Zaatar Bread Food

ZA'ATAR BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 3 cups flour and salt. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl. Place dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and form into rounds. Roll into 1/4-inch-thick circles. Poke rounds with your fingers to create small indentations.
• Mix za'atar and olive oil together in a small bowl. Spread over circles. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until dough is golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

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.

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.

ZAATAR PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the zaatar and olive oil in a bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and lay a baking tray in the oven to heat.
• Cut the Lebanese Pita Dough into 12 pieces. Roll out the dough to 1/4- inch thick. Pinch the edges around the dough to form higher edges. Take a fork and pierce the dough all over, releasing any air pockets. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons za'atar (make sure you mix before using) over each pita dough. Place 3 to 4 pitas on the hot baking tray in the oven and close the door immediately, making sure to not overcrowd the baking tray or oven. Bake until golden on the bottom and a little golden on the top, about 5 minutes. Serve with labneh, tomatoes and black olives rolled inside. The perfect Lebanese breakfast!
• Sift the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour in the lukewarm water. Mix by hand on a floured work surface until the dough comes together. Then knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and the dough bounces back when you push into it. Drizzle the dough with olive oil and place in a warm spot covered with a damp towel. Let rise until the dough doubles in size, depending on the temperature, it could take 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.

NO-YEAST WHOLE WHEAT ZA'ATAR BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with a large sheet of parchment, pressing it into the edges of the pan and leaving an overhang on 2 sides (the extra parchment will help you unmold the loaf later).
• Whisk the whole wheat flour, bread flour, sugar, za'atar, lemon zest, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, melted butter and egg together in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk mixture into the center. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir the mixture until it starts to come together in a shaggy mass.
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough mixture out onto the floured surface and knead a few times to bring it together. Shape it into a domed disk that's about 7-inches in diameter. Place the dough into the prepared pan and cut a cross about 1/2 inch deep into the center of the dough using a sharp knife. Brush the top and sides with more buttermilk, then sprinkle with a few good pinches of za'atar and the sesame seeds.
• Bake until the top is puffed and lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and use the parchment overhang to lift the bread from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

ZA'ATAR BREAD ROLLS (MANAIESH BI ZA'ATAR)

Steps:

• MANUAL: Dissolve the yeast in 3 tablespoons tepid water. Next add the egg, 4 tablespoons olive oil and the sugar. In large bowl combine the flour and salt. Gradually stir in the yeast mixture and add the tepid water, enough to make a dough ball. On a floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Put dough in an oversized bag and allow to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. *Proceed with recipe where indicated.
• BREAD MACHINE: Add all ingredients to the bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions EXCEPT for the za'atar and add ONLY 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once dough is done, remove from bread pan and place dough in an oversized plastic bag in a bowl. Allow to proof in a warm area for about 45 minutes.
• *Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Divide the dough into six pieces. On a floured cutting board shape each piece of dough to form an oblong.
• Arrange the oblongs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic (cling) wrap and leave for 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the za'atar. Brush the mixture evenly over each bread loaf, pressing gently into the dough making "dimple" patterns with your fingers.
• Bake for 10 minutes. While waiting for bread to bake, belly dance.
• Serve warm.

ZAATAR BREAD - MANAKISH/ MANAKEESH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and when it begins to froth, stir in the remaining water.
• Add 3 cups of flour slowly and stir it vigorously. Let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes till it froths.
• Stir in the salt and the 2 tbspns of the virgin olive oil and mix it well.
• Gradually add the remaining 3 cups of flour (you may need a little less or more flour)until you have a dough that makes a perfect ball. Keep kneading the dough continuously for a good 10-15 minutes till the dough becomes soft, very smooth and stops sticking to your fingers.
• Pour the remaining 1 tbspn of oil on this round soft dough to grease it evenly . Cover the doughball with clingfilm and leave for it to rise for 2-3 hours.
• Meanwhile you can take the zaatar topping ingredients (or a cup of zaatar mixture that can be easily found in any middle eastern store with the oil ) and mix it in a small bowl to make it an oily mixture.
• Once the dough has risen , you can roll the dough and divide into either small balls or 2-3 large balls ( we chose to make 2 big 12″ breads. If you wish to serve manakeesh as an appetizer for friends and family , you can make mini manakeesh breads served as small bites to eat.)
• Roll out the ball on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of about ¼ inch and roll it to as big/small as you wish. Take a fork and poke it all over the bread avoiding the dough to puff up while being baked .
• You can now preheat the oven to 250°C (450°F) for 15-20 minutes.
• Place a greaseproof paper on a round baking tray and gently pick the stretched round dough and place it on top of the greaseproof paper. Gently spread 1 spoon of the Zaatar mixture on the bread.
• Zaatar bread is ready to bake. Place it in the preheated oven and let it bake for 5-10 minutes or until you can see slight browning. Hot yumminess is ready to dive into. See it on my blog https://ayoodcooks.wordpress.com/

MANAKEESH BIL ZA'ATAR (FLAT BREAD WITH ZA'ATAR)

Steps:

• To make the dough, sift the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the centre and add in the water and knead till the dough has come together leaving the sides of the bowl clean.
• Transfer onto a clean work surface and knead for about 10 minutes till the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Lightly grease the bowl and transfer the dough into the bowl and cover with cling film and leave it in a warm place till it has doubled in bulk, for about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7/425F/220°C.
• Put 2 large oiled baking sheets in the oven to heat.
• Knock the air out of the dough and knead again for about 2 minutes.
• Divide into 8 portions and roll each ball between your palms until smooth and round.
• Flour the work surface and flatten each round with a rolling pin until it is circular, even, and about 1/4 inch thick.
• Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for 20 more minutes.
• Brush the tops of the discs with a little olive oil.
• In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the zaatar spice mix and add in the remaining oil and give it a good mix.
• Spread the oil-zaatar mixture over the surface of each bread.
• Slide the bread onto the hot baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and serve hot.