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A colorful Manakish with spinach, za'atar. sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes on a white background
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5 from 5 votes

Manakish, a Lebanese flatbread with za'atar

Manakish is a puffy, pizza-like Lebanese flatbread that's baked with the addictive middle eastern herb and spice mix, za'atar, then stuffed with veggies. It's often eaten as a wrap for breakfast, but it makes a delicious meal for anytime. My vegan version has a flavorful, smoky spinach filling and it is stuffed with cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Dough rise time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 58 minutes
Course: Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine: Lebanese
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 flatbreads
Calories: 306kcal

Ingredients

For the manakish dough

  • 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the za'atar oil

For the spinach stuffing

More ingredients for stuffing

  • 4 oz vegan mozzarella shreds
  • Fresh veggies, like cucumbers, salad greens, bell peppers or sweet peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.

Instructions

Make the bread dough

  • Place the yeast in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with sugar and 1 cup of water. Wait for it to become frothy or "bloom"
  • Add the flour, oil and salt to the bowl and knead into a smooth, supple dough that's just slightly tacky when you touch it. If the dough looks too dry or stiff add more water and knead, no more than a tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
  • Form the dough into a smooth ball and set aside to rise,
  • After an hour the dough should have doubled. Knead it slightly and divide into eight pieces. Shape them into balls, cover with a towel and set aside 15-20 minutes.

Make the spinach stuffing

  • Heat the oil. Add the garlic and onions with a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Saute until the onions start to turn brown and caramelize.
  • Add the frozen and thawed or fresh, chopped spinach to the skillet along with the spices--cumin, coriander, allspice, paprika and za'atar.
  • Saute the spinach until its dry with no visible moisture, about 5 minutes. Add more salt if needed. Turn off the heat and let it stand while you make the flatbreads.

Make the flatbreads

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
  • To make the flatbreads, roll each ball of dough until smooth, then shape into 6 to 7 inch rounds, making them as thin as possible.
  • Place the rolled out discs side by side on a baking sheet and brush them liberally with the za'atar oil. You might need to do this in batches depending on the size of your baking sheet. I could fit four at a time.
  • Place some of the spinach stuffing on top of each round, and then sprinkle with the vegan mozzarella, if using.
  • Bake the flatbreads for 6-8 minutes or until the edges brown. You can bake them for longer if you want them to be crisper, but I wanted to be able to roll them up and eat them, as is traditionally done.
  • Once the flatbreads are out of the oven, top with your favorite veggies, roll up, and eat. I added parsley, sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1manakish | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 255mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2786IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 5mg