇧

Description

Soft, puffy rounds of olive-oil dough topped with fragrant za’atar paste—baked hot until golden and glossy. 🫒

Hook
High-heat bake + dimpled dough = airy pockets and a shiny, herby top. ✨

Ingredients

• Dough
• 🌾 Bread flour (or strong all-purpose): 350 g (2¾ cups / 12.3 oz)
• 💧 Warm water (38–40°C / 100–104°F): 220 ml (¾ cup + 2 tbsp / 7.4 fl oz)
• 🧂 Fine salt: 7 g (1¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🍯 Sugar: 5 g (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🧫 Instant yeast: 7 g (2¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🫒 Extra-virgin olive oil (in dough): 30 ml (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• Za’atar topping
• 🌿 Za’atar blend: 45 g (⅓ cup / 1.6 oz)
• 🫒 Olive oil: 80 ml (⅓ cup / 2.7 fl oz)
• 🍋 Optional: 1 tsp lemon juice for brightness

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Make the dough (10 min)
2. In a bowl whisk water, sugar, and yeast. Add flour and salt; mix until shaggy, then add 30 ml oil and knead 5–7 min to a smooth, slightly tacky dough.
3. 2️⃣ First rise (45–60 min @ 24–27°C / 75–80°F)
4. Lightly oil the bowl, cover, and let dough double.
5. 3️⃣ Preheat
6. Place a baking stone/steel on middle rack (or an inverted sheet pan). Heat oven to 250°C (480°F); if using convection, 240°C (465°F).
7. 4️⃣ Shape
8. Divide dough into 4. Round each piece, rest 10 min covered. Pat each to 18–20 cm discs. Dimple the centers with fingertips, leaving a 1.5 cm (⅝ in) rim.
9. 5️⃣ Top
10. Stir za’atar with olive oil (and lemon juice if using) to a pourable paste. Spoon 1½–2 tbsp on each disc; spread thinly to just inside the rim.
11. 6️⃣ Bake (7–9 min)
12. Slide onto hot stone/steel and bake 7–9 min until puffed with light golden spots. For extra color, broil/grill on high 30–60 sec.
13. 7️⃣ Serve
14. Brush rims with a touch of oil. Eat hot, or cool on a rack and reheat 3–4 min at 220°C (425°F).
15. > Skillet option: Preheat a cast-iron over medium-high. Cook base 2 min, top with za’atar, then finish 2–3 min under a 250°C (480°F) broiler.

Total Time

⏱️ Prep: 20 min

🍳 Baking: 9 min

😌 Rise/Rest: 60 min

🕒 Total: 89 min

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