Manakeesh/Manakish/Manaeesh, is a popular Middle Eastern food consisting of dough topped with spices, cheeses, and/or ground meats. It’s similar to pizza in that it is typically sliced or folded, and is typically eaten for breakfast or lunch.

This manakeesh can be modified in any number of ways, so have fun, and enjoy with some fried eggs or a tomato and cucumber salad! 

EGYPTIAN ZA’ATAR MANAKEESH

This recipe, like many other sourdough recipes, will need to be planned out a little bit. You can either start mixing the dough 7-8 hours before you want to eat, or you can plan ahead and use a cold ferment to push to 8-24 hours. 

Sample Baker’s Schedule:

8am – feed your starter 1:1:1

1pm – build your dough

6pm – bake! OR – refrigerate until the following day

500g flour – 250g 1847 Flours Organic Daily Bread flour
250g 1847 Flours Organic Daily Grind Multi-Use Flour 

325g room temp water (if you’re using a white AP, reduce this to 300g water)
15g salt
20g honey
100g mature sourdough starter (fed 4-6 hours previously, should be peaked and very bubbly)
10g olive oil

Mix together water, honey, olive oil and starter. Add flour(s) and salt and mix well to combine fully. The dough should be quite stiff – this is not a high-hydration loaf! 

Knead dough until smooth (8-10mins by hand, 4-5 mins in stand mixer @ speed 3). If the dough doesn’t hold together nicely, add more flour 1tbsp at a time. 

Place dough ball in olive oil coated bowl and cover with a damp towel, 4-6 hours at room temp (depending on temp). 

IF NOT BAKING IMMEDIATELY, place bowl in fridge covered with plastic wrap or a beeswax sheet (skip to next day baking below)

IF BAKING IMMEDIATELY
Remove dough ball from bowl and divide into 3 roughly equal shaped balls. Shape into uniform dough balls and place on a sheet tray or leave on counter for 45-60 minutes. 

Flouring the dough balls, press them into rustic flatbread shape – this can be shaped like a pizza by pressing the dough and air outward toward the edges and then using your knuckles to spread the dough thin. DO NOT ROLL WITH A ROLLING PIN – you’ll deflate the air bubbles present in the dough. 

Top with lots of olive oil, za’atar, and flake salt. If baking in a pizza oven/wood fired oven/other instrument that gets HOT (800f+), bake for 90-120 seconds until it reaches desired colour and crispness. 

In a home oven, preheat oven to 550f (preferably with a baking steel or pizza stone – if you don’t have one, preheat a cast iron skillet, or failing that, a cookie sheet) and bake doughs, on a sheet of parchment paper, for 6-8 minutes keeping a close eye on them. 

NEXT DAY BAKING

Remove dough from fridge 3-4 hours prior to baking. Shape into uniform dough balls and place on a sheet tray or leave on counter. 

When ready to bake, flour the dough balls, press them into rustic flatbread shape – this can be shaped like a pizza by pressing the dough and air outward toward the edges and then using your knuckles to spread the dough thin. DO NOT ROLL WITH A ROLLING PIN – you’ll deflate the air bubbles present in the dough. 

Top with lots of olive oil, za’atar, and flake salt. If baking in a pizza oven/wood fired oven/other instrument that gets HOT (800f+), bake for 90-120 seconds until it reaches desired colour and crispness. 

In a home oven, preheat oven to 550f (preferably with a baking steel or pizza stone – if you don’t have one, preheat a cast iron skillet, or failing that, a cookie sheet) and bake doughs, on a sheet of parchment paper, for 6-8 minutes keeping a close eye on them.