Cheese & za'atar manakeesh

We grew up eating manakeesh from The Lebanese Bakery - a local favorite in Sharjah, UAE.

Manakeesh is an Arabic flatbread traditionally baked in a brick oven and topped with Arabic akkawi white cheese and za'atar. This is a piece of our home made with a few alternatives!

Note: the dough will need to proof in a warm place for 1 ½- 2 hours.

Ingredients

Flatbread

Makes 4 servings

• 1 tsp active dry yeast

• 150 ml warm water

• 2 ½ tbsp olive oil

• 250 g flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar

Za’atar blend

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 ½ -2 tbsp store-bought za’atar (or homemade, see note 1)

Akkawi cheese alternative

• 150g fresh feta

• 400g fresh mozzarella

Toppings

• 1 tsp mint

• 1 tsp sumac

• Lemons and cucumbers (for serving)

Directions

Flatbread

1. Combine yeast and warm water in a small bowl and mix until well combined (the water will look milky).

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and create a well to add the yeast. Add the yeast mixture, 2 ½ tbsp of olive oil and mix well to combine with a spatula.

3. On a clean surface sprinkled with flour, using your hands knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, until elastic. The dough should spring back as you poke it with your finger.

4. Form the dough into a ball, coat the top with olive oil, and cover with plastic wrap.

5. Place the dough in a warm place for 1 ½-2 hours.

Za’atar blend

1. Combine za’atar and olive oil in a small bowl and mix to combine.

Akkawi cheese alternative

1. Shred mozzarella and feta in a bowl. Using your hands, crumble the cheese even more and combine well.

2. With a paper towel, press down lightly on the cheese to remove any excess moisture (not all the moisture, though!).

Manakeesh

• Once the dough has risen, punch the air out, roll out into a log and divide it into four equal pieces.

• Roll out each piece of dough and press out until its flat and round. Place on parchment-lined baking tray) and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 10 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

• Once dough has risen again, remove from tray and place on a pizza baking tray (if you have one, otherwise just use the parchment-lined baking tray) and start to poke the dough to create dimples.

• Add ¼ of the cheese mixture and brush with za’atar blend, at this point you can also add some sumac and mint on top, and drizzle olive oil, if desired. Repeat with remaining flatbreads - add any other desired toppings.

• Transfer to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

• Serve immediately with lemon wedges, fresh cucumber, and watermelon.

Note 1: to make homemade za’atar, combine 1 tbsp dried thyme, 2 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp sumac, and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Place in a spice jar and use according to the recipe.

Fat Gabs Original Recipe.