Za'atar Manakish

Ingredients

• 400 g strong white flour
• 5 g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 ml olive oil
• 5 tbsp za'atar
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

1. Mix the dough

   Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, 2 tbsp of the oil and about 250 ml warm water, then knead until smooth and slightly tacky. Enriched with oil, this dough stays soft rather than crusty.

   10 min

2. Prove

   Cover and leave until doubled, about an hour in a warm kitchen.

   1 h

3. Heat the oven

   Heat the oven to 240°C with a heavy tray inside. Manakish are baked fast and hot; a slow oven dries them into crackers.

   20 min

4. Make the za'atar paste

   Stir the remaining oil into the za'atar with the sesame seeds to a spreadable, loose paste. Dry za'atar scattered on the dough scorches; suspended in oil it toasts instead.

5. Shape and top

   Press each portion out to a 20 cm round, dimple the surface with your fingertips, and spread the paste to within a centimetre of the edge. The dimples hold the oil in place instead of letting it run off.

6. Bake

   Bake on the hot tray until the base is set and the edges just colour — they should stay pale and soft, not brown and crisp.

   8 min