Cheese and Za'atar Manakeesh is a popular Middle Eastern flatbread topped with a blend of melted cheese and fragrant za'atar seasoning, offering a savory and aromatic flavor. It’s perfect for breakfast or a light snack, with a crispy, golden crust and a delightful combination of cheesy richness and herbal freshness.
Manakeesh (or Manakish) are traditional Lebanese flatbreads baked in a brick oven, often topped with a variety of ingredients like cheese, za'atar, and meat. Occasionally, they feature a combination of two or more toppings. When purchased from a place that specializes in them, they're made much like pizza, cooked in a brick oven to achieve high heat, which ensures they cook quickly and become crispy and flavorful.
This recipe uses my versatile every day dough that does not require any rise, but still yields a soft and delicious bread! It's the same dough I use for my delicious Turkish Pide recipe. If you love Middle Eastern bread recipes, try my Honeycomb Bread or Soft Za'atar Pretzels.
In this post, you'll learn how to bake them on a baking sheet, a pizza stone, or stove top. All methods are delicious, but depending on preference, you may enjoy one over the other.
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"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."
- Tina S.
♥ Why You'll 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. If you choose the stove top method, the cook time is even less!
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!
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Manakeesh Dough
Water: For this recipe, I use water since it's a basic lean 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.
Olive oil: It adds some flavor, and creates a softer dough.
Toppings
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.
✨ Variations
Meat - The most popular types of manakish are cheese and za'atar, but you can also make meat, similar to a lahmacun.
Egg - Sometimes I'll add a bit of protein to the Manakish and crack an egg on top before I pop it in the oven.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale - It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Pizza Stone - If using this method, you'll need a pizza stone and a pizza peel.
Flat pan - If using stove top method, you'll need a flat non-stick frying pan.
Baking sheet - The most common method will use a baking sheet. You'll need a large baking sheet.
Rolling pin - If you don't have a rolling pin, you can use a large glass bottle.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Make the dough
Combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar and yeast in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to activate and foam.
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.
Let rest for 10 minutes while you prep the toppings.
💡 Hint: If your dough is too sticky when kneading, just add a teaspoon of flour at a time and let knead for another few minutes.
Roll the dough
Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls (or less if you want them bigger). Roll them out into a circle using a rolling pin.
🎩Trick: Flour your work surface to help the dough roll out better.
Baking Sheet Method
Place the rolled out dough on a lined baking sheet, then add the toppings.
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.
Pizza Stone Method
Transfer the dough to a generously floured pizza peel and top with your desired topping.
Transfer the Manakeesh to the pizza stone and bake for 5-7 minutes at 550℉.
Stove Top Method
Turn the broiler setting of your oven on high.
Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Then place the rolled out dough on the skillet and add your desired toppings.
Cook for about 2 minutes until the bottom is slightly golen, then transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven. Let cook for a couple minutes until the cheese is melted and the sides are golden. Keep an eye on it, otherwise it could burn.
💬 FAQ
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.
💡Pro Tips
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.
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!
❄ Storage
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.
📖 Recipe Card
Za'atar and Cheese Manakeesh
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 pizza stone If not using other method
- 1 Pizza Peel If not using other method
- 1 Flat skillet If not using other method
- 1 Baking Sheet If not using other method
Ingredients
For the Yeast
- 1 cup (235 g) water 110° F (lukewarm)
- 1½ teaspoon (5 g) Active dry yeast (instant yeast works as well)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Dough
- 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour see notes
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (54 g) olive oil
Zaatar Topping (Makes 3 big or 6 smaller ones)
- ¾ cup (177 g) zaatar
- ¾ cup (162 g) olive oil
Cheese Topping (Makes 3 big or 6 smaller ones)
- 8 oz. (227 g) Salty cheese Bulgarian Sheep Cheese, or Feta
- 8 oz. (227 g) 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.1 cup water, 1½ teaspoon Active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar
- 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.3 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup olive oil
- 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.¾ cup zaatar, ¾ cup olive oil, 8 oz. Salty cheese, 8 oz. Mozzarella cheese, zaatar
- Rollling 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.
Baking Sheet Method
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 475℉Prepare the baking sheet: Prep the baking sheet by adding parchment paper and set it aside.Transfer the stretched out dough 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.
Pizza Stone Method
- Preheat the oven: With a pizza stone already in the oven, preheat to 550℉ Transfer the rolled out dough 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.
Stove Top Method
- Broiler: Turn on the oven broiler setting to high.Stove: Place a skillet on medium heat and allow it to heat up. Then transfer your rolled out dough and place it on the skillet. Add your desired toppings. Let cook for a couple minutes until the bottom has some golden brown color. Bake: Transfer the manakeesh to a lined baking sheet and place it in the oven. Let the top broil for a couple minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden. The stove top method is my personal favorite because it comes pretty close to a traditional Lebanese Manakeesh. I don't do it as often because my broiler is so small and it's practically on the floor of the kitchen (very bottom tray of the oven so it's hard to make in large batches).
Video
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.