Manakish Zaatar – Middle Eastern Zaatar Bread

Manakish zaatar is a delicious Middle Eastern flatbread topped with zaatar. Learn how to make this delicious zaatar bread from scratch with just a few ingredients.

What is manakish zaatar?

Manakish, also known as manoushe is a middle eastern flatbread pizza made with a soft dough and topped with  zaatar. Manakish zaatar has Palestinian originality and is a common zaatar bread in many Arabic countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Manakeesh perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a midday snack. This easy Middle Eastern bread is so tasty and many families in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions make it on a daily basis.

What is zaatar?

Zaatar is a middle eastern spice with Palestinian originality. Zaatar is a combination of several spices including sumac (mostly common in Lebanese zaatar), thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, marjoram and salt. It’s very common to use zaatar in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Learn how to make zaatar at home on Bon Appetit. 

How to make Manakish zaatar bread

Start by making a basic dough using flour, instant yeast, salt, warm water and olive oil. Once all the ingredients are mixed and formed the dough, knead the dough for almost ten minutes and rub some olive oil all over it. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour and half.

After ninety minutes, the dough must have doubled in size. Punch down the dough to release the extra air and knead it a little bit. Divide the manakeesh dough into several small balls and roll them out to 1/2 inch thickness. Using your fingers, form a circle in the middle of the dough, one inch away from the edges of the flatbread.

Brush each piece of dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle a generous amount of zaatar on the dough disk. Place the disks in a baking sheet and bake manakish zaatar in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes until the edges are golden brown.

What to serve with manakeesh

Manakish zaatar is such a tasty middle eastern bread and it can be served in so many different ways. You can simply serve it on the side of most proteins or a party of a mezze plate (Mediterranean appetizer platter). You can also serve manakish with these items:

• Baba Ganoush
• Hummus
• Labneh
• Feta Cheese

Notes and tips to make manakish zaatar

• Make sure your yeast is not expired otherwise it won’t proof. In this manakish recipe I have used instant yeast which can be added directly to the dry ingredients. If you’re using active dry yeast, proof it with warm water before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
• You can use half whole wheat and half all purpose flour to make this middle eastern bread.
• You can easily freeze zaatar manakish. After they completely cool down, layer them with parchment papers and wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. To thaw, place them on a baking sheet and turn the oven to 250F. Heat for twenty to thirty minutes until they’re warm.
• Manakish zaatar can be made in different sizes. I usually make them pretty small so we can have them as a to go snack.