Lebanese Flatbread (Manoushe Zaatar)

5 from 10 votes

Lebanese Flatbread (Manoushe Zaatar)

The best Lebanese flatbread or Manoushe Zaatar to make at home. These famous Lebanese street food pizzas are deliciously light with crispy edges, topped with amazing za'atar and extra virgin olive oil spread. Their unique flavors will impress you, and they're so easy to make!

Prep Time30

Cook Time7

Passive Time1

Servings: pieces

Author: Bea & Marco

Ingredients

Dough

3 cup bread flour
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 cup warm water

Topping

⅓ cup za'atar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Dough

Add all of the ingredients into a stand-mixer bowl. Use speed 1 to mix everything and then change to speed 2 and knead for 10 minutes. You'll have a sticky dough.
Grease your hands with some oil, to prevent the dough from sticking. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover it tightly with cling film and leave it to rise until it doubles its size, around 1-1.5 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature.

Prepare Topping And Oven

Meanwhile, add zaatar and extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Mix well and set aside. Preheat your oven to 480℉ (250℃), without the fan, placing the rack on the highest level with a pizza stone on it, for at least 30 minutes before cooking these Lebanese flatbreads.

Assemble

Place the risen dough on a lightly floured working surface. Lightly form it into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and cover them with a cling film to prevent them from forming a crust.
Grab a ball, and roll it into a thin circle, dusting it with some flour as you go if it's sticky. Slide it onto a pizza peel. Put the topping on top, leaving ½ inch empty around the edges.

Bake

Carefully yet swiftly slide the Lebanese flatbread onto the pizza stone. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the edges look golden brown. Slide the pizza peel underneath it, and remove it from the oven. Then continue assembling another flatbread, and bake it.
We recommend not to let the assembled flatbreads sit around as it might be difficult to move them onto the pizza peel, into the oven later. Easy, right? Enjoy your Lebanese flatbread!

Stove

Alternatively, you can use an iron skillet. Heat it on medium-high heat until smoking hot, place the flatbread, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Flip it, spread the topping and continue cooking the other side.

Notes

Roll the dough thin. You'll get big air pockets and the Lebanese flatbreads cook even faster!
Use a pizza peel and stone. We're baking this delicious Manoushe Zaatar in the house oven, mimicking the traditional saj, a metal griddle. The pizza peel makes it easier to move the thin Lebanese flatbreads, and the pizza stone helps to cook the bottom as fast as the top.
Use the highest rack possible. This allows the flatbreads to be cooked within minutes, with the beautiful golden brown color and huge air pockets.
Use the spoon and level method for cup measurements. This will avoid using excess flour.
We highly recommend using a kitchen scale as it's more precise.

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