Manakish

Manakish are a traditional easy Lebanese Pizzas, that are topped with an assortment of toppings like cheese and zaatar and enjoyed for breakfast or a snack. This is a delicious, easy and healthy recipe!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Diet Halal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes

Servings people

Calories 227kcal

Author Farah Abumaizar

Ingredients

1 cup and 3 tbsp all purpose flour 150g
1 cup and 3 tbsp whole wheat flour 150g
2.5 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup warm water 175 g
plus extra olive oil for drizzling

For zaatar topping:

4 tablespoon zaatar
5 tablespoon olive oil

For cheese topping:

1 cup grated akkawi cheese, kashkaval, mozzarella or halloumi 240g

Instructions

In a large bowl, add half the amount of flour, the yeast, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
Add the olive oil and warm water, and use your hands to mix the dough until combined. Add the remaining flour, and knead it in until dough is nice and smooth. Shape into a ball, and lift out of the bowl. Drizzle some olive oil in the bowl you were using, place the dough ball back in, and drizzle the top with a little more olive oil.
Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until dough is doubled and puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C ).
Punch dough down, knead a little, then divide into 6 or 8 balls, depending on the size of the manakish you want. On a lightly floured surface, press the dough balls into an oblong manakish shape like pictured. You can use your hands to shape the dough, or a rolling pin.
The dough should be very easy to work with, but if it's sticky, lightly dust the top with flour
Mix together the zaatar and olive oil to make the zaatar topping, and use a spoon to spread evenly on the dough, leaving a border of dough without zaatar. If using cheese, just top the zaatar mix with the cheese, or add cheese without any zaatar underneath. You might find it easier to place the dough on parchment lined baking sheets, and assemble directly on the sheets.
Bake for 8-12 minutes (the range of time depends on the size of the manakish), until dough is lightly browned on the edges, and if you lift up a manakish the bottom is cooked through and lightly browned. For cheese manakish, I like to broil for 1-2 minutes to get a little more crunch and to get the cheese golden brown.
Once out of the oven, rest for a few minutes, then enjoy warm!

Video

Notes

Recipe barely adapted from Mrs. Clueless.

You can make assorted manakish, with whatever topping choices you like. Just use the base dough recipe.

You can make the manakish a lot smaller, and get more yield. Try dividing into 12 small balls if you want more bite sized versions.

Storing leftovers: Leftovers will last 2-3 days in the fridge, reheat before enjoying.

These also freeze so well. Wrap tightly or place in a freezer bag and freeze for 2-3 months.

Nutrition