Manaquis Bil Zatar Thyme Bread Lebanon Middle East Food

MANAKISH ZAATAR (TRADITIONAL LEBANESE SPICED PITA BREAD)

Steps:

• To begin making the Manakish Zaatar, you can begin by preparing Zaatar at home, if you do not have it on hand. Mix all the ingredients listed under "Or To Make Your Own Zaatar" together and shake well to combine. Your home made zaatar spice mix is ready. Store in air tight container and use as and when required.
• To begin making the Manakish, first add yeast and sugar in a small mixing bowl and pour luke warm water over it. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes until the yeast starts bubbling. If the yeast doesn't react discard it and start another batch.
• In another mixing bowl, add flour, salt, olive oil and mix with your fingers. Make a well in the center and pour in the bubbly/frothy yeast mixture. Mix well. Add water only if required and bring it together into a scraggy dough where the ingredients are holding together in a rough mix.
• Clean your counter surface thoroughly, dust with flour and transfer the dough onto the counter. Knead until you get smooth, soft dough that is pliable.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, rub olive oil all over and cover it with a damp cloth. Set it aside for abour 1.5 hours or until it has risen and has doubled in size.
• Knock down the dough (punch it with your fist), this is done to release all the air that would have collected. Gently knead for another 2 minutes.
• At this stage, preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
• Divide dough into equal sized balls, depending on the size of Manakish you want to make. Place it on a greased surface and cover and let it rise a second time for another 15 minutes.
• Now, working with one portion of dough at a time, flatten it into a disc like a pizza base, about ¼ inch thick. Punch small holes on the dough like dimples. Sprinkle zaatar spice mix on top. Press gently so the spice mix sticks to the base.
• Place the prepared manakish one at a time on a baking sheet and bake in pre heated over at 170 degrees C for about 8 to 10 minutes each, once you see the base turning slightly brown.
• Serve Manakish Zaatar as breakfast or as a party appetiser along with Tzatziki or Hummus too. It makes a good addition to a Lebanese or Middle Eastern lunch or dinner.

MANAQUIS BIL-ZA'TAR -- THYME BREAD (LEBANON -- MIDDLE EAST)

Steps:

• FOR THE DOUGH: In a small container stir together yeast & 1/4 cup warm water, then set asde for 5-10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour & salt, then make a well in the center & pour in the oil.
• Work in the oil with your fingertips until completely absorbed, then add the yeast water & knead with your hands for several minutes.
• Gradually add another 1/4 cup warm water & knead until dough is smooth & elastic, then form into a ball, cover with a damp cloth & leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• FOR THE TOPPING: In a skillet over medium heat, combine thyme, sumac & sesame seeds, stirring continuously until the aroma rises & the mixture is slightly toasted. Salt to taste & set aside to cool slightly.
• In a small bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal portions & roll each into a ball.
• Dip the first ball of dough in flour on all sides, then shake off the excess before rolling it into a thin disk about 1/8-inch thick.
• Make a few dimples across the flat dough, pressing hard with the tips of your fingers (done to stop oil in the topping from running out during cooking), then spread a quarter of the topping over the disk of dough.
• Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat & cook the dough in the skillet, topping side up, for 3-5 minutes or until bottom is crisp & lightly golden.
• Repeat the procedure to make the rest of the breads.
• Serve hot or warm, either plain or with some yogurt or . . .

MIDDLE EASTERN ZAATAR (MANAKISH ZA'ATAR)

Steps:

• I use this simple Middle Eastern Dough. This recipe will require about an hour and a half (due to the hour-long proving time), so plan accordingly.
• Once the dough is prepared, split it into 5 equal pieces for larger breads or 8 pieces for medium-sized breads. You can weigh it out for complete accuracy, but I just do this by eye.
• Roll out the dough pieces with a rolling pin into round pizza-shaped pieces around 1/4-inch in thickness.
• Use your fingers to lightly dimple the top of the bread. This will not only help keep the topping in place as the bread bakes, but it will also stop it from puffing up too much in the oven. You can do this step before or after adding the topping. I did it after this particular time, as I forgot to do it before - whoops!
• Place an inverted tray or a pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to the highest it can possibly reach (Mine is 500ºF/260ºC).
• In a small bowl combine the za'atar and olive oil and mix well into a paste similar to pesto rather than a thick paste.
• Top each of the Middle Eastern Flatbread with some of the za'atar oil blend, leaving about a 1/2-1 inch 'crust' at the edges.Feel free to increase/decrease the amount of topping that you add based on how strong you want the flavor to be.
• Transfer the topped zaatar bread onto the pre-heated inverted oven tray (or pizza stone). Do this carefully, so you don't burn yourself.
• Bake for between 5-7 minutes, until it's lightly golden-brown, without burning the spices on top.
• Remove the manakish za'atar from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. This will allow the topping to 'dry' to the flatbread. Then, enjoy- make sure to wrap/cover it with a kitchen towel to keep the bread soft.
• Store: Store the baked zaatar bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you used oil in the dough in place of oil then you can store the bread at room temperature for 3-5 days (covered).Freezer: Wrap the zaatar manakish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to three months, Thaw in the refrigerator before enjoying or heat from frozen.Reheat: You can reheat the bread from frozen in the oven at 250ºF/120ºC until warmed through (20-25 minutes usually). If heating from chilled or room temperature, then reduce the time in the oven.

THUM -- GARLIC SAUCE (LEBANON -- MIDDLE EAST)

Steps:

• In a mortar & pounding with a pestle, work the garlic cloves & a little salt until reduced to a very fine paste.
• Drizzle in the oil very slowly, stirring constantly to blend well.
• If you don't want the sauce to be as strong as this will be, add some yogurt and/or mashed potato & blend well before serving.

LEBANESE THYME BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the yeast sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the warm water and set aside.
• Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add in the salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the remaining warm water.
• Knead together until the mixture forms a stiff dough.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes, adding in a tablespoon of olive oil to the dough to soften it.
• Wash and dry the mixing bowl and rub with a little of the olive oil. Return the dough to the ball and roll it around the bowl until well oiled. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.
• Knead the dough again, then divide it into 10 portions.
• Roll each dough portion between your palms until smooth and round.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out each portion into a circle. Cover the dough circles and set aside for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F Place 2 large baking sheets in the oven to heat up.
• Brush the tops of each dough circle with a little of the olive oil. Mix the remaining olive oil with the thyme, marjoram and sesame seeds and spread the mixture evenly over the surface of each dough circle.
• Slide the dough circles onto the hot baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Remove and cool. Serve.

KHOBZ RAMADAN -- BREAD WITH DATES (LEBANON-- MIDDLE EAST)

Steps:

• Put dates in a food processor & process until coarsely chopped, then add 4 tablespoons butter & continue processing until there is a smooth paste.
• Divide into 4 equal parts, then cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate.
• Stir yeast into 1/4 cup of the warm water & set aside for 10 minutes in a warm place.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, seeds & rest of the butter, working the butter into the flour with your hands.
• Add yeast water & 1/4 cup of the warm water & knead until the dough is supple & firm.
• Divide dough into 4 equal parts, roll into balls & let rest for 15 minutes.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• When dough has rested, roll out each ball of dough into a disk about 7 1/2 inches across & 1/2 inch thick.
• With your hands flatten one portion of the date paste into a smaller disk about 4 1/2 inches across, then lay it in the middle of the dough.
• Turn the edges of the dough over the filling & seal the dough, then turn the dough over & lay it on the prepared baking sheet. Pat with your hands to make as perfect a circle as you can.
• Make the other breads in the same way, then cover with plastic wrap & let rest for another 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush breads with egg yolk & bake 25-30 minutes or until golden, then remove to a wire rack to cool, before serving.