Manakish Za'atar (Za'atar Flatbread)

Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and leave 5 minutes, until it foams.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, then pour in the yeast water and the 20 ml olive oil.

Bring it together and knead 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back slowly when pressed.

💡 It should feel soft and slightly tacky, not stiff. Manakish dough is closer to pizza dough than to bread dough — a dry dough bakes into a cracker.

Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise about 1 hour, until doubled.

Meanwhile, stir the za'atar and the 60 ml olive oil together into a loose, spoonable paste. Let it sit while the dough rises.

💡 Never spread dry za'atar straight onto dough — it scorches into bitter dust in the oven. The oil both protects it and carries the flavour, and the resting time lets the dried thyme rehydrate.

Put a baking tray or pizza stone in the oven and heat it to its maximum — 250°C or higher.

💡 The tray must preheat with the oven. Dough dropped onto a cold tray sits and dries instead of puffing — the blast of heat from underneath is what makes the base blister.

Knock the dough back and divide it into two equal pieces. Roll each into a tight ball.

Cover the balls and let them rest 15 minutes.

💡 Skip this rest and the dough fights you — it will shrink back every time you roll it. Fifteen minutes relaxes the gluten and the round stays round.

Roll or press each ball into a round about 20 cm across and 5 mm thick.

Spread half the za'atar paste over each round, going right to the edge.

💡 No border, unlike pizza. A bare rim on manakish is a dry rim, and it is the part everyone leaves on the plate.

Dimple the surface all over with your fingertips, pressing the topping in.

Slide the rounds onto the hot tray and bake 6–10 minutes, until the base is set with golden blisters and the za'atar smells toasty.

💡 Pull them while the bread is still pale and soft on top. Manakish is meant to fold in half without cracking — bake it to a crisp golden pizza and you have overshot.

Eat hot, folded in half, on their own or with mint leaves, tomato and olives tucked inside.