Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh are Middle Eastern breakfast flatbread typically made in a brick oven and enjoyed with tea. With my recipe, you can use either a pizza stone, or a baking sheet and it comes out perfect every time!
Manakeesh are Lebanese flat bread that is made in a brick oven and topped with various things like cheese, zaatar, and meat. Sometimes, they're topped with a combination of two or three things. When you buy it from a place that actually sells them, they're made similar to the way a pizza is--in a brick oven. You want that high heat to cook the Manakeesh quickly and making it crispy and delicious.
Why You Will Love this Recipe
Easy: This is an easy dough recipe that uses basic dough ingredients: flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil. The kneading time comes together so quickly, and it's fail-proof every time.
No-Rise: I've tested this recipe so many times, both with a rise, and without, and honestly, it's PERFECT without a rise. It does not need to rise for an entire hour to get a soft dough, especially since Manakeesh are flat breads and they don't need to puff up. Even without the rise, the dough is delicious.
Quick Bake: Once the dough is ready and the toppings are on the dough, the baking time is up to 15 minutes! It's a quick bake and you don't have to wait for much.
Delicious: Honestly, delicious should sell you with this recipe. It's SOOOO good. I make this recipe so much, and the dough itself is so versatile!
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love this Recipe
- Ingredients for Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
- How to Make Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
- Making Manakeesh on a Pizza Stone
- Making Manakeesh on a Baking Sheet
- Equipment You Will Need
- How to Store Manakeesh
- Tips to Make the Best Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Other Bread Recipes You Might Like
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Reviews
Ingredients for Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
For the Dough
- Water: For this recipe, I use water since it's a basic dough. You'll want to make sure your water is warm, anywhere from 105 to 115 degrees. Too cold and it won't activate the yeast. Too hot and it will kill the yeast.
- Yeast: I use active dry yeast because I like to make sure my yeast is active and I activate it before I start on the dough. Instant yeast works too.
- Sugar: To activate the yeast, and to give the dough a little flavor.
- Flour: All purpose flour works great with this recipe.
- Salt: It's very important to add salt to dough, otherwise it will taste flat and bland.
- Olive oil: It adds some flavor, and creates a softer dough.
For the Topping
- Zaatar: I buy mine from local Middle Eastern grocery stores. You can find it online as well.
- Olive oil: To add to the zaatar.
- Salty cheese: I love using feta or sheep cheese.
- Mozzarella: I love using fresh balls of mozzarella, but shredded works too.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
Making the dough is pretty simple.
Proof the Yeast: Combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar and yeast in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to activate and foam.
Knead the Dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together. Then add the yeast mixture and with a hook attachment, knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
Rest the Dough: Let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you prep the toppings. This dough does not require a long rise because they're flat breads, so it doesn't need to puff up, but even without a rise, they still stay soft and beautiful.
Prep the topping: In a bowl, combine olive oil and zaatar, mix and set aside. In another bowl, combine the cheeses and spices (like zaatar, oregano, etc., if you like) and mix and set aside.
Making Manakeesh on a Pizza Stone
Preheat the oven: With a pizza stone already in the oven, preheat to 550 degrees F.
Make the Manakeesh: Divide the dough into 6 equal sized balls (or more if you want them smaller), then using a rolling pin, roll it out into an 8 or 9 in circle (or smaller if you're making more) and then you can use your hands to stretch it even more. Transfer it to a generously floured pizza peel and top with your desired topping.
Bake: Transfer the Manakeesh to the pizza stone and bake for 5-7 minutes.
Making Manakeesh on a Baking Sheet
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F
Prepare the baking sheet: Prep the baking sheet by adding parchment paper and set it aside.
Make the Manakeesh: Divide the dough into 6 equal sized balls (or more if you want them smaller), then using a rolling pin, roll it out into an 8 or 9 in circle (or smaller if you're making more) and then you can use your hands to stretch it even more. Transfer it to the baking sheet and add your desired toppings.
Bake: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges form some color and the cheese is melted.
Equipment You Will Need
This is such an easy recipe, so the things you need for it is very minimal.
If using pizza stone:
- Pizza stone
- Pizza peel
If using baking sheet:
- Baking sheet. I like using my USA Pans
How to Store Manakeesh
Once baked, store in an airtight container. You can refrigerate to last longer, of wrap them tightly and freeze them. You can reheat them in the oven.
Tips to Make the Best Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
Measure Flour Correctly: As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off. Start with 2 ½ cups of flour first, then increase if needed.
For stone baking:
Pizza Stone: If you don't have one that's fine, but if you do, use it. It makes a difference.
Pizza peel: My current pizza peel is metal and I'm not the biggest fan of it but it came with the bundle so I use it. I would recommend a wooden one because I feel like dough would be less likely to stick if the wooden peel is generously floured.
For sheet pan baking:
Parchment paper: Make sure to line your pan with parchment paper so that it doesn't stick.
Preheat your oven: If the oven isn't preheated to the correct temperature, the Manakeesh will take much longer to bake and won't be soft.
