Homemade Traditional Lebanese Zaatar Mix Food

HOMEMADE ZA'ATAR

Steps:

• Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until just golden, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Combine sesame seeds, thyme leaves, sumac, and salt in a bowl and stir until well combined.

HOMEMADE TRADITIONAL LEBANESE ZAATAR MIX

Steps:

• Rinse the fresh oregano stems, pat dry them, and then arrange them onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper or on the tray of a dehydrator.
• When using the oven,bake at 165ºF/75ºC for about 1 hour in the center of the oven. Keep a close eye on the drying process so that the leaves don't burn (as the temperature is higher than a dehydrator). Check on the leaves in about 30-45 minutes. If they feel dry and crumble easily, they have been dried/dehydrated enough. If not, keep them in the oven longer, checking every 5-10 minutes.When using a dehydrator,dehydrate at 105º/40ºC for 1-4 hours (timing depends on the initial freshness of the leaves). Check them after 1.5 hours. If they feel dry and crumble easily, they've been dehydrated enough. If not, keep them longer, checking periodically. You could also dry them in a well-ventilated spot but this could take at least a few days, even weeks.
• Once the oregano has dried out, leave it to cool down completely.
• Grind it to a fine powder.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan (don't add oil) over medium heat. Stir constantly so the seeds don't burn on one side. It's enough to toast them for about 4-5 minutes. Let the sesame seeds cool down before mixing the spice blend.
• Next, mix all the herbs/spices. You can stir them in a bowl or directly in the jar you plan to store them in.
• Cover the jar and store in your cupboard or another cool dry place. You can also keep it in the fridge. The Lebanese zaatar spice mix keeps for 6 months (or even longer).

LEBANESE ZAATAR SPICE BLEND RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the Sesame seeds into a small pan and dry toast the sesame seeds until you can smell them toasting or see them popping up. Keep aside to cool.
• In a mortar and pestle add the thyme, savory, marjoram, and sumac. Pound all the ingredients until well mixed and you can smell the spice blend forming.
• In a small bowl or container combine the previously pound ingredient mixture with the sesame seeds and salt.
• Store in an airtight container until further use.

LEBANESE ZAATAR (ZA'ATAR) BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix water, yeast, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, olive oil, and corn oil; mix using your hands, adding more whole wheat flour if needed, until dough holds together. Mix za'atar into dough until evenly incorporated (see notes).
• Shape dough, about 1/4 cup per piece, into rounds on a floured work surface. Arrange rounds on baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

ZA'ATAR

Steps:

• Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan, just until they start to release their aroma. Grind them to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar then stir in all the other ingredients plus 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. It is now ready to use in your recipes, but will keep in a clean jar or airtight container for a month.

ZA'ATAR

Steps:

• Grind the savory, sumac, salt and sesame seed in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder until you obtain a fine powder.
• Keep in a sealed jar in a cool, dark and dry place.
• To use: mix 1-2 tblsps of zaatar with 1-2 tblsps extra-virgin olive oil and spread on warm, toasted bread.
• Top with freshly-ground black pepper.
• You can also top pita breads with the zaatar and olive oil mixture and bake in the oven to make pita crisps.
• Zaatar will begin to lose its flavour after 2 months.