Start of Ramadan right with this recipe by Nida Khalaf

There is nothing like freshly baked Manakeesh to make your whole house smell and feel warm; there is beauty in waking up to the smell of Zaatar. Manakeesh is a classic Levantine flatbread typically eaten for breakfast or brunch, and during Ramadan, it is served for souhour. Manakeesh are usually baked with various toppings such as cheese, eggs, and sujok, with the two most important ingredients being olive oil and Zaatar. In Palestine and other countries within the arab world, manakeesh are a weekend favorite. People would line up to pick up freshly baked wood oven manakeesh from local bakeries. So here is my recipe, and I hope you enjoy it.

This recipe makes around 30 buns manakeesh (mini size).

Ingredients:
The dough:
• 3.5 cups flour
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• ½ tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp salt
• ¼ cup dried milk (if available, I use Nido)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1.25 cups warm water
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
Za’atar and cheese toppings:
• 1 cup Zaatar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1-2 cups grated Nabulsi cheese

Method:

1. Prepare the dough by placing all the ingredients in a mixing bowl (except for the olive oil), and knead for 10-15 mins by hand or 5 mins on a stand mixer (if using traditional yeast, activate it first by mixing it with the warm water and sugar and letting it rest for 10 mins). The dough must be soft (play dough-like texture); if you find it too wet, add a bit of flour; if you find it too dry, add a bit of water. Note, the more you knead, the more the dough will form, so don’t add flour or water right away; knead per the time above, then assess.
2. Shape the dough into a ball, drizzle the olive oil all over it, cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it proof for 1.5 hrs or until it doubles in size.
3. Once the dough is done, cut it into 1-2 inch balls for mini manakeesh or 4 inch balls for medium size manakeesh, place the balls on a baking tray covered with parchement paper and allow it to rest for 15 mins while loosely covered with a kitchen towel. If you’re doing mini manakeesh, you can place 9-12 at a time on a standard-size baking tray; if making the regular-size manakeesh, then 2-3 at a time.
4. Note for souhour, prep the dough as mentioned above the night before; once it rises, fold it using your hands, place it back in the bowl and cover it using plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. When you wake up for souhour take the dough out of the fridge and bring it to room temp, and it will be ready to use!
5. Preheat the oven to 400F and prep the manakeesh toppings; for the zaatar and olive oil, simply mix the 2 in a small ball, and for the cheese, grate the cheese.
6. Flatten the dough into circular pies using your fingertips, and spread the zaatar paste or the cheese topping. The the mini manakeesh will take 1 tsp of the zaatar paste and the large ones, 1.5 to 2 tbsp.
7. Bake for 10-12 mins or until slightly golden, and enjoy with a cup of mint tea, some olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Sahtain and Bon Appetit!