Zaatar: For the ratio of zaatar topping, I use equal amounts and I thought it was good. I also generously added it to each Manakeesh, and I liked it. However, my husband thought it was too much. So, I would highly recommend you play around with your own ratios of how much zaatar to olive oil you like, and how much you like to top your Manakeesh with. My ratios are just a guide.
Cheese: For this recipe, I used feta cheese and mozzarella cheese. I would recommend that you use your own judgement and ratios depending on how much you like. I love a salty Manakeesh, and sometimes I even add a bit of coarse salt to the finished Manakeesh.
Bake Time: whether you use a pizza stone, or a baking sheet, do NOT overbake. They could come out hard and that's not the goal!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I've made this recipe with instant yeast and it works perfectly. It's a 1:1 ratio, so use the same amount, and you can skip the pre-proof.
If you don't eat them all on the same day, wrap them up in an airtight container or ziploc bag and they'll keep for a few days. When you're ready to eat them, heat them up in the microwave or the oven and they'll taste great!
Most definitely, they can be frozen. Once they're cooled completely, wrap them up very well and freeze them for several month. You can reheat them in the oven when you're ready to eat.
You don't need a pizza stone to make them. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees and bake the manakeesh on a baking sheet for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms and edges have color, and the cheese is melted.
Alternatively, you can treat a baking sheet as a pizza stone and preheat it in the oven between 450-500 degrees and bake the manakeesh that way. You'll want to keep watch as not to burn it.
My water temperature is a guide so that you don't use too hot of water (could kill the yeast) or too cold water (won't activate the yeast). Water temperature between 105-115 degrees F. will do the trick and yield best results.
Other Bread Recipes You Might Like
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe Card
Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
Equipment
- 1 pizza stone optional
- 1 Pizza Peel optional
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Baking Sheet optional - if using pizza stone
Ingredients
For the Yeast
- 1 cup water 110° F (lukewarm)
- 1½ teaspoon Active dry yeast (instant yeast works as well)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Dough
- 3 cups (360g) all purpose flour see notes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
Zaatar Topping (Makes 3 or more smaller ones)
- ¾ cup zaatar
- ¾ cup olive oil
Cheese Topping (Makes 3 or more smaller ones)
- 1 cup Salty cheese Bulgarian Sheep Cheese, or Feta
- ½-¾ cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- zaatar optional
Instructions
Making Manakeesh Dough
- Proof the Yeast: Combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar and yeast in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to activate and foam.
- Knead the Dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together. Then add the yeast mixture and with a hook attachment, knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
- Rest the Dough: Let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you prep the toppings. This dough does not require a long rise because they're flat breads, so it doesn't need to puff up, but even without a rise, they still stay soft and beautiful.
- Prep the topping: In a bowl, combine olive oil and zaatar, mix and set aside. In another bowl, combine the cheeses and spices (like zaatar, oregano, etc., if you like) and mix and set aside.
Rolling & Baking
- Making Manakeesh on a Pizza Stone:Preheat the oven: With a pizza stone already in the oven, preheat to 550 degrees F.Make the Manakeesh: Divide the dough into 6 equal sized balls (or more if you want them smaller), then using a rolling pin, roll it out into an 8 or 9 in circle (or smaller if you're making more) and then you can use your hands to stretch it even more. Transfer it to a generously floured pizza peel and top with your desired topping.Bake: Transfer the Manakeesh to the pizza stone and bake for 5-7 minutes.
- Making Manakeesh on a baking sheet:Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees FPrepare the baking sheet: Prep the baking sheet by adding parchment paper and set it aside.Make the Manakeesh: Divide the dough into 6 equal sized balls (or more if you want them smaller), then using a rolling pin, roll it out into an 8 or 9 in circle (or smaller if you're making more) and then you can use your hands to stretch it even more. Transfer it to the baking sheet and add your desired toppings.Bake: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges form some color and the cheese is melted. Alternatively: Preheat the baking sheet in the oven at 500-550 degrees to act like a pizza stone and bake for about the same time that you would on a pizza stone.
Notes
- This recipe makes 6 large manakeesh or many small ones. I've gotten up to 16 smaller portions out of this dough.
- Measure your flour properly using a kitchen scale. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off. Start with 2 ½ cups of flour first, then increase if needed.
Besma says
Sooooo good!!
Kima says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Jen says
This was a simple dough that was easy to work with. Loved the cheesy ones, especially with the salty feta 🙂
Hakima says
Thank you, Jen! So happy you liked the recipe. I love this dough because of how easy it is to work with. 🙂
Tina S. says
By far one of the easiest doughs I've ever made. Soft dough and the toppings are great. I baked them on a baking sheet since I don't have a pizza stone. They turned out great. Will be making again.
Hakima says
I love this simple dough so much. Thank you for the review! 🙂
Morgan says
Hi! I was wondering if you have any experience with freezing or refrigerating the dough prior to cooking… to have ready to go when needed.
Hakima says
Yes, you can refrigerate or freeze. Just make sure it comes to room temperature before rolling out.