Adding zesty Za’atar makes this Palestinian Flatbread a lovely choice for a festive occasion
One of the major spice mixes Palestinians love is Za’atar, which is a blend of thyme indigenous to Palestine which is then shade-dried, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, sumac, sea salt and a little olive oil. It is a versatile spice used for centuries in middle-eastern cuisine.
Za’atar comes from the same plant family as thyme, oregano or marjoram, giving it a mild and pleasant aroma and taste.
Mana’eesh Bread
This is a flatbread, although it turned out to be more of a roll the way I made it. I think in future I would flatten it out like a pizza dough so that it will become more like the pictures of the bread I have seen. I used some vegetable cooking water, for added nutrients, which is why it is greenish!
I have a pizza stone in the top of the oven, which crisps up the base nicely.
Dough
400g flour (I used a mixture of white and wholemeal flour)
250 ml of warm water
2 tsp fast action yeast
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
60 ml olive oil
Za’atar topping mix
Mix olive oil, Za’atar and a little water to coat the bread
Baking
Use an oven at Gas Mark 7/200°C/Fan 180°C
Mix up the dough and knead together till it feels properly bready (about 5 mins)
Allow the dough to rise in a warm place
Make into appropriate size balls
Roll it out into pizza-type circles on a floured board, then add the topping.
You can prick the dough to prevent it rising too much (which I omitted and so got the rolls)
Bake in the over for 10-15 minutes, so it is golden. Brushing with olive oil helps the crust.
Serve on its own or as an accompaniment to a main dish. You can add all sorts of toppings like hummus or cheese if you prefer.
