Manakish

also called manakish · manaeesh · manakeesh · manoushe · man'oushe · manoushi · manousheh · zaatar bread · za'atar flatbread · Lebanese breakfast bread

The table

2 tsp(6 g)instant yeastproof the yeast 10 minknead 8 min to a soft doughprove 1 1/2 hr until doubledroll into rounds, dimple all overbake at 450°F 8 min, pale and soft
1 tsp(4 g)granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups(300 mL)warm water
3 1/2 cups(455 g)all-purpose flour
2 tsp(12 g)fine sea salt
3 Tbs(45 mL)olive oil
2 Tbs(30 mL)whole milk
1/2 cup(60 g)za'atarslacken the za'atar with oil
1/3 cup(80 mL)extra-virgin olive oil
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.11 things to get out.

Pans and tools

1proof the yeast 10 min

2slacken the za'atar with oil

3knead 8 min to a soft dough

goes in with what step 1 made

Cooking it

Start to finish is the longest chain through the table, so branches that overlap are counted once. That is why the waits add up to more than the clock — and it only holds if you get them going together.

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 1 hr 56 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
8 minof the steps that give a time

One of the 6 steps never says how long it takes, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 2 hr 30 min.

  1. proof the yeast 10 min

    10 minwalk awayfrom the start

  2. slacken the za'atar with oil

    15 minwalk awayfrom the start

  3. knead 8 min to a soft dough

    8 minneeds you10 min in

  4. prove 1 1/2 hr until doubled

    1 hr 30 minwalk away18 min in

  5. roll into rounds, dimple all over

    not timed1 hr 48 min in

  6. bake at 450°F 8 min, pale and soft

    8 minwalk away1 hr 48 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them. Bars that line up are happening at the same time.

You'll need baking steel · oven

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Manakish
>> category: Flatbreads & Pancakes
>> tags: bread, yeast, zaatar, lebanese, oven, breakfast
>> counters: Shawarma Counter, Bakery
>> aka: manakish, manaeesh, manakeesh, manoushe, man'oushe, manoushi, manousheh, zaatar bread, za'atar flatbread, Lebanese breakfast bread
>> pairs-with: zaatar, labneh, pita-bread
>> servings: 6
>> time: 2 hr 30 min
>> step.1: proof the yeast 10 min
>> step.2: knead 8 min to a soft dough
>> step.3: prove 1 1/2 hr until doubled
>> step.4: slacken the za'atar with oil
>> step.5: roll into rounds, dimple all over
>> step.6: bake at 450°F 8 min, pale and soft

Whisk @instant yeast{2%tsp}(6 g) and @granulated sugar{1%tsp}(4 g) into @warm water{1 1/4%cups}(300 mL) and ~stand{10%min} until it froths.

Knead @&(~1)yeast water{} with @all-purpose flour{3 1/2%cups}(455 g), @fine sea salt{2%tsp}(12 g), @olive oil{3%Tbs}(45 mL) and @whole milk{2%Tbs}(30 mL) ~knead{8%min}, until the dough is soft, slightly slack and springs back slowly. Softer than a pita dough: manakish is not meant to balloon and split, it is meant to fold in half around itself and stay bendy.

Prove @&(~1)dough{} covered in a warm place ~prove{1 1/2%hr}, until doubled.

Stir @za'atar{1/2%cup}(60 g) into @extra-virgin olive oil{1/3%cup}(80 mL) until it is a loose, spoonable slurry, and let it ~stand{15%min}. Za'atar spooned on dry scorches in the oven and tastes of dust; the oil is what carries it and what stops it burning.

Divide @&(~2)proved dough{} into six, roll each into an eight-inch round about a quarter-inch thick, and dimple all over with your fingertips so the topping has somewhere to sit rather than sliding to the edge.

Bake @&(~1)dimpled rounds{} spread with @&(~2)za'atar oil{} on a hot #baking steel{} in the #oven{} at 450°F (230°C) ~bake{8%min}, until the bases are set and freckled but the bread is still pale and soft. This is not pizza — brown it and you have made a cracker you cannot fold, which is how it is eaten, in the hand, on the way somewhere.