The ultimate breakfast, a manousheh (plural manaiish) is a flatbread, a pizza-like pie, covered with za’atar (thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt) mixed with oil, and baked in the oven, or over a saj, which is a concave steel plaque with fire beneath it, and the flatbread cooks on the top. Its distinctive smell is typical of an early-morning mountain breakfast.
The flatbread goes well with some sliced tomato and cucumber and mint sprigs. Roll it all up and bite into a healthy breakfast. These manaiish are around 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, but they can also be prepared as small bites, less than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.
For the dough:
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups (250 g) whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the spread:
- Za’atar
- Olive oil
- Kamal Mouzawak
- kamal@soukeltayeb.com
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To prepare the dough, dissolve the yeast and the sugar in 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm water (too cold, and the yeast will not be active and rise; too hot, and it will be killed). It should rise and double its amount or more, taking about 10 minutes.
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Mix well the flour with the olive oil, so that every grain is coated with oil. Add the yeast mixture, salt, and enough warm water to form a dough. Add 1/2 cup at a time and knead well, so the dough doesn’t turn loose and liquid. The dough should be elastic enough and not stick to the hands or the bowl. Shape it into a ball and let it rest for at least 3 hours, covered, in a warm place, for the dough to rise to double its original volume.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).
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Flour your hands and divide the dough. For individual regular-size manousheh, divide the dough into tennis ball–size pieces, roll into rounds, and sprinkle with flour. For nibble-size breads, divide the dough into big pieces, roll out thin, and cut out 4-inch (10-cm) disks with a cookie cutter (or a glass). Re-roll the dough to use it all, and arrange the rounds on a baking sheet.
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Mix the za’atar with enough olive oil to obtain a semi-thick, spreadable consistency. Spread the za’atar mixture over the dough.
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Bake individual-size manousheh for 15 minutes, until golden. Bake nibble-size manousheh on a baking sheet for around 10 minutes, until the bread is baked and the border starts coloring.
Yield 4 servings